Tornadoes of 1987

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1987, 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 Tornado "Season" of 1987 was one with a fairly slow spring, followed by a much more active late spring/summer. Two particularly devastating tornadoes of 1987 were the Saragosa, Texas tornado of May 22 and the Edmonton, Alberta tornado of July 31. The fall and early winter could best be described as "average" in terms of tornado activity, with a significant outbreak on November 14 and 15, and a killer F3 in December.

Events

Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1987 in the United States.

January

There were 6 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.

February

There were 19 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February. One tornado on Feb. 28 was rated F4 in Mississippi and killed six people. A monstrous tornado touched down near Moselle and grew to a width of two miles as it passed near Laurel. The tornado traveled a distance of 40 miles killing six persons, injuring 350 others, and causing 28.5 million dollars damage.

March

There were 38 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.

April

There were 20 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.

May

There were 126 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May.

May 22

On the evening of May 22, a short-lived but powerful F4 tornado struck the city of Saragosa, Texas killing 30 people and injuring over 100. Many were killed attending a graduation ceremony for pre-school children at the Catholic Hall of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Eighty percent of the residential area was reported as destroyed.

June

There were 132 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June including one in Idaho on June 5 that caused 3 injuries, the highest number of tornado related injuries for the state.

June 16

One tornado hit by Białystok, a largest city in northeastern Poland, and destroyed 100 homes.1

June 18

An F2 tornado hit Casper, Wyoming and caused $250,000 in damage, making it the most destructive tornado to hit Casper.^[3]

July

There were 163 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.

July 21

A rare high-altitude tornado struck Wyoming, uprooting over one million trees along its 24-mile path. The tornado was rated F4, and is among the most violent high-altitude tornadoes ever recorded. This also proves a myth wrong that tornado don't cross mountains rivers and lakes.

July 31

The city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was struck by a strong F4 tornado on the afternoon of July 31. The tornado was on the ground for over an hour, killed 27 people and caused 558 million (2009 CAD) in damages. The event is also known locally as "Black Friday". There has been much consideration over the years of rating the storm F5 (which would have been Canada's first), but the rating has remained F4. The tornado destroyed the evergreen moible home park where is produced some of its worst damage. The weather channel also made a storm stories episode on this disaster

August

There were 63 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.

September

There were 19 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.

October

There was 1 tornado confirmed in the US in October.

November

There were 55 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.

November 15–16

The 1987 Arklatex tornado outbreak was an outbreak of 50 tornadoes (four rated as high as F3) resulting in eleven fatalities, ten of which were in Texas.

December

There were 14 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.

December 14

The West Memphis Arkansas tornado from December 14, 1987 was an F3 rated tornado that resulted in 6 fatalities and 100 injuries.

See also

• Tornadoes by Year

References

External links

• U.S. tornadoes in 1987 - Tornado History Project
• Tornado deaths monthly