Tornadoes of 2012

Radar image of the severe thunderstorm that spawned an EF1 tornado near Mission Bend, Texas on January 9.

On the morning of January 9, a mid-level area of low pressure moved east-northeast across the Big Bend of Texas and triggered the development of a surface low in southeastern Texas before noon local time. Along the eastern side of this system, warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico was drawn northward and created an environment favoring supercell thunderstorms, though widespread clouds limited the extent of activity.[4] A line of strong thunderstorms developed in southeastern Texas around 9:00 a.m. CST moved slowly eastward. Only isolated reports of damaging winds and a few tornadoes accompanied this line and no tornado or severe thunderstorm watches were issued.[5] Five tornadoes touched down in association with this line of storms, one of which was an EF1 that caused significant damage to a home near Mission Bend, Texas.[6]

Developing into an upper-level system over the Ark-La-Tex region on January 10, the risk for more widespread severe weather was evident; however, only isolated reports were received that day.[7][8] Continuing eastward, additional severe weather was expected along coastal North Carolina on January 11 before the system moved into the Atlantic Ocean.[9] However, a severe storm developed in South Carolina and moved into western North Carolina, outside the area anticipated to support tornadoes, and soon spawned a tornado around 5:22 p.m. EST. Rated as a low-end EF2, the tornado tracked for 2.5 mi (4.0 km) and damaged or destroyed dozens of structures near Ellenboro. Ten people were injured by the storm. Continuing northeast, the thunderstorm spawned another, more intense EF2 tornado around 6:04 p.m. that caused extensive damage in the South Fork community. There, several mobile homes were completely destroyed and a few homes sustained significant damage. Eight people in the community were injured by the tornado. Another EF0 tornado touched down less than 20 minutes later before the event ended.[10]

As a line of intense thunderstorms moved southward throughout much of the Ohio River Valley and Southeast, many tornadoes were reported. The first tornado of the day occurred near Madison, Indiana, and was rated an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale; only minor damage was reported. The second tornado occurred in Floyd County, Indiana, which destroyed portions of homes and trees; it was later rated an EF1. The third tornado touched down near Clarksville, Indiana, and was rated an EF0 due to the minor damage it caused. One of the first confirmed tornadoes on January 17 was an EF1 near St. Matthews, Kentucky, which injured a truck driver on I-265. The most significant tornado was an EF2 southwest of Scottsville, Kentucky that tore the roof from one home and destroyed numerous weaker structures. Another EF2 tornado destroyed a mobile home and badly damaged several permanent homes near Sandy Hook, Mississippi. A total of 14 tornado reports were called in this day.

EF3 damage to a house in Center Point, Alabama.

On January 22, the Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk for severe weather across parts of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley. Late that afternoon, a Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado watch was issued for much of Arkansas and parts of Tennessee and Mississippi. At sunset, multiple discrete supercell thunderstorms developed over Arkansas and began producing significant tornadoes. An EF2 tornado impacted the northwestern fringes of Fordyce, Arkansas, damaging or destroying multiple homes, collapsing metal truss towers, and heavily damaging a local country club. Another EF2 near Sweden, Arkansas severely damaged a metal building, a radio tower, large grain bins, vehicles, and farm machinery. Two separate tornadoes, rated EF2 and EF1, caused considerable damage to metal truss towers, outbuildings, trees, and power poles near De Witt. Further to the east, multiple mobile homes were destroyed by an EF2 tornado near Alligator, Mississippi. While much of this outbreak was centered across the deep south, several tornadoes touched down further to the north as well. This included an EF2 that touched down near Enfield, Illinois and destroyed many barns, outbuildings, and garages along its path, as well as a communications tower. An EF1 caused moderate damage in the town of Hazel, Kentucky as well. Further south, the storms pushed eastward and grew upscale into and organized squall line around midnight.

Overnight and into the very early morning hours, another round of discrete supercell activity developed ahead of the squall line as the storms pushed into Alabama. This resulted in a wave of significant tornadoes that raked across the state just before sunrise. An EF2 heavily damaged or destroyed many homes and mobile homes in the rural community of Oak Grove, killing one person. The most significant tornado of the event was a destructive EF3 that severely impacted parts of the Birmingham metro. This tornado touched down near Tarrant before tearing through Center Point, Chalkville, and Clay, killing one person and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses.[11] Another damaging, long-tracked EF2 tornado first snapped and uprooted thousands of trees in the Talladega National Forest before striking Maplesville, heavily damaging or destroying multiple homes and businesses in town before eventually dissipating near Clanton.[12] Overall, this outbreak produced 25 tornadoes and two deaths. Across Alabama alone, insurers estimated damage from the tornadoes to have been at least $30 million.[13]

On January 25, several tornadoes were reported in Texas and Louisiana with a strong storm system that dumped heavy rain across Texas. One of these tornadoes, rated EF1, struck Austin, Texas and caused significant damage to homes and businesses.[14] Losses throughout the city amounted to $1.5 million.[15] A day later on January 26, four more tornadoes were confirmed and on January 27, one tornado was confirmed. Throughout the entire outbreak, 29 tornadoes were confirmed, however, all were weak.

On February 24, a strong tornado struck South Sulawesi province in Indonesia, killing five people and damaging 98 structures.[16]

EF4 damage to a shopping center in Harrisburg, Illinois.

A significant and deadly tornado outbreak began in the Great Plains on February 28, as supercell thunderstorms developed and multiple tornadoes touched down across the region. An EF2 tornado struck the small town of Harveyville, Kansas during the late evening hours, killing one person and injuring 12 others.[17] The town's only church was completely destroyed, several homes received moderate to severe damage, and every building in the small community received a form of damage. As the storms moved into Missouri later that night and into the early morning hours of February 29, numerous strong tornadoes touched down. An EF2 devastated a mobile home park and killed one person near Buffalo, while an EF3 caused another fatality and destroyed homes near Asherville. By 3:00 am CST on February 29, Branson, Missouri was reporting injuries and severe damage to the town from an EF2 tornado, with homes destroyed and several hotels, businesses, and theaters sustaining severe damage.[18] Three other deaths occurred in southern Missouri.[19]

As the storms moved into Illinois in the pre-dawn hours, they merged into an intense squall line with embedded semi-discrete supercell thunderstorms. A violent EF4 tornado touched down and ripped through the city of Harrisburg, destroying entire neighborhoods, flattening businesses, and killing 8 people before causing additional destruction in the neighboring town of Ridgway. After sunrise, additional supercells developed and produced numerous tornadoes across Kentucky and Tennessee. Two tornadoes, rated EF1 and EF2, caused significant damage in Greenville, Kentucky. The town of Hodgenville, Kentucky also sustained heavy damage from two separate EF2 tornadoes. An EF1 tornado caused a fatality near Smithville, Tennessee, and an EF2 destroyed homes and killed two more people near Tennessee before the outbreak came to an end. A total of 42 tornadoes were confirmed, and 15 people were killed.[20]

EF3 damage in downtown West Liberty, Kentucky.

Damage from an EF4 tornado in Henryville, Indiana.

From March 2 to 3, a devastating and deadly outbreak of strong to violent tornadoes impacted the Southern United States and Ohio Valley. A moderate risk of severe weather was issued for March 2 a day in advance for a large area from near Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Dayton, Ohio as an intense storm system tracked across the region in a very highly sheared and unstable environment.[21] On the morning of March 2, it was upgraded and a high risk of severe weather was issued for Middle Tennessee and central Kentucky, later extended into central and southern Indiana and southern Ohio, including a 30% hatched risk area for tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center mentioned the potential for multiple long-tracked, violent tornadoes. Multiple PDS tornado watches were issued shortly thereafter. For only the second time in history (the first being April 27, 2011 for the 2011 Super Outbreak), Dr. Greg Forbes, severe weather expert for The Weather Channel, issued a TOR:CON (short for "tornado condition index", a scale to rate the risk of tornadic activity over a given region based on atmospheric conditions) rating of 10 out of 10; this time for the Louisville, Kentucky region and along the Ohio River of Indiana and Kentucky.

Tornadoes began early; shortly after 9:00 am CST, an intense EF3 tornado north of Huntsville, Alabama resulted in severe damage to houses and also caused damage at a school. A long-lived EF4 formed just north of the Ohio River that afternoon, resulting in extreme damage to numerous communities in southern Indiana, including Marysville and Henryville.[22] Another EF4 wedge tornado killed four people and obliterated homes near Crittenden, Kentucky, while a large EF3 killed three people and destroyed most of Moscow, Ohio. At around 6:00 pm EST, an EF3 tornado impacted downtown West Liberty, Kentucky, resulting in major damage and 10 deaths. A high-end EF3 tornado also caused major damage to many homes in businesses in Salyersville, Kentucky, killing two people along its path. Another high-end EF3 tornado touched down at 8:03 PM. This storm tracked into Haralson County, Georgia and Paulding County, Georgia, where it caused major damage in the Dallas area before dissipating. There was a final tornado-related death toll of 41 people—22 in Kentucky, 14 in Indiana, 4 in Ohio and 1 in Alabama. A total of 70 tornadoes were confirmed as a result of this outbreak.[23]

On the morning of March 9, 2012, a particularly devastating and long-lived hailstorm hit the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Lanai. This event produced the largest hailstone ever recorded in Hawaii since records began in 1950 and National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Birchard stated that the event was "unprecedented."[24][25] In addition to the spectacular early-morning lightning storms and flooding from the four feet (3.3 meters) of rainfall received, a tornadic waterspout formed off the coast of Oahu during the morning of March 9, 2012. This mesocyclone-induced waterspout tracked inland for 1.5 miles, becoming an EF0 tornado that caused minor damage to the Enchanted Lakes subdivision of Kailua at 7:10 am Hawaiian-Aleutian Time.[26]

As a weak disturbance moved across the Ohio Valley, energy associated with the system, combined with abnormally warm temperatures, led to the formation of severe thunderstorms from Michigan to the Gulf States, where the Storm Prediction Center had already issued a Slight risk. As the day progressed, isolated thunderstorms began to form and quickly strengthened into tornado-producing cells across the state of Michigan, with Tornado Warnings being issued for Lenawee, Washtenaw, Lapeer, and Monroe Counties. After surveying the area, the National Weather Service confirmed three tornado touchdowns on March 15 across Michigan.[27] The first was an EF0, causing minor tree, structure, and power line damage. The second was rated an EF2, uprooting many trees and shifting a house off of its foundation 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Columbiaville, Michigan, 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Lapeer, Michigan.[28] The final was rated an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with winds between 135 to 140 miles per hour (217–225 km/h). This tornado impacted the city of Dexter, where severe structural damage was recorded and multiple homes were destroyed.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

EF2 damage to a house near LaCoste, Texas.

A slow-moving cutoff low produced numerous tornadoes over a seven-day period, several of which were strong. On March 18, two EF3 tornadoes and two EF2 tornadoes destroyed homes and caused severe damage near North Platte, Nebraska. On March 19, several more strong EF2 tornadoes touched down in Southwest Texas, and several weak tornadoes impacted the San Antonio, Texas area. Other tornadoes, a few of which were strong, touched down in Louisiana and Mississippi from March 20 and 22.[36] One person was slightly injured as a result of an EF2 tornado that struck the town of Gueydan, Louisiana. On March 23, several additional tornadoes were reported across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, including a high-end EF1 that caused heavy damage in the Louisville, Kentucky suburbs. One person was killed and two others were injured when a high-end EF2 tornado obliterated a tied-down mobile home near Opdyke, Illinois. On March 24, a weak EF0 touched down in Florida as the system moved eastward and came to an end.[20]

At 5 am, an F2 tornado struck the suburb of Vincent in Townsville, Queensland. The tornado ripped roofs off of homes and businesses and was accompanied by heavy rain. Vehicles were flipped, and trees and power poles were snapped. Damage was said to be "worse than Yasi".[37]

EF2 damage to homes in Lancaster, Texas.

During the afternoon and late evening of April 3, multiple tornadic supercell thunderstorms developed and moved through the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, producing multiple destructive tornadoes, injuring many people, and grounding flights at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. In Lancaster, just south of Dallas, the Schneider National facility was impacted by a high-end EF2 tornado live on TV, and a news helicopter broadcast live video of large semi-trailers being lofted into the air at that location.[38][39] The city of Arlington was also hit by a damaging EF2 tornado and declared a state of disaster shortly afterward.[40] The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an EF3 that completely destroyed homes in Forney. A high-end EF2 wedge tornado also caused major damage near Royse City, Texas as well. In addition, numerous weak tornadoes were also observed. Despite the severe damage and injuries, no fatalities occurred. A total of 22 tornadoes were confirmed as a result of this outbreak.[20]

A destructive F2 tornado struck a construction site in Elazığ Province, Turkey, killing six people and injuring seven others. All of the fatalities took place at a housing complex within the construction site in Maden. A storage container, a tractor, and multiple trucks were tossed. Several homes were reportedly damaged or destroyed along the 11 km (6.8 mi) path of the tornado, and significant damage was also observed in Dutpinar and Kaşlıca.[41][42]

A large and violent EF4 tornado near Marquette, KS.

An impressive low pressure area and associated trough began tracking into the Great Plains on April 13, and a slight risk of severe weather was issued. The outlook mentioned the possibility of tornadoes, including the risk for isolated strong tornadoes. No strong tornadoes occurred, though an EF1 tornado caused considerable damage in Norman, Oklahoma. For only the second time in history (previously for April 7, 2006), a day two high risk [43] of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center. In the discussion, the SPC stated that a major tornado outbreak was likely across central Kansas and north-central Oklahoma during the afternoon and overnight hours of April 14, with long-tracked violent tornadoes likely. It was later expanded to include a second high risk area across much of Nebraska, where a rare 45% tornado probability was given during the late morning update on April 13. During the morning hours on the 14th, the high risk area was expanded again to combine the two separate areas into a single large one. Later in the day, the 45% tornado probability was shifted from Nebraska south to Kansas and northern Oklahoma. A large outbreak of tornadoes impacted the Great Plains states on April 14, and several PDS Tornado Warnings were issued during the outbreak. Initially, most of the tornadoes were small or remained over open country, though more significant tornado activity began to develop throughout the day. A high-end EF2 tornado struck Creston, Iowa, flipping vehicles and causing major structural damage to homes and other buildings in town. Another EF2 wedge tornado struck Thurman, Iowa, damaging 75% of the town. In Nebraska, a strong EF2 tornado destroyed outbuildings and badly damaged a home near Cook, while a large and violent EF4 tornado leveled a home and debarked trees near Marquette, Kansas.[44] Later that evening, a cyclic supercell thunderstorm developed in northern Oklahoma before moving into southern Kansas, producing multiple tornadoes along the way. This included a large EF3 wedge tornadoes that destroyed homes near Conway Springs. As this supercell moved into Wichita around 10:15 pm CDT (0315 UTC), another large EF3 wedge tornado touched down and caused major damage in the southeastern part of the city. Staff at the Wichita National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport were forced to hand over responsibility for their County Warning Area to the National Weather Service offices in Topeka and take shelter at about 10:00 pm CDT (0300 UTC), returning to duty half an hour later. Another supercell thunderstorm also produced two EF3 wedge tornadoes that passed near Fellsburg and Hudson, causing significant damage.[45]

Around 10:00 p.m. CDT (0300 UTC), a broken squall line began to form across the eastern portions of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles; a thunderstorm developed ahead of the northern line segment in northwestern Wheeler County, Texas at approximately 10:30 p.m. CDT (0330 UTC), and began developing supercell characteristics as it tracked northeastward into the Oklahoma counties of Ellis and Roger Mills. A tornado warning was issued for Ellis, Harper and Woodward counties at 12:00 am CDT (0500 UTC) on April 15 after weather spotters reported a tornado spawned by this supercell located 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Gage in Ellis County.[46] This high-end EF3 tornado later struck Woodward, Oklahoma at 12:20 am CDT (0520 UTC), killing six people. Multiple homes and businesses were destroyed in Woodward, and all fatalities occurred as a result of destroyed mobile homes.[47][48] Additional weak tornadoes occurred on April 15 and 16 before the outbreak came to an end. A total of 113 tornadoes were confirmed as a result of this outbreak.[20]

On May 6, a powerful and destructive F3 tornado tracked through the town of Tsukuba, Ibaraki roughly 40 mi (64 km) away from Tokyo, Japan, killing one person and injuring forty-five others. Many homes were damaged or destroyed by the tornado, including a few that were leveled or swept clean from their foundations. One house was rolled onto its roof and collapsed, pulling its entire concrete slab foundation out of the ground in the process. Homes that remained intact sustained loss of roofs and exterior walls, and were shredded by flying debris. Metal warehouse buildings sustained severe damage as the tornado impacted industrial areas of town, and a large 5-story apartment building sustained major damage to its exterior and interior. Trees were snapped and debarked, power poles were downed, and many vehicles were tossed, piled atop each other, and destroyed. Large amounts of sheet metal roofing was scattered throughout the damage path, much of which was wrapped around power lines. Masonry fences were toppled over, and a gas station canopy was destroyed as well.[49] The tornado destroyed at least 50 houses and left roughly twenty thousand people without electricity.[50][51] The Tsukuba tornado was clearly visible on radar while it was on the ground, with a hook echo and mesocyclone evident. A second tornado, rated F1, struck Moka, Tochigi and injured one person as well.[52]

On May 19, a localized outbreak of tornadoes occurred in south-central Kansas, to the west of Wichita. Two of these tornadoes were strong, both reaching EF3 intensity. One of these EF3 tornadoes severely damaged two farmsteads just northwest of Harper, Kansas, mangled vehicles and farm machinery, and partially debarked trees. The other EF3 occurred near Duquoin and badly damaged or destroyed several wind turbines. A wind speed measurement device attached to a crane 300 feet (91 m) that was struck by this tornado recorded a 166 mph wind gust before the crane collapsed. Other weaker tornadoes touched down just to the north in the Spivey and Kingman areas.[53] Further to the south in Florida, a brief EF0 tornado touched down in St. Petersburg and ripped part of the roof off of a motel. A total of 10 tornadoes were confirmed.[54]

On the evening of May 25, a small outbreak of tornadoes impacted southern Kansas, including a few strong tornadoes. A large EF2 was documented by numerous storm chasers as it passed near the town of La Crosse, causing significant damage to farmsteads, outbuildings, and trees. This tornado spawned two satellite tornadoes as well, including an EF1 that struck La Crosse directly, resulting in minor to moderate damage in town. The second satellite tornado was an EF2 that caused extensive tree damage. Just south of Russell, an EF2 tornado struck a subdivision and damaged several manufactured homes, completely destroying one of them. Another EF2 tornado caused significant damage to vegetation and power lines near Bison. A total of 13 tornadoes were confirmed.[55]

An isolated EF2 tornado touched down in Diehlstadt, Missouri late on June 4. It was only on the ground very briefly, but hit a mobile home while down, killing three occupants. It was the first killer US tornado since the April 14 outbreak. The tornado was embedded in a larger microburst. A brief landspout tornado also touched down in Arkansas and was rated an EF0. Another brief EF0 tornado touched down in Texas.[56]

A damaging high-end F1 tornado tore through the northern suburbs of Dianella and Morley in Perth, Western Australia at about midday. Multiple homes sustained considerable roof damage, trees were downed, and a video store was badly damaged. Winds associated with the tornado were estimated at around 180 km/h.[57][58]

An F2 tornado touched down in the town of Montfort. Several houses were badly damaged, but there were no casualties reported.[59][60] The tornado only reached F2 strength for a short time; it was F0 or F1 during most of its lifetime.

Venice tornado seen from a window of the Venice Marco Polo Airport

A tornado (likely an F2) hit the east part of the city of Venice (Veneto, North-East Italy), notably the isles of Saint Helen, Saint Erasmus and Lido, and the nearby town of Treporti; no casualties reported.[61][62][63][64]

Several tornadoes were spawned from the outer bands of Tropical Storm Debby in the Florida peninsula. On the afternoon of June 23, at least one tornado touched down in Naples, Florida with significant damage reported.[65] Further tornadoes touched down starting in the morning of June 24 and continuing through the day across several regions of Florida. One person was killed in Lake Placid from an EF2 tornado there that damaged numerous houses.[66] At least 18 tornadoes were confirmed over the two-day period in Florida. The 10 tornadoes (all EF0) in South Florida was the region's largest tornado outbreak in over 50 years.[67]

Lumber damage from an F3 tornado that struck Poland on July 14.

Three tornadoes impacted the Pomerania region of Poland on July 14, two of which were strong and caused significant damage. The first was a large F3 stovepipe tornado that struck Barlewiczki, causing heavy structural damage to homes, barns, and businesses, downing many trees and power poles, and injuring several people before dissipating. A total of 22 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the Barlewiczki tornado, which was caught on video and photographed by numerous local residents. A second F3 tornado impacted the Wycinki area, completely flattening a massive swath of trees in the Bory Tucholskie National Park and damaging or destroying multiple homes. A 60-year-old man was killed in the complete destruction of his summer home near Wycinki, and multiple other people injured along the path. This included a family of three that sustained injuries after a large tree crushed their home. The final tornado was an F1 that caused roof damage in Bagienica.[68][69][70]

Two short-lived tornadoes touched down in the suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The tornadoes brought extensive damage to homes, trees and powerlines.[71]

On August 27, a rain band from Hurricane Isaac produced a brief EF0 tornado near Vero Beach, Florida that damaged about 100 structures.[72] Two days later, on August 29, several weak tornadoes touched down across Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi in association with the landfall of Isaac.[73] This continued through September 1 as Isaac's remnants moved northward into the Midwest. Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Delaware, and New Jersey all recorded several, mostly weak, tornadoes until the remnants of Isaac moved away from the United States.[74][75]

Just after midnight on the morning of September 8, a weak EF0 tornado touched down near Newtonsville, Ohio and caused minor roof damage to a few homes.[76] The same day, late in the 10:00 AM (EDT) hour, a waterspout formed just off the coast of Queens and moved onshore near Breezy Point. Once onshore, the storm caused structural damage and downed power lines. Damage continued into the Canarsie, Brooklyn area before the tornado dissipated.[77] This section of the tornado received a rating of EF0.[78] it then moved back over water and then back on shore as a stronger tornado in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn and was given a high-end EF1 rating.[79]

The storms were associated with a vigorous low pressure system that spawned severe weather across New England, Pennsylvania, New York as well as across the Canada–US border into southern Ontario and Quebec. An F0 tornado was also confirmed damaging a 5-story building and nearby businesses in downtown Drummondville, Quebec.[80] as well as an F2 east of Napanee, Ontario which destroyed a trailer and a shed. The trailer rolled for about 30 meters [81]

During the evening hours of October 17, a fast-moving and powerful low-pressure system brought severe weather, including significant tornadoes, to portions of Mississippi and Arkansas. Seven EF1 and two EF2 tornadoes—including one that injured four people—were confirmed by the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi, along with a minimal EF3 with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. This tornado injured one person and is one of only two EF3 tornadoes to ever be recorded in the state of Mississippi during October.[82] Two other tornadoes, rated EF0 and EF1, were confirmed by the National Weather Service in Little Rock, Arkansas.[83] As the system moved eastward on October 19, two additional tornadoes, EF0 and EF1, touched down in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Several structures were damaged and 15 people were injured in the Pennsylvania tornado.[84][85]

On this day an unstable air mass, coming from the Southwest (Atlantic), associated with a depression, with expression in the high levels of the troposphere and the core centered to the West of Lisbon, brought some unsettled weather to Portugal, in particular to the region of Algarve which was hit by most of the storm cells that were moving inland. Embedded in this instability, Mesoscale Convective Systems developed with associated tornado activity being registered. One major tornado which caused significant damage to people's houses and cars among other structures was registered to have passed through Carvoeiro, Lagoa and Silves.[86]

A tornado struck a steel plant in southern Italy on Wednesday just days after its owners announced their intention to close what is Europe's largest steel facility.

One person was reported missing and some two dozen were injured when the tornado struck, the ANSA news agency said, adding that the Ilva plant sustained significant damage.[87]

Over a two-day period, six tornadoes touched down across Italy and Greece, the strongest of which was an F3 on November 28 near Taranto which killed one person and injured forty.[88]

An estimated EF2[89] tornado killed three people and injured seven, with damage to as many as 150 homes in the rural suburb of Hobsonville, Auckland, New Zealand. The residential centre of the tornado's destruction was Wallingford Way, in Hobsonville.[90]

A cold front produced severe thunderstorms across the Southern United States which spawned at least seven weak tornadoes.[91][92][93] A relatively long-track EF1 tornado traveled across two counties in southern Mississippi, destroying a barn, a gazebo, and a metal building.[94][95] Another EF1 tornado struck the Birmingham, Alabama area, tearing part of the roof from a warehouse, and completely removing the roof of one home.[96] A high-end EF1 tornado struck a mobile home park near Edgewater, Florida, damaging over 60 homes and injuring two people.[97]

A moderate risk of severe weather was issued for much of the Gulf Coast region as an intensifying area of low pressure tracked across the region starting on December 25.[98] It was extended to December 26 as well over parts of the Carolinas.[99] Several tornadoes were reported on December 25, especially across Louisiana and Mississippi.[100] At 5:00 pm CST (2300 UTC), a tornado emergency was issued for Downtown Mobile, Alabama as a large tornado was approaching the downtown area.[101] The tornado was later rated an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.[102]