Categories: Tornado Climatology

April tornado deaths since 1950

Although May and June average more tornadoes than April does, April is the leader of all months when it comes to tornado deaths with 1,762 from 1950 through 2011. This is due to outbreaks in populated regions and also the fact that April tornado territory overall tends to favor more developed areas, compared to peak-season activity in the Plains.

The median April value for the 62 years in the record since 1950 is 9 deaths per year. When looking at the climatological period from 1991-2010, the average is 11 deaths per year. Compared to March, there are considerably fewer years with zero or one death and many more in the high end of the scale.

Years with notable April outbreaks (1965, 1974, and 2011 in particular) lead the pack, as to be expected.

April 2011

Top-2 deadliest April tornadoes on April 27, 2011…
72 killed: EF-5, Tracked from southwest of Hamilton, Al. to northeast of Huntland, Tn.
64 killed: EF-4, Tracked from southwest of Tuscaloosa, Al. to Birmingham, Al.

Deadly tornado days: 5th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 25th, 27th
Deadly tornadoes on the 27th: 29

A look at the number of deadly tornadoes per year lines up fairly well with number of deaths per year. However, April 1974 had nine more deadly tornadoes than April 2011 yet 43 fewer deaths. April 1965 featured the highest average deaths per deadly tornado from an outbreak of more than 5 tornadoes, at over 11.

Significant (F2/EF-2+) tornadoes cause the vast majority of deaths throughout the year, and April is no exception. The percentage for the month comes in right around that of March, with them accounting for 98 percent of fatalities. Tornadoes which caused 17 or more deaths in April were all rated as violent tornadoes, and these events made up a majority of other high-casualty events.

Note: Red and yellow portions of the graph are tornadoes that crossed a state line and hit somewhere else first. It should not be assumed that these tornadoes caused deaths in the state they are shown in, and are not counted in the overall count, but are meant to provide total data on where tornadoes impacted.

A total of 27 states have been impacted by an April tornado that caused deaths along its path. Tennessee and Alabama hold top spots for deadly tornadoes in April. Other than Texas and Oklahoma, the rest of the top spots all go to Southern, Midwestern and Ohio Valley states.