Tornadoes of 1981

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1981, 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 1981
An F4 tornado near Scott, Oklahoma on May 22
TimespanJanuary–December 1981
Maximum rated tornadoF4 tornado
  • 7 locations
    on 7 different days
Tornadoes in U.S.782[1]
Damage (U.S.)Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)24[2]
Fatalities (worldwide)>24

Synopsis

Numbers for 1981 were below average, both in terms of number of tornadoes and number of fatalities.

Events
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 283 320 149 23 7 0 782

January

Only two tornadoes touched down in January, both were rated F0 and took place in California.[3]

February

25 tornadoes were confirmed in the U.S. in February, injuring 82 people.[4]

February 10–11

The first fatal tornadoes of the year occurred during a relatively small outbreak between February 10 and 11. Two F2 tornadoes, one in Walker County, Texas and the other in Hoke/Cumberland County, North Carolina, killed one person each.[4]

March

33 tornadoes were confirmed in the U.S. in March.[5]

March 30

One person was killed by an F2 tornado in Hertford County, North Carolina.[5]

April

84 tornadoes were confirmed in the U.S. in April. Most of the year's fatalities took place during the month, with 13 people perishing.[6]

April 4
Main article: 1981 West Bend tornado

A rare anticyclonic tornado struck West Bend, Wisconsin at F4 intensity, killing three people.[6]

April 19

Five people were killed in Bixby, Oklahoma by an F3 tornado.[6]

May

There were 187 tornadoes in the US in May.[7]

May 22
Main article: Tornado outbreak of May 22–23, 1981
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 15 14 11 2 1 0

A outbreak of 43 tornadoes occurred in areas from Western Oklahoma to Central Iowa. A large F4 tornado struck Scott, Oklahoma northeast of Binger. The outbreak injured 12 people, but there were no fatalities.[7]

June

There were 223 tornadoes in the US in June, resulting in eight fatalities.[8]

June 13

An F3 tornado killed four people in Cardington, Ohio.[8]

July

There were 98 tornadoes in the US in July.[9]

July 30

An F3 tornado in North Dakota tracked through Bismarck and Mandan without causing any fatalities or injuries.[10]

August

There were 64 tornadoes in the US in August.[11]

September

There were 26 tornadoes in the US in September.[12]

October

There were 32 tornadoes in the US in October.[13]

November

There were 7 tornadoes in the US in November.[14]

November 23 (U.K.)
Main article: 1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak

A large tornado outbreak occurred in central England. About 104 tornadoes were reported to have touched down in what remains the largest tornado outbreak in European history.

December

There was 1 tornado in the US in December.[15]

References
  1. "U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952 - 2011): 1981 Tornadoes". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. "Tornadoes in 1981". Tornado History Project. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  3. "Tornadoes in January 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  4. "Tornadoes in February 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  5. "Tornadoes in March 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  6. "Tornadoes in April 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  7. "Tornadoes in May 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  8. "Tornadoes in June 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  9. "Tornadoes in July 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  10. "Tornado History Project: 19810730.38.13". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  11. "Tornadoes in August 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  12. "Tornadoes in September 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  13. "Tornadoes in October 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  14. "Tornadoes in November 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  15. "Tornadoes in December 1981". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
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