Tornadoes of 2015

Tornadoes of 2015

A graph of the 2015 United States tornado count through April 28
Timespan	January 3 - Currently active
Maximum rated tornado	EF4 tornado Rochelle, IL–Fairdale, IL on April 9
Tornadoes in US	147
Damage (US)	Unknown
Fatalities (US)	3
Fatalities (worldwide)	8
Tornado seasons 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017

This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2015. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather including strong thunderstorms, winds and hail.

There have been 251 tornadoes reported in the United States in 2015 according to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), of which at least 147 have been confirmed. Eight fatalities have been reported so far in 2015; three each in the United States and Myanmar, and two in Brazil.

Synopsis

Fatal tornadoes in 2015

March 25 April 9 Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 2015 Summary of tornadoes[1] March 25 – Oklahoma (1 death) April 9 – Illinois (2 deaths) Total Fatalities: 3

Throughout much of 2015, tornado activity has been near record low mostly due to a continuous pattern of a trough in the east, which has brought colder than average temperatures there, and a ridge in the west, which has brought warmer than average temperatures in the west. The pattern changed, slightly, in late March and early April to allow for some severe weather.^[2][3]

Events

United States yearly total

Unofficial totals through April 30

January

There were 32 tornadoes reported in the U.S. in January, of which at least 24 were confirmed.

January 3–4

On January 1, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) began highlighting the potential for severe weather across portions of the central Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi Valley.^[4] The following day, the pre-existing Marginal risk was upgraded to a Slight risk across southeastern Louisiana, southeastern Mississippi, and southwestern Alabama.^[5] On January 3, the combination of high dewpoints, marginal instability, and strong wind shear allowed for the development of supercells across central and southern Mississippi, where an Enhanced risk was briefly introduced.^[6] An EF2 tornado touched down west of Rose Hill, Mississippi, causing significant damage, while several other tornadoes were recorded. Activity spread eastward on January 4, with a second EF2 tornado causing substantial damage north of Dozier, Alabama.

February

There were 2 tornadoes reported in the U.S. in February, both of which were confirmed.

March

There were 15 tornadoes reported in the U.S. in March, of which at least 8 were confirmed. March's tornado activity was near record low. March 2015 is now the longest stretch ever in March with no tornadoes reported (nationally). The previous record was March 1969 when the first tornado didn’t occur until March 23. The fewest tornadoes ever recorded in the month of March was in 1951 when only six occurred.^[7]

March 24–25

Double-wide mobile home destroyed by an EF2 tornado in Sand Springs, Oklahoma

On March 24, a brief waterspout touched down in Arkansas over Bull Shoals Lake, moving on land to become a brief EF0 tornado but causing no damage.^[8] The next day, March 25, an intermittent tornado moved through Southwest Oklahoma City and Moore, Oklahoma; and damage surveys throughout the following days revealed the greatest damage as being low-end EF2. Nine people were injured and several vehicles flipped and overturned on Interstate 35. This tornado was particularly dangerous since it did not have a defined condensation funnel and was largely invisible outside of the damage it was causing on the ground.^[9] Prior to this, an EF2 tornado demolished a mobile home park in the western part of Sand Springs, an Oklahoma suburb west of Tulsa. One person was killed in that tornado.^[10]

April

There have been 202 tornadoes reported in the U.S. in April, of which at least 113 have been confirmed.

April 2–3

On April 2, upper-level southwesterly flow overspread the Ozarks and Ohio River Valley, where an Enhanced risk for severe weather was introduced by the SPC. A surface low tracked into Ontario, supporting a cold front down into southern Missouri. Throughout the afternoon hours, a shortwave trough tracked across the Central Plains, providing ample lift for the development of severe thunderstorms.^[11] Several weak tornadoes were recorded. On April 3, the Enhanced risk shifted southeast, encompassing portions of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama.^[12] An EF2 tornado developed north of Pomona, Missouri, causing substantial damage, and several other tornadoes were recorded.

April 8–9

EF4 wedge tornado near Rochelle, Illinois on April 9

A two-day severe weather episode effected parts of the Great Plains and Midwestern United States. Several EF0 tornadoes occurred on April 8 in the south central part of Kansas, including some to the northwest of Wichita, Kansas, near the towns of Garden Plain and Andale. An EF1 tornado caused moderate damage as it struck the town of Potosi, Missouri that evening as well. Several tornadoes were also reported from Texas to Illinois on April 9.^[13] A multiple-vortex EF1 tornado struck the towns of Clinton, Iowa and Fulton, Illinois, and an EF2 tornado near Mount Selman, Texas snapped and uprooted numerous trees, damaged outbuildings, and removed the roof and collapsed a few exterior walls at a frame home.^[14] The most significant event of the outbreak was a violent, long-tracked, very high-end EF4 wedge tornado that moved along a 30.2 mile-long path across several counties in northern Illinois, killing two people and injuring another 22. The tornado began as a small cone-shaped tornado, causing mostly minor damage near Franklin Grove and Ashton, though a Kraft Foods plant sustained considerable damage. The tornado became large and violent as it struck a semi-rural subdivision west of Rochelle, where some ground scouring occurred and large, anchor-bolted homes were swept away (though several contextual discrepancies prevented a rating higher than EF4, as vehicles parked at these homes were not thrown long distances or mangled, and shrubs planted next to the homes were not shredded or debarked). Winds in this area were estimated to have reached 200 MPH, the very upper limit of the EF4 range.^[14][15] The tornado briefly weakened to EF2 strength as it passed between Hillcrest and Kings, damaging several farmsteads before reaching EF4 intensity once again as it crossed Illinois Route 64, where a row five of homes was obliterated, along with a nearby farmstead. Extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred in nearby fields, and vehicles were tossed. A large restaurant was destroyed by EF3 level winds in this area as well.^[14][16] The tornado then weakened, causing EF1 to EF2 damage to a warehouse structure, outbuildings, and numerous trees as it passed south of Lindenwood. East of Lindenwood, further weakening occurred as the tornado damaged homes and outbuildings at EF1 strength, and a brief EF0 satellite tornado was observed. The tornado re-intensified to high-end EF3 strength as it devastated the small town of Fairdale, where the two fatalities occurred. Every structure in town sustained some type of damage, and multiple unanchored homes were leveled and swept away. Intense cycloidal marks were observed in farm fields outside of town.^[15] Past Fairdale, the tornado produced EF2 and EF3 damage as large barns were destroyed, a house lost its second floor and sustained collapse of exterior walls on the first floor, and large hardwood trees were denuded and sustained some debarking before the tornado dissipated northwest of Kirkland. An EF0 satellite tornado also caused major damage to outbuildings at the Summerfield Zoo near Belvidere, where two animals were killed. Two other EF1 tornadoes from the same parent supercell also occurred near Belvidere after the main EF4 dissipated, causing mostly minor damage, though one home lost most of its roof. Another tornado spawned by a separate supercell passed near Cherry Valley, though it remained over open country and caused no damage.^[14] Overall, this relatively small outbreak produced 2 fatalities and 22 tornadoes, three of which have yet to be rated.

April 20 (Brazil)

An F2 tornado spawned by a supercell thunderstorm struck the city of Xanxerê, Santa Catarina in Brazil during the afternoon of April 20.^[17] Approximately 500 homes were damaged in the city, many of which lost their roofs and some were destroyed. Many trees and power lines were downed, and industrial buildings sustained major damage as well. Two people lost their lives. Additionally, 120 people were injured, 15 critically. The meteorological consulting agency MetSul Meteorologia stated it was one of the largest tornadoes ever recorded in Brazil.^[18] Roughly 1,000 people were forced out of their homes due to the storm.^[17]

Other events

On April 2, tornado of unknown strength struck the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan, India. At least 50 families were displaced by the storm.^[19] On April 6, three people were killed and five others were injured when a tornado struck two villages within Phakant, Kachin State, Myanmar.^[20]

See also

• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
  • List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• Fujita scale
• Enhanced Fujita scale

References