May 1995 Tornado Outbreak Sequence

The May 1995 Tornado Outbreak Sequence is a series of tornado outbreaks that occurred from May 6 through May 27, 1995. Eleven deaths occurred due to the outbreak. Nearly 300 tornadoes occurred during this period from the Central US through the Southeast and into the Mid-Atlantic. The main event days were May 6 - May 7, May 9, May 13, May 18, and May 27.

May 6 and May 7

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued a high risk for Texas due to the possibility of a violent tornado outbreak. The Amarillo, Texas area was hit by an F2 tornado. An F3 tornado hit Sunset, Texas. This portion of the outbreak resulted in 2 fatalities including one in the Amarillo area. A tornado also hit the heavily populated northern sections of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area causing damage to about 500 structures across Tarrant including in Watauga, Grapevine and Colleyville.^[1]

May 13 tornadoes in the Midwest

Another tornado outbreak which the National Weather Service issued a high risk for occurred in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. The tornadoes that occurred on this day resulted in three deaths all from the same tornado that move through Montgomery and Boone Counties in Indiana just west of Indianapolis. A tornado also hit the eastern sections of the Indianapolis area causing damage to dozens of structures but no injuries.^[2] Several destructive tornadoes also touched down south and west of the Peoria, Illinois Metro Area including two F4s that resulted in 50 injuries.^[3][4]

May 18 tornado outbreak

This is the tornado outbreak responsible for the Anderson Hills Tornado which killed 1 person. Also in southern middle Tennessee a tornado in Lawrence County, TN and Giles County, TN killed 3 people. The National Weather Service weather forecast office in Nashville, TN said that May 18, 1995 was the 3rd worst tornado outbreak to hit middle Tennessee. Nearly 80 tornadoes touched down during that day. In addition to the two killer tornadoes, three tornadoes touched down in and around the Bowling Green, Kentucky area destroying numerous structures including inside the city limits.^[5] Other tornadoes struck the Knoxville and northeastern Nashville areas. Nearly 30 people were injured in Sumner County, TN northeast of Nashville.^[6][7]

Confirmed tornadoes

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• 1998 Nashville tornado outbreak
• March 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence

References

• http://www.spc.noaa.gov/archive/severe_archive/
• http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms
• http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/tornado.html
• Major Tornado Outbreak in East Tennessee - May 18, 1995