Tornadoes of 1983

Tornadoes of 1983

A map of all recorded tornadoes in the United States in 1983
Timespan January–December 1983
Maximum rated tornado F4 tornado
Collinston, Louisiana on April 1
Dodgeville, Iowa on July 3
Andover, Minnesota on July 3
La Place, Louisiana on December 6
Tornadoes in US 931 [1]
Damage (US) unknown
Fatalities (US) 34 [1]
Fatalities (worldwide) unknown
Tornado seasons
1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1983, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Synopsis

The 1983 season saw a relatively average number of tornadoes, but just four "violent" tornadoes (all F4, no F5's) and the number killed by tornadoes was lower than average at just 34, and no tornado killed more than three people. Two notable outbreaks took place in May, but it was generally a much less destructive tornado season, particularly in the main tornado alley, which saw no tornadoes stronger than F3.

Events

Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1983 in the United States.

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
350 372 147 58 4 0 931

January

There was 13 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January. Two people were killed in Louisiana in separate F3 tornadoes on January 31.

February

There were 41 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February. One person was killed by an F2 tornado in Florida.

March

There were 71 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March, including a tornado outbreak in South Florida. On March 1, an F2 tornado in Culver City, California hit near downtown Los Angeles causing 30 injuries, the highest number of tornado related injuries in California history.

April

There were 65 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April. Six people were killed. Two were killed and 20 injured on April 1 by an F4 tornado in Louisiana. Three people were killed by an F3 tornado on April 9 in Florida, and one was killed by an F3 tornado in Missouri (near Springfield) on April 29.

May

There were 249 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May, resulting in 14 fatalities. Two were killed by an F0 tornado in Illinois on May 1. On May 2, five were killed by tornadoes in Ohio and New York. On May 20, five were killed in Texas (three in Harris County) from five separate tornadoes. On May 22, an F3 tornado touched down in Emmitsburg, Maryland, causing no deaths or injuries. It was the third recorded F3 tornado in Maryland history.[2]

June

There were 178 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June and two fatalities, one in Texas, the other in Oklahoma.

July

There were 99 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July. Two were killed by an F2 in Hartly, Delaware on July 21 and nine others were injured, the other fatalities were in Michigan and Montana. An outbreak on July 3 in the northern plains resulted in two F4 tornadoes, 26 total tornadoes, but no fatalities.

August

There were 76 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.

September

There were 19 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.

October

There were 13 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October. On October 13, an F2 tornado in Maryland touched down in St. Mary's County (near Hollywood) and tracked through Calvert County, dissipating near Broomes Island.[3] It was the only significant tornado to hit St. Mary's County since tornado records began in 1950.[4]

November

There were 49 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.

December

There were 58 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December. On December 3, two were killed and 51 injured by an F3 tornado in Alabama. An active late season continued with additional fatalities December 6 in Alabama, and December 10 in Texas.

See also

References

External links