Tornadoes
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TORNADOES IN 2008
The latest data from the National Weather Service shows that the 2008 tornado season is nearing a record for the number of tornadoes in the U.S. The 1,390 tornadoes officially tallied through July 1 are the most ever recorded in the first seven months of a year. The annual record for tornadoes was the 1,817 twisters reported in 2004. The 123 deaths from tornadoes so far this year is second only to the 1998 total of 130. The latest National Weather Service tornado data are posted at http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/torn/monthlytornstats.html.
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TORNADOES
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm and comes into contact with the ground, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In an average year about 1,000 tornadoes are reported nationwide, according to NOAA. Tornado intensity is measured by the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. The scale rates tornadoes on a scale of 0 through 5, based on the amount and type of wind damage. It incorporates 28 different “damage indicators,” based on damage to a wide variety of structures ranging from trees to shopping malls.
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THE FUJITA SCALE FOR TORNADOES
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Tornadoes and related weather events caused an average of $4.9 billion in property/casualty claims each year from 2001 to 2007, according to an A.M. Best study. The costliest year was 2006, with more than $8 billion in insured damages. The study found that tornado losses are approaching those of hurricanes, with insured damages of $1 billion or more from a single event becoming more common. The study foresees high tornado losses in 2008, including about $850 million in insured damages from the “Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak,” which hit the South in February. According to the National Weather Service, the 1,390 tornadoes officially tallied through July 31, 2008 were the most ever recorded in the first seven months of a year. Key findings of the A.M. Best study include:
- On average, tornadoes and related events have accounted for nearly 57 percent of all catastrophe losses per year since 1953.
- A March 31, 1973 tornado in Georgia was the costliest tornado on record, causing $5.35 billion in damage in 2008 dollars, based on total damages, not just property insurance losses. The next four most costly (in 2008 dollars) occurred on June 8, 1966 in Topeka, Kansas ($1.99 billion); May 11, 1970 in Lubbock, Texas ($1.47 billion); May 3, 1999 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ($1.34 billion); and April 3, 1974 in Xenia, Ohio ($1.00 billion).
- New Jersey tops the list of states with the highest average expected losses from tornadoes, followed by Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio and Rhode Island, based on A.M. Best's analysis of Risk Management Solutions modeling data. Texas has the highest expected annual average occurrence rate, followed by Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
- Although tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, "tornado season" is defined as April through September.
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NUMBER OF TORNADOES AND RELATED DEATHS PER MONTH, 2007
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service.
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TORNADOES AND RELATED DEATHS BY STATE, 2007
State |
Tornadoes |
Fatalities |
| Alabama | 41 | 10 |
| Alaska | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 0 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 16 | 0 |
| California | 6 | 0 |
| Colorado | 55 | 2 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 0 |
| Delaware | 0 | 0 |
| D.C. | 0 | 0 |
| Florida | 49 | 21 |
| Georgia | 42 | 10 |
| Hawaii | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 3 | 0 |
| Illinois | 23 | 0 |
| Indiana | 18 | 0 |
| Iowa | 42 | 0 |
| Kansas | 137 | 14 |
| Kentucky | 30 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 23 | 3 |
| Maine | 1 | 0 |
| Maryland | 2 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 |
| Michigan | 23 | 3 |
| Minnesota | 18 | 0 |
| Mississippi | 33 | 0 |
| Missouri | 42 | 3 |
| Montana | 5 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 47 | 0 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 0 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 23 | 2 |
| New York | 3 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 12 | 0 |
| North Dakota | 38 | 1 |
| Ohio | 12 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 50 | 2 |
| Oregon | 2 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 0 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 18 | 1 |
| South Dakota | 44 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 10 | 0 |
| Texas | 197 | 9 |
| Utah | 1 | 0 |
| Vermont | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 2 | 0 |
| Washington | 0 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 5 | 0 |
| United States | 1,103 (1) | 81 |
(1) Includes tornadoes that track from a touchdown state into another state.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service. |
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TORNADOES AND RELATED DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1987-2007 (1)
Year |
Tornadoes |
Deaths |
Year |
Tornadoes |
Deaths |
Year |
Tornadoes |
Deaths |
| 1987 | 656 | 59 | 1994 | 1,082 | 69 | 2001 | 1,216 | 40 |
| 1988 | 702 | 32 | 1995 | 1,234 | 30 | 2002 | 941 | 55 |
| 1989 | 856 | 50 | 1996 | 1,173 | 25 | 2003 | 1,376 | 54 |
| 1990 | 1,133 | 53 | 1997 | 1,148 | 67 | 2004 | 1,819 | 36 |
| 1991 | 1,132 | 39 | 1998 | 1,424 | 130 | 2005 | 1,264 | 38 |
| 1992 | 1,297 | 39 | 1999 | 1,345 | 94 | 2006 | 1,106 | 67 |
| 1993 | 1,173 | 33 | 2000 | 1,071 | 40 | 2007 | 1,093 | 81 |
(1) Excludes Puerto Rico. Does not include tornadoes crossing state lines. Counts these tornadoes as one event.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service. |
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