Tornadoes of 1961

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1961, 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.

Tornadoes of 1961
Timespan1961
Maximum rated tornadoF4 tornado
  • 7 locations
    on 7 different days
Tornadoes in U.S.697[1]
Damage (U.S.)Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)52
Fatalities (worldwide)>52

Events

United States yearly total
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 154 241 229 66 7 0 697

January

There was 1 tornado confirmed in the US in January.

February

There were 31 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.

February 17–18
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 1 3 2 0 0

Seven tornadoes struck Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, injuring 18.

February 20–22
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 5 4 0 0 0

Nine tornadoes hit the Southeast, injuring 23.

March

There were 124 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.

March 3–8
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 21 14 5 0 0

A destructive outbreak sequence of 44 tornadoes struck the Great Plains, Midwest, Mississippi Valley, and Southeast. This included an F2 tornado that devasted areas just north of Downtown Chicago on May 4, killing one and injuring 115. Overall, the outbreak killed two and injured 152.

March 12–13
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 9 12 3 0 0

Another outbreak of 25 tornadoes struck the Midwest, Mississippi, and Tennessee Valleys, killing two and injuring 84.

March 26–31
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 9 10 18 10 0 0

An outbreak sequence produced 47 tornadoes across the Midwest and Southeast, killing three and injuring 80.

April

There were 74 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.

April 11–12
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 9 4 0 0 0

An outbreak of 14 tornadoes hit the Midwest and Southeast, killing one and injuring six.

April 23–25
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 5 6 3 1 0

An outbreak sequence of 16 tornadoes impacted the Midwest, Mississippi, and Ohio Valleys, killing three and injuring 34.

May

There were 137 tornadoes confirmed in the U.S. in May.[2]

May 3–9
See also: 1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 16 17 29 9 2 0

A massive outbreak sequence of 73 tornadoes hit areas from Utah to New York and Florida. On May 5, a brief, but damaging F2 tornado struck St. Petersburg, Florida heavily damaging the Northeast High School and the nearby Meadowlawn neighborhood in the extreme northern part of St. Petersburg.[3][4] Overall, the outbreak caused 23 fatalities and 126 injuries.

May 30–31
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 3 2 1 2 1 0

Nine tornadoes touched across the Great Plains, although there no casualties.

June

There were 107 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June.

June 8–9
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 0 3 2 0 0

Six tornadoes touched down across five states, killing one and injuring 64.

June 21
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 2 1 0 0

Four tornadoes touched down across three states, killing one and injuring nine.

June 28–30
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 4 4 0 1 0

A small outbreak sequence of 10 tornadoes hit the Great Plains and Maine, injuring one.

July

There were 77 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.

July 28–29
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 2 3 2 0 0

Nine tornadoes hit Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, injuring 28.

August

There were 27 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.

September

There were 53 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.[5]

September 1–4
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 6 5 1 1 0

An outbreak sequence of 14 tornadoes hit the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast, injuring 12.

September 10–13
Main article: Hurricane Carla
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 6 7 7 1 0

Hurricane Carla triggered a tornado outbreak in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Michigan, and Arkansas after making landfall in Matagorda Island, Texas and accelerating as it turned to the northeast through the Midwest and the Great Lakes. The worst tornado of the outbreak occurred in the early morning hours of September 13, when an F4 tornado moved across Galveston Island along a 1-mile long, 100-yard-wide path (it crossed into Galveston Bay as well), severely damaging 200 buildings, of which at least 60 were destroyed, and causing eight deaths and 200 injuries. This is one of only two violent tornadoes ever spawned by a hurricane with the other one being in 1964.[6] Overall, 22 tornadoes touched down, eight of them in Texas, killing 14 people and injuring 337 others.[5]

September 22–24
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 4 4 1 0 0

Nine tornadoes hit five states, killing one and injuring four.

October

There were 14 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.

November

There were 36 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.

November 22–23
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 6 7 3 0 0

An outbreak of 20 tornadoes struck the Southeast, killing one and injuring 18.

December

There were 16 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.

December 10–12
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 1 6 3 3 0 0

An outbreak of 13 tornadoes injured six in the Southeast.

December 17–18
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 2 0 0 0

The final three tornadoes of 1961 struck the Southeast, injuring one.

References
  1. "Tornado History Project: 1961". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  2. "May 1961 Tornado Summary". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  3. "All Hail Breaks Loose In St. Petersburg Area". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. May 6, 1961. p. 1B.
  4. "Tornado History Project: Florida in 1961". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  5. "September 1961 Tornado Summary". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  6. "Hurricane Carla Aftermath, no. 1". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
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