| Satellite image of the United States, while the storm was at peak intensity. | ||
| Storm type: | Cyclone, Blizzard, Derecho, Tornado outbreak, Windstorm | |
| Formed: | October 23, 2010 | |
| Dissipated: | October 28, 2010 | |
| Maximum snow total1: |
9 inches (22.9 cm) St. Louis County, Minnesota | |
| Lowest pressure: |
953 mbar (hPa)[1] | |
| Snow Damages: | {{{total snow damages (USD)}}} | |
| Tornado Damages: | 18.5 million[2] | |
| Snow fatalities: | 1 | |
| Tornado fatalities: | 0 | |
| Fujita scale: | EF2 tornado | |
| Tornadoes: | 68 confirmed | |
| Areas affected: | Eastern two-thirds of North America and adjacent waters | |
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1Maximum snowfall or ice accretion |
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The October 2010 North American storm complex was a record non-tropical cyclone event occurring across North America. The massive storm complex caused a wide range of weather events including a major serial derecho stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, a widespread tornado outbreak across the Southeast United States and Midwest and a blizzard across portions of the Canadian Prairies and the Dakotas.[1][3] The cyclone's lowest minimum pressure of 953 mbar (28.11") made it the most intense extratropical cyclone ever recorded in the continental United States, surpassing the lowest US pressure of 958 mbar from the Great Ohio Blizzard of 1978.[4]
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Significant snowfall was reported on the backside of the storm. The heaviest snow fell in parts of Minnesota where 9 inches (22.5 cm) of snow was reported in St. Louis County, Minnesota.[5] Heavy snow and blizzard conditions also occurred in North Dakota, southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan.
The non-tropical cyclonic storm generated wind speeds of up to 70 mph, caused by a severe low pressure zone over Nebraska on October 24th.[6]
Akron, Cleveland, Findlay, Marion, Lorain, Mansfield, Toledo, Wooster and Youngstown, Ohio all witnessed heavy winds on the 24th.[7]
The American Midwest was hit by an intense low pressure system which would later become an extratropical cyclone (later known as 'Carmen' in Europe after November 8) between October 25 and 27.[8]
Severe weather battered Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio on the 25th and 26th of October, producing strong winds, rain, hail, widespread tornadoes and the major 'Chiclone' on the 26th.[6] Severe weather that hit Illinois and Indiana was dubbed a 'Chiclone' (for Chicago+cyclone). It was the region's second strongest storm on record.[6] The weather station in Bigfork, Minnesota recorded a state record atmospheric pressure of 955.2 millibars (28.21 inches of pressure), typical of a Category 3 hurricane.[8] The National Weather Service reported that a tornado with a maximum speed of 115 mph touched down about four miles east of Peotone in Will County, south of Chicago, that morning and traveled 2.9 miles, causing downed power lines and partially destroying a home. Another tornado was reported to have landed in Racine, Wisconsin.[6]
Heavy damage was reported in the Chicago area, particularly in Kane, Will, Kankakee, and Iroquois Counties in Illinois and in Porter County in Indiana. The winds flipped single engine planes on their sides at DuPage Airport in West Chicago, and flights were delayed by 30 minutes at O'Hare and Midway airports.[6] More than 300 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport, and more than 60,000 ComEd Co. customers were without power. Several other less powerful tornadoes also occurred in Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Nebraska and New York. Heavy snow also fell in south western Ontario. There were no fatalities with this system.[6]
A GOES satellite image on October 26 showed what could be considered the eye of the storm over the Minnesota-Ontario border, with outlying clouds reaching as far as Alberta, southern Nunavut, Newfoundland, eastern Montana, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine and Bermuda.[8][8][8]
The storm developed so quickly, that it was declared to be a weather 'bomb', which is an extremely fast developing storm that drops approximately at least one millibar of pressure per hour for 24 hours—a phenomenon more commonly seen over water than land.[8]
On the morning of October 26, a serial derecho caused widespread damage in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio Tuesday. Louisville, Ky; Cincinnati, Cridersville, and Toledo, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee[9] Indianapolis were hit at 9 am CDT, and Detroit was hit during the midday and early afternoon hours. Other cities impacted by the storms included Pittsburgh, Pa., Buffalo, N.Y., and Charleston, W.Va.[9] At one point in the morning a line of tornado warnings stretched from central Michigan down to northern Mississippi. Tornado damage to homes was also reported in and around Peotone, Ill., and Kokomo, Ind., while another tornado reportedly uprooted and downed trees onto homes near Racine, Wis.[9]
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed EF0 |
Confirmed EF1 |
Confirmed EF2 |
Confirmed EF3 |
Confirmed EF4 |
Confirmed EF5 |
| 68 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| List of reported tornadoes - Saturday, October 23, 2010 | ||||||
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| Texas | ||||||
| EF0 | Fort Worth | Tarrant | 1755 | unknown | Brief tornado with damage to roofs and fences. | |
| Sources: | ||||||
| List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, October 24, 2010 | ||||||
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| Texas | ||||||
| EF0 | N of Daingerfield | Morris | 2030 | 3 miles (4.8 km) | Damage limited to a few trees. | |
| EF2 | Rice area | Navarro | 2255 | 7 miles (11 km) | Five houses were destroyed and three others were damaged. A high school was also heavily damaged. Several people were injured. | |
| EF0 | Lone Oak | Hunt | 2300 | 200 yards (180 m) | Brief tornado damaged 10 houses in a residential subdivision. | |
| EF0 | N of Mount Vernon | Franklin | 2315 | 0.25 miles (400 m) | Brief tornado with minor tree damage. | |
| EF0 | N of Mount Pleasant | Morris | 2347 | 0.75 miles (1.21 km) | Damage limited to a few trees. | |
| Alabama | ||||||
| EF1 | Elsanor | Baldwin | 0210 | 1.7 miles (2.7 km) | A mobile home and a metal shed were destroyed and a brick houses sustained minor damage. One person sustained minor injuries. | |
| Michigan | ||||||
| EF0 | WNW of Coloma | Berrien | 0250 | 0.1 miles (160 m) | Brief tornado with minor damage to two houses and a roof blown off a barn. | |
| Arkansas | ||||||
| EF0 | W of Crystal Valley | Pulaski | unknown | 0.77 miles (1.24 km) | A barn lost its roof, and some trees were damaged. | |
| Sources:
SPC Storm Reports for 10/24/10, NWS Fort Worth, NWS Shreveport, NWS Mobile, NWS Little Rock |
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| List of reported tornadoes - Monday, October 25, 2010 | ||||||
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| Alabama | ||||||
| EF1 | Pleasant Hill | Moore | 0540 | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) | A hay barn was destroyed and two houses had porch damage. Trees were also knocked down. | |
| EF1 | S of Haleyville | Winston | 0705 | 10.5 miles (16.9 km) | A large barn and a shed were destroyed and three houses were damaged. Extensive tree damage along the path. | |
| EF0 | Arab | Marshall | 0824 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Minor damage to a house and significant damage to an outbuilding. Numerous trees were snapped. | |
| EF2 | Ider area | DeKalb, Jackson | 0912 | 25.7 miles (41.4 km) | Long track tornado with major damage to several houses and barns, one of the houses was nearly destroyed. Several people were injured. | |
| EF1 | Mobile | Mobile | 1020 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Several houses and commercial buildings, including a shopping center, were damaged. | |
| Georgia | ||||||
| EF1 | Rising Fawn | Dade | 0922 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | 30 houses sustained minor roof damage and a mobile home was heavily damaged. Two barns were also destroyed and many trees were snapped or uprooted. | |
| Sources:
NWS Mobile, NWS Huntsville, NWS Birmingham, NWS Peachtree City |
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| List of reported tornadoes - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 | ||||||
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| Illinois | ||||||
| EF1 | ESE of Ashton | Lee | 1041 | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) | Several farm outbuildings were destroyed and a metal silo was punched inward. | |
| EF1 | W of Plato Center | Kane | 714 | 1.50 miles (2.41 km) | Straight line wind damage was reported. Also a few barns were destroyed. | |
| EF1 | NW of Elburn | Kane | 1155 | 0.75 miles (1.21 km) | Two farm houses were damaged and a grain bin and two barns were destroyed. | |
| EF2 | E of Peotone | Will | 1240 | 2.9 miles (4.7 km) | One house was severely damaged with the second level destroyed. Power poles were also damaged. | |
| Wisconsin | ||||||
| EF1 | NNE of Kenosha | Racine, Kenosha | 1247 | 6 miles (9.7 km) | Two industrial buildings were heavily damaged and a barn and garage were destroyed. Trees and power poles were also knocked down. Two people were injured. | |
| Indiana | ||||||
| EF0 | SE of Malden | Porter | 1333 | 200 yards (180 m) | One outbuilding was damaged by this brief tornado. | |
| EF1 | Wanatah | LaPorte | 1342 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | A garage and a shelter were heavily damaged and power poles were knocked down. | |
| EF0 | ENE of Kokomo | Howard | 1405 | unknown | Several houses sustained damage, one of which had significant damage. | |
| EF1 | E of Bracken | Huntington | 1421 | 0.6 miles (970 m) | A metal grain barn and several outbuildings were destroyed. | |
| EF0 | SW of Oswego | Kosciusko | 1431 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Numerous houses in a subdivision sustained shingle damage. Corn was flattened and yard items were thrown, and a radio tower and power poles were bent. | |
| EF0 | SW of Luther | Huntington, Whitley | 1433 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | One house sustained minor damage. A grain bin and several outbuildings were destroyed. | |
| EF0 | Wabash | Wabash | 1420 | 4.8 miles (7.7 km) | Minor damage at a Walmart store and a vocational school. | |
| EF1 | NE of Peabody | Whitley | 1440 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Numerous houses sustained minor damage, and several outbuildings were severely damaged. Numerous trees were also uprooted. | |
| EF1 | S of Grabill | Allen | 1502 | 7 miles (11 km) | Numerous houses were damaged and barns destroyed. Trees and power poles were knocked down. | |
| EF1 | SW of Cuba | Allen | 1504 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Several barns were heavily damaged and a house sustained minor damage. Four train cars were blown off the tracks. | |
| Kentucky | ||||||
| EF0 | S of Pembroke | Christian | 1352 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | A barn sustained minor damage and a few trees were snapped. | |
| EF0 | N of Trenton | Todd | 1358 | 0.25 miles (400 m) | Brief tornado blew recreational equipment around a yard and damaged a barn. | |
| EF0 | NE of Graham | Muhlenberg | 1420 | 200 yards (180 m) | Brief tornado with minor tree damage. | |
| EF0 | Hopkinsville area | Christian | 1420 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | A Food Lion store sustained roof damage, and a barn and two storage buildings were heavily damaged. | |
| EF0 | SW of Mount Washington | Bullitt | 1551 | 150 yards (140 m) | A concrete workshop was heavily damage. | |
| EF1 | SE of Bowling Green | Warren | 1608 | 1.3 miles (2.1 km) | Intermittent tornado touchdown heavily damaged a barn and damaged some trees. | |
| EF1 | Middlesboro | Bell | 2210 | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) | Several buildings and numerous trees were damaged in town. | |
| Ohio | ||||||
| EF0 | NW of Convoy | Van Wert | 1502 | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) | A barn lost its roof, a shed was destroyed and a camper and semi-trailer were blown down. | |
| EF1 | NW of Grover Hill | Van Wert, Paulding | 1512 | 9.25 miles (14.89 km) | Numerous houses sustained minor damage. Two barns and a grain bin were destroyed and many trees were uprooted. | |
| EF1 | E of Oakwood | Paulding, Putnam | 1529 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | A few houses sustained minor shingle damage and several barns and sheds were destroyed. | |
| EF1 | N of Eldorado | Preble, Darke | 1540 | 5.5 miles (8.9 km) | Two houses sustained minor damage and barns and outbuildings sustained major damage. Several trees were uprooted. | |
| EF0 | SW of Cridersville | Auglaize | 1558 | 65 yards (60 m) | Very brief tornado damaged a barn and a garage. | |
| EF2 | Cridersville area | Auglaize, Allen | 1559 | 2.2 miles (3.5 km) | A house, a barn and a garage were destroyed and numerous other houses were damaged, some heavily. A brick gymnasium was also destroyed. | |
| EF0 | SE of Sabina | Clinton, Fayette | 1720 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | Several barns were heavily damaged or destroyed. Two houses sustained minor damage. | |
| EF0 | E of Sabina | Fayette | 1730 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | A large storage facility was heavily damaged and several sheds and outbuildings were also damaged. | |
| EF0 | SW of Commercial Point | Pickaway | 1752 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Several barns and outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed. | |
| EF0 | N of Groveport | Franklin | 1805 | 100 yards (90 m) | Brief tornado destroyed two barns. | |
| EF0 | E of Pataskala | Licking | 1827 | 0.5 miles (800 m) | Several houses were damaged and trees were snapped. | |
| Alabama | ||||||
| EF1 | Hillsboro | Lawrence | 1823 | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) | Several trees were uprooted. | |
| EF0 | Greenbrier | Limestone | 2040 | 500 yards (460 m) | Brief tornado damaged a few small trees. | |
| EF1 | W of Geraldine | DeKalb | 2303 | 4.25 miles (6.84 km) | One house sustained significant damage, along with a workshop, a boat and three vehicles. Trees were also snapped. | |
| EF0 | McVille | Marshall | 2313 | 0.9 miles (1.4 km) | Minor damage to trees and a barn. | |
| Tennessee | ||||||
| EF0 | Harrison | Hamilton | 2200 | 0.1 miles (160 m) | Brief tornado with minor damage to a church and a few trees twisted and snapped. | |
| EF2 | Chattanooga | Hamilton | 2250 | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) | Tornado touched down over Chickamauga Dam. An apartment complex lost its roof and a cement plant was destroyed. Two trailers were blown into the water and destroyed as well. | |
| North Carolina | ||||||
| EF2 | W of Vale | Lincoln | 2310 | 3 miles (4.8 km) | Several houses were destroyed and many others were damaged, some heavily. Many trees were also snapped or uprooted. 12 people were injured, one seriously. | |
| EF2 | Claremont | Catawba | 2345 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Many trees were uprooted or snapped and grave stones were knocked over. Roof torn of off a furniture distribution center along with lesser roof damage to other homes and businesses. Tractor-trailers were flipped over as well. | |
| EF1 | King (1st tornado) | Stokes | 0314 | 2.25 miles (3.62 km) | Numerous trees were snapped and a carport was heavily damaged. | |
| South Carolina | ||||||
| EF0 | NW of Tigerville | Greenville | 2310 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | Extensive tree damage with many snapped or uprooted, a few falling on houses. Boats were also damaged on Chinquapin Lake. | |
| Sources:
NWS Chicago, NWS Northern Indiana, NWS Milwaukee, NWS Indianapolis, NWS Wilmington, OH, NWS Morristown, NWS Louisville, NWS Paducah, NWS Blacksburg, NWS Jackson, KY, NWS Huntsville, NWS Greenville/Spartanburg |
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| List of reported tornadoes - Wednesday, October 27, 2010 | ||||||
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| Virginia | ||||||
| EF0 | Aiken Summit area | Henry, Pittsylvania | 0414 | 5.4 miles (8.7 km) | Three houses sustained minor damage and five outbuildings were damaged. | |
| EF2 | NW of Virgilina | Halifax | 0652 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | Several houses were damaged and barns and outbuildings were destroyed. Major and extensive tree damage with thousands of trees snapped or uprooted. | |
| EF0 | N of Skipwith | Mecklenburg | 0714 | 1.25 miles (2.01 km) | A shed was damaged and numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. | |
| EF1 | Richmond area | Richmond (city), Hanover | 2100 | 11.5 miles (18.5 km) | Tornado developed on the north side of Richmond and tracked through the eastern suburbs. Many trees and power poles were knocked down, damaging over 100 houses in the process, a few severely. One person was injured. | |
| North Carolina | ||||||
| EF0 | Roxboro Lake | Person | 1958 | 200 yards (180 m) | Damaged limited to a few trees. | |
| EF1 | Roxboro | Person | 2013 | 0.5 miles (800 m) | Several mobile homes were damaged, one of them severely. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. | |
| EF1 | Carr | Orange | 2130 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | Two houses and a church sustained significant damage. Many trees were damaged. | |
| EF0 | E of Berea | Granville | 2215 | 5.25 miles (8.45 km) | Several houses sustained minor damage and sheds and outbuildings were destroyed. | |
| EF0 | W of Middleburg | Vance | 2250 | 2.75 miles (4.43 km) | A BP gas station and two houses sustained minor damage. Many trees were snapped and sheds and outbuildings were destroyed. | |
| EF1 | King (2nd tornado) | Stokes | 2305 | 0.75 miles (1.21 km) | Second tornado hit King 20 hours after the first one. About 25 houses were damaged, some of which had roofs blown off. Numerous trees were snapped. | |
| Sources: NWS Wakefield #1, #2, NWS Blacksburg, NWS Raleigh | ||||||
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