This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1984, 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.
 Tracks of all US tornadoes in 1984. | |
| Timespan | January–December 1984 |
|---|---|
| Maximum rated tornado | F5 tornado
|
| Tornadoes in U.S. | 907[1] |
| Damage (U.S.) | unknown |
| Fatalities (U.S.) | 122[2] |
| Fatalities (worldwide) | 182-525+ |
Synopsis
edit  Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 1984 | |||||
|
1984 was a very busy and deadly year for tornadoes. There were 907 tornadoes recorded, including 15 of F4 or greater strength, the most this powerful since 1976. A total of 122 people were killed in 1984, the most since 1974, and a mark that would not again be surpassed until 1998. The most notable tornado events included the deadly March 28 Carolinas outbreak and the killer F5 tornado which hit Barneveld, Wisconsin on June 8.
Events
editConfirmed tornado total for the entire year 1984 in the United States.
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 373 | 352 | 126 | 41 | 14 | 1 | 907 |
January
editThere was 1 tornado confirmed in the US in January.
January 13
editThe only tornado of the entire month was an F0 tornado that briefly touched down near Huntington Beach, California, causing $2,500 (1984 USD) in damage and no fatalities or injuries.[4][5]
February
editThere were 27 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.
February 27
editA F3 tornado struck Mayo, Florida, injuring one person and causing $250,000 (1984 USD) in damage.[6]
March
editThere were 73 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.
March 15
edit| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
An F4 tornado in Arkansas killed five people[citation needed] as it impacted Clinton, Arkansas.[7] A second F4 tornado in the state killed two more people.[8]
March 28
edit| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
The 1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak of March 28, 1984, was the most destructive tornado outbreak to sweep through the two states since the Enigma tornado outbreak struck 100 years and 1 month earlier, according to NOAA and NCDC public records. 24 tornadoes (seven of F4 strength) resulted in 57 fatalities and over one thousand injuries.
April
editThere were 176 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.
April 3
editAn F3 tornado developed at the western edge of Craighead County, Arkansas near Otwell, Arkansas into Mississippi County where it dissipated near Blytheville, Arkansas. Locations impacted included Bay, Lunsford, Lake City, and Manila, Arkansas. This tornado crossed Arkansas highway 18 a total of four times over its 79 mile long track. This tornado caused two recorded injuries. A few other tornadoes from a group of supercells developing over the region from an intensifying storm system. Other tornadoes spawned across northeastern sections of Arkansas included an F0 near Waldenburg, Arkansas, to an F1 near Oil Trough, Arkansas, and an F3 tornado near Mc Crory, Arkansas, to Cherry Valley, Arkansas.[9]
April 21
edit| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
An F3 tornado in Mississippi killed 16 people.[10]
April 26–27
editOn April 26, an F3 tornado in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma killed eight people. An even stronger F4 tornado killed three more people in Terlton, Oklahoma. One person was also killed by a tornado in Minnesota before more tornadoes on April 27 killed four in Wisconsin, including one from an F4 tornado that affected Milwaukee's western suburbs, and Illinois.
May
editThere were 169 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May.
May 3
editA tornado outbreak spawned 38 tornadoes, including an F3 tornado that caused five fatalities and more than a dozen injuries in Alabama. A strong storm system continued sparking severe weather with a derecho pushing through eastern Arkansas into Tennessee, and northern Mississippi during the morning hours. This line of storms brought hurricane-force winds, large hail, flash flooding and isolated brief tornadoes to the region, however by midday the storm system intensified with the development of scattered supercell thunderstorms under a volatile airmass causing the tornado outbreak across portions of Alabama.
May 8
editAnother tornado outbreak in the Mid-Atlantic produced several tornadoes, including a killer tornado on the Delmarva Peninsula, which claimed one life, caused six injuries and damaged a large chicken house in Dorchester County, Maryland (near Hurlock) before moving into Sussex County, Delaware injuring five more people and damaging a mobile home. Damage in Maryland was estimated between 500,000 and 5 million dollars.[11]
June
editThere were 242 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June.
June 7–8
edit
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
An extremely destructive tornado outbreak took place across the central United States from North Dakota to Kansas in early June. Several significant tornadoes touched down, including an F5 tornado which traveled through Barneveld, Wisconsin in the early morning hours of June 8. The entire outbreak killed at least 13 people across three states, nine of whom died in Barneveld alone.
June 9 (Soviet Union)
edit| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
A rare and destructive tornado outbreak took place in the Soviet Union, mainly impacting the Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions located north of Moscow. One tornado in the outbreak produced F4 damage,[12][13] while another (possibly the same as the Ivanovo tornado) was rated as F4. The outbreak resulted in at least 57 fatalities, though some sources claim that the actual death toll surpasses 400.[14] 804 people were injured by the tornadoes.[15]
July
editThere were 72 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.
July 18
editAn F2 tornado hit Sussex County, Delaware (near Greenwood) just two months after being hit by a tornado that caused a death in Maryland, but this tornado resulted in no fatalities or injuries. This was one of only two significant tornadoes to hit Sussex County.
August
editThere were 47 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.
August 8
editAn F3 tornado hit Flint, Michigan without causing any fatalities or injuries.[16]
September
editThere were 17 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.
September 2
editA F3 tornado impacted Sanilac County and St. Clair County, Michigan, injuring one person and causing $5 million (1984 USD) in damage.[17][18]
October
editThere were 49 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.
October 16
editA small localized outbreak of tornadoes spawned in northeast Arkansas as a result of a strong storm system draped across the United States. Several brief tornadoes and massive hail were observed including one F1 tornado which formed near Lake City, Arkansas, to Black Oak, Arkansas. other brief tornadoes were all reported as F0 in the vicinities of Farrville, Arkansas, Monette, Arkansas., as well as near Newport, Arkansas, and Grubbs, Arkansas. Many locations from Bay, Arkansas, to Lake City, Arkansas., received extensive damage from baseball sized hail, to grapefruit size hail. ( 2.75" to 4.25" diameter hailstones). 2 injuries were reported during this event, one from an F1 tornado at Lake City, Arkansas. and hail inflicted injury in the same community.
October 31
editAn F3 tornado hit Mutual, Oklahoma without causing any fatalities.
November
editThere were 30 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.
November 9
editA F2 tornado impacted the city of Potosi, Missouri, killing one person, injuring 15 others, and causing $25 million (1984 USD) in damage.[19]
November 23 (Germany)
edit| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Three tornadoes occurred in Germany, including a significant tornado, rated F2/T5 by the European Severe Storms Laboratory, that impacted Zöllnitz, Germany, injuring one person.[20][21]
December
editThere were 4 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.
December 13
editA north-moving F3 tornado impacted the eastern portion of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, injuring 28 people and causing $25 million (1984 USD) in damage.[22]
See also
edit- Tornado
- List of tornado outbreaks
- List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia
- List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
- Tornado intensity
References
edit- ^ "U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952 - 2011): 1984 Tornadoes". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ "Tornadoes in 1984". Tornado History Project. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ "Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 11, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Storm Event Database - Huntington Beach F0". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Storm Data January 1984" (PDF). National Climatic Data Center. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
A tornado briefly touched down, ripping a porch canopy and roof from a mobile home.
- ^ "Storm Event Database 1984-02-27 07:35 CST". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Storm Event Database - Clinton F4". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Storm Event Database - Fairfield Bay F4". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ NCDC/NOAA Storm Data | Craighead County Library Archives
- ^ Blanchard, Lorna Jarrett. "1984 — April 21, MS (15-16) & TN Tornadoes esp. Water Valley and Philipp, MS –15-16". US Deadly Events. NCDC/NOAA Storm Data. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ "Tornado History Project: 19840508.24.5". www.tornadohistoryproject.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-04. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "TORRO - British & European Tornado Extremes". www.torro.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
- ^ Finch, J.; D. Bikos (2012). "Russian tornado outbreak of 9 June 1984". Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology. 7 (4): 1–28. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Ивановский смерч 9 июня 1984 года: торнадо по-советски" (in Russian). Русская семерка. 2017-01-31. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
- ^ "Tornado History Project: 19840808.26.14". www.tornadohistoryproject.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
- ^ "Storm Event Database 1984-09-02 15:40 CST". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Storm Event Database 1984-09-02 15:54 CST". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Storm Event Database 1984-11-09 18:15 CST". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Tornado Zöllnitz 23. November 1984:". Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Storm Event Database 1984-12-13 09:51 CST". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
External links
edit- U.S. tornadoes in 1984 - Tornado History Project
- Tornado deaths monthly