The 2002 Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak of April 27, 2002 and April 28, 2002 was a widespread outbreak that moved from west to east over a Saturday and Sunday. Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska were affected on the 27th; tornadoes were reported in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia on the 28th. Generally, tornado reports were widely scattered in each state, but significant to severe damage was noted in multiple states. Overall, the outbreak was responsible for 7 deaths, 256 injuries and a total in excess of $224 million in tornado damage, with wind and hail adding to the damage total.
Contents |
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed F0 |
Confirmed F1 |
Confirmed F2 |
Confirmed F3 |
Confirmed F4 |
Confirmed F5 |
| 48 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | ||||||
| F1 | W of Crete | Saline | 2006 | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) |
One barn and some fences were destroyed. Some home had minor damage | |
| F0 | S of Milford | Seward | 2025 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief tornado with no damage | |
| Kansas | ||||||
| F0 | SW of Effingham | Atchison | 2110 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
A grain truck was blown over and one home had windows blown out. Two sheds were destroyed | |
| Iowa | ||||||
| F0 | NW of Percival | Fremont | 2141 | unknown | Brief tornado with no damage | |
| F0 | NW of Thurman | Fremont | 2150 | unknown | Brief tornado with no damage | |
| F0 | S of Pacific Junction | Mills | 2158 | unknown | Brief tornado with no damage | |
| Illinois | ||||||
| F1 | E of Belleville | St. Clair | 0335 | 1.7 miles (2.7 km) |
34 homes, an elementary school and two large buildings were damaged | |
| F1 | E of Kenner | Clay | 0505 | 5 miles (8 km) |
A mobile home and outbuilding were destroyed, a garage was turned on its foundation, a propane tank was thrown a certain distance and a car was flipped injuring its occupants. 3 homes and a mobile home were also damaged | |
| F2 | N of Raleigh | Saline | 0607 | 7.5 miles (12 km) |
55 structures were damaged or destroyed | |
| F3 | NE of Valley Mission to NE of Cypress | Union, Johnson | 0618 | 19.3 miles (30.9 km) |
1 death Several wood house and trailers were destroyed with 75 homes damaged in Union County while in Johnson County, 50 structures were damaged including a school | |
| F2 | NW of Ganntown | Johnson | 0646 | 7 miles (11.2 km) |
Three mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed injuring 2 | |
| F3 | N of Reevesville to SE of Joy, KY | Pope, Livingston, KY | 0659 | 22 miles (35.2 km) |
A brick home and two mobile homes were destroyed while farm buildings and a few homes were damaged. | |
| Missouri | ||||||
| F2 | N of Willow Springs | Howell | 0340 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
One home was heavily damaged and six other homes and a barn were damaged. One church was rotated off its foundation and a radio tower toppled | |
| F3 | SW of Marble Hill | Bollinger | 0540 | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
1 death 6 residences were destroyed out of 19 that were heavily damaged. 50 outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. In addition to the fatality, 16 were injured | |
| F0 | SE of Hayward | New Madrid | 0729 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Damage limited to trees | |
| Kentucky | ||||||
| F1 | N of Sheridan | Crittenden | 0735 | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
A few trailers were heavily damaged or destroyed | |
| F1 | SW of Repton | Crittenden | 0739 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
Damage limited to trees | |
| F3 | SE of Piney to Hanson | Crittenden, Webster, Hopkins | 0749 | 22 miles (35.2 km) |
A dozen homes and farm buildings were damaged in Crittenden County. In Webster County, 16 mobile homes and 10 homes were destroyed while 100 homes were damaged 26 people were injured in that county. In Hopkins County, four chicken houses (with an estimated 45 000 chickens inside) were blown off their foundation and 10 to 15 residences were damaged. | |
| Tennessee | ||||||
| F1 | W of Tiptonville | Lake | 0740 | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) |
11 mobile homes and a shed were destroyed while 12 mobiles homes and five homes were damaged | |
| Source: | ||||||
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | ||||||
| F1 | SE of Tobinsport, IN to SW of Garrett, KY | Perry, IN, Breckinridge, KY, Meade, KY | 0805 | 32.3 miles (51.7 km) |
1 death Several homes and outbuildings were destroyed with several other homes damaged. One church lost portions of its roof. The fatality was from a destroyed mobile home. | |
| Kentucky | ||||||
| F1 | W of Hartford | Ohio | 0840 | 9.5 miles (15.2 km) |
A mobile home and several outbuildings were destroyed. Several other homes and mobile homes were damaged. | |
| F1 | NW of Radcliff | Hardin | 0855 | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
26 homes were damaged including two that had their roof torn off | |
| F1 | S of Moutardier | Edmonson | 0935 | 3 miles (4.8 km) |
Several homes lost their roof | |
| Tennessee | ||||||
| F0 | E of Whitlock | Henry | 0900 | 5 miles (8 km) |
20 homes had damage and three transmission towers were destroyed | |
| F3 | E of Rucker | Rutherford | 1234 | 3.2 miles (5.1 km) |
7 mobile homes, 5 residences and 2 barns were destroyed while 2 mobile homes and 46 homes were damaged. 6 horse/cattle were killed and 31 people were injured. | |
| F2 | S of Bradyville | Cannon | 1245 | 9.9 miles (1.4 km) |
One residence and three mobile homes were destroyed, while six other mobile homes were damaged | |
| F0 | Mount Pleaseant area | Maury | 2042 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
Brief tornado with no damage | |
| Ohio | ||||||
| F2 | Crystal Springs to North Canton | Stark | 1758 | 7.2 miles (11.5 km) |
300 homes, 38 other buildings and two schools were damaged with 25 structures and three businesses being destroyed. | |
| Pennsylvania | ||||||
| F0 | Sharpsville area | Mercer | 1835 | 6 miles (9.6 km) |
A fire tower was downed while a barn and a garage were damaged | |
| F1 | NW of Jackson Center to W of Mapledale | Mercer, Venango | 1845 | 16 miles (25.6 km) |
A garage, 4 barns, several decks and porches were destroyed while several homes, a factory building, sheds and garages were damaged. A mobile home was also flipped over. | |
| F1 | W of Meridian | Butler | 1901 | 7 miles (11.2 km) |
Several homes and a barn had roof or siding damage | |
| F0 | NW of Maysville | Armstrong, Indiana | 1945 | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
A steeple was toppled and a swimming pool was destroyed. A garage was also damaged while a home under construction was lifted from its foundation | |
| F2 | Indiana area | Indiana | 2000 | 5 miles (8 km) |
One home was destroyed while 18 others were damaged. Some garages and barns were also damaged and a large sign from a hotel blown into a car lot damaging several vehicles. | |
| F1 | NE of Deckers Point | Indiana | 2010 | 2 miles (32 km) |
Several sheds and garages were destroyed while one home lost its roof | |
| F1 | S of Jerseytown | Columbia | 2155 | 6 miles (9.6 km) |
Unknown damage | |
| F1 | N of McGillstown | Lebanon | 2213 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
12 homes were damaged and 15 barns were damaged or destroyed | |
| New York | ||||||
| F0 | NE of Springville | Erie | 1850 | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) |
An outbuilding was damaged | |
| F2 | SE of Belfast | Allegany | 1950 | 6.5 miles (10.4 km) |
A barn, garage and home were destroyed while a silo, barn and home were damaged | |
| West Virginia | ||||||
| F1 | N of St. Joseph | Marshall | 1915 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
One barn was destroyed with several others damaged | |
| Virginia | ||||||
| F1 | Bedford | Bedford | 2031 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
Four businesses were destroyed while 25 homes and 58 businesses were damaged | |
| F2 | SW of Timberlake | Bedford, Campbell | 2043 | 10 miles (16 km) |
22 homes, six businesses, one church and two dozen farm buildings were destroyed while 329 homes, several RV vehicles, two churches and 45 businesses were damaged. 12 people were injured | |
| F2 | N of Alpine | Shenandoah | 2055 | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
4 homes were destroyed while 36 agriculture structures and 56 homes were damaged | |
| F1 | W of Emporia | Greensville | 2335 | 6 miles (9.6 km) |
3 mobile homes were destroyed, while 50 homes, one business and an apartment complex were damaged | |
| Maryland | ||||||
| F4 | Rison to SE of Port Republic | Charles, Calvert | 2256 | 38 miles (60.8 km) |
3 deaths $115 million in total damage. In Charles County, 100 homes and 49 businesses were destroyed. 638 homes and 143 businesses were damaged. 65% of the buildings in downtown La Plata were heavily damaged or destroyed. Over 100 people were injured. In Calvert County, a number of structures were damaged. | |
| F2 | La Plata area | Charles | 2302 | 3 miles (4.8 km) |
A weaker tornado affected the La Plata area with unknown additional damage | |
| F1 | NE of St. Leonard | Calvert | 2342 | 5 miles (8 km) |
Unknown damage | |
| F3 | NW of Golden Hill to W of Royal Oak | Dorchester | 2355 | 18 miles (28.8 km) |
One house and several outbuildings destroyed | |
| F0 | SE of Wetipquin | Wicomico | 0028 | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
Damage limited to trees | |
| Source: | ||||||
| State | Total | County | County total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 1 | Union | 1 |
| Kentucky | 1 | Breckinridge | 1 |
| Maryland | 3 | Calvert | 2 |
| Charles | 1 | ||
| Missouri | 1 | Bollinger | 1 |
| Totals | 6 | ||
| All deaths were tornado-related | |||
A total of 6 tornadoes, all rated F0 or F1 in strength (see Fujita scale) were confirmed in these states. These first reported tornadoes of the outbreak - on the afternoon of the 27th - caused little or no damage.
3 tornadoes were reported later in the day in Missouri. An F2 tornado produced damage in Willow Springs, MO, and a large F3 tornado struck the Marble Hill, MO area in Bollinger County, MO shortly before midnight. This storm caused the first fatality of the outbreak, and produced $4 million in property damage.
Tornado reports began in Illinois late on the 27th and continued overnight into the 28th. 6 tornadoes were reported in Illinois, 10 in Kentucky and 1 in Indiana. In Illinois, F3 damage was seen at Dongola, IL and Dixon Springs, IL, with over 50 homes damaged or destroyed in Dongola. F2 to F3 damage was also noted with a long track tornado that moved from Tobinsport, IN through Meade County, KY, south of Brandenburg, Kentucky.
Tennessee saw 4 tornadoes reported during the pre-dawn hours on the 28th, with a 5th tornado reported shortly after noon. The most substantial damage was seen at Murfreesboro, TN, where 31 injuries and $2.3 million in property damage was reported. The same supercell spawned an additional F2 tornado at Bradyville, TN.
Sporadic but strong tornadoes were reported in all four states on the afternoon of the 28th. A strong F2 tornado produced $45 million in damage in and around Jackson Twp., OH, and additional tornadoes (F0 to F2 in strength) were reported across southwest Pennsylvania, southwest New York, and at St. Joseph, WV. The St. Joseph supercell produced large hail a considerable time before this tornado occurred, and the parent supercell later produced the most severe weather recorded during this outbreak, after crossing into Virginia and Maryland.
The worst damage of the outbreak was seen in parts of these states. A supercell that had earlier produced the St. Joseph, WV tornado crossed the central Appalachian mountains, producing numerous hail and wind damage reports. This storm spawned its second tornado (F2) in Shenandoah County, Virginia, blowing trucks from I-81. Shortly thereafter, funnel clouds were reported with the same storm in Fauquier County, Virginia and Prince William County, Virginia (at the southern edge of the metro Washington, D.C. area). Crossing the Potomac River into Maryland, the storm then spawned a series of powerful (F2, F3 and F4) tornadoes that moved along a nearly continual path starting south of Indian Head, Maryland and continuing into La Plata, Maryland, devastating La Plata's business district. Damage surveys revealed this tornado to be an F4, though a preliminary NWS survey first categorized it as an F5.
Continuing east, damage fluctuated between F2 and F4 levels through eastern Charles County, Maryland and southern Calvert County, Maryland. The tornado or tornadoes made a 10 mile crossing of the Chesapeake Bay and emerged on the Eastern Shore in Dorchester County, Maryland. Now weakened to consistent F2 strength (still with brief F3 bursts), the storm dissipated several miles west of Salisbury, Maryland. This storm produced debris fallout 66 miles away, at Federalsburg, Maryland, and also in southern Delaware, and hail up to 4.5 inches in diameter was reported in northern Charles County.
Farther south, tornadoes also produced damage in the City of Bedford, Virginia (west of Lynchburg), and near Emporia, Virginia, along I-95 just north of the North Carolina state line.
Much of La Plata had previously been destroyed by an F4 tornado on November 9, 1926.
A total of $125 million in damage, 4 fatalities and 122 injuries were directly caused by the Maryland storms (the most expensive in the history of the state). Another $8 million in damage, along with 17 injuries were reported in Virginia.