February is not a typical tornado month, but it has featured plenty of tornadoes. Patrick Marsh has an excellent overview replete with maps that’s certainly worth looking over. Rather than reproduce his fine work, some additional stats and graphs follow (now including 2010 which has been verified since the posting linked above).
Total tornadoes: 1,441
Long-term average (1950-2010): 23.6
30-year average (1981-2010): 27.5
10-year average (2001-2010): 31.7
Monthly high: 147 (2008)
Monthly low: 1 (2010)
Total fatalities: 435
Total injuries: 5,913
As expected (and seen below), F3+ tornadoes produce a majority of deaths. The only F5 recorded in February was not the cause of the most deaths of any tornado in February, but rather it came in second. The deadliest February tornado was an F4 which killed 58 on the same day, the 21st in 1971.
All images can be viewed larger by selecting. Data obtained through Tornado History Project. Follow us on Twitter.
In a field historically dominated by men, Jen Walton has emerged as a transformative figure…
Jason Persoff, MD, SFHM, is recognized globally for his expertise in storm chasing. He earned…
Tornado numbers were near or above average. A chase season peak in June provided numerous…
One of the more widespread tornado outbreaks in years, from Iowa and Illinois to Arkansas.
The active start of the year could be a sign, but a mid-March pattern change…
A near average year for tornadoes across the country, with a cool season bend. We've…
