Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1982

Tornado outbreak of April 1–3, 1982
Type Tornado outbreak
Duration April 1–3, 1982
Tornadoes confirmed 77 confirmed
Max rating1 F5 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2 46 hours
Damage $390.5 million
Areas affected Midwestern and Southern United States

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1982 was a major tornado outbreak that resulted in over sixty tornadoes and 29 fatalities. Three tornadoes were rated F4, and one officially was recorded as an F5 near Broken Bow, Oklahoma, all on April 2nd. The F5 resulted in no fatalities, but an F4 tornado in Paris, Texas resulted in 10 fatalities and 170 injuries.[1][2][3]

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
14+ 8 26 14 11 3 1 77+

Meteorological synopsis

Beginning on April 2, a series of tornadic supercells formed across portions of northeast Texas and southeastern Oklahoma. One supercell spawned what has been recorded as an F5-rated tornado, crossing mostly rural areas near Speer and Broken Bow, OK, and deposited a motel sign from Broken Bow 30 miles away in Arkansas.[4] The rating has subsequently been questioned by some tornado experts, uncertain if the buildings surveys had sufficient strength to indicate such winds.[5]

By late evening, the supercells that had ravaged the Broken Bow and Paris areas shifted into southwestern Arkansas, continuing to produce tornadoes and causing several more deaths. Missouri saw 13 tornadoes during the same time frame. 17 additional tornadoes were reported further east between 8 PM on the 2nd and 3 PM on the 3rd.

See also

References

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