This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2001. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.
Events
United States yearly total
January There were 5 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in January.
January 19
Four minor tornadoes were caused by a bow echo in Georgia and Alabama. Four people were injured by an F0 tornado near Montgomery, Alabama. Eight more were injured when another F0 struck a shopping center near Hartsfield International Airport. Two other tornadoes in Georgia (rated F0 and an F1) caused negligible damage and no injuries.NCDC Storm Events-Select State
February There were 30 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in February.
February 16
An F2 tornado touched down near Goodman, Mississippi damaging cabins, downing trees, and tossing vehicles. One woman was crushed to death by her car after abandoning it for a ditch—considered better shelter from a tornado than a vehicle. Four F0 tornadoes also occurred, with no injuries.
February 24–25
A moderate tornado outbreak affected several southern US states. A line of tornado-producing supercells formed out in front of a squall line which produced damaging winds. Over 10 hours, multiple tornadoes touched down and caused $35 million in damage, primarily in Arkansas and Mississippi.
The outbreak began on the 24th, and multiple tornadoes began touching down in Arkansas that evening. An F2 tornado that impacted the towns of Sweet Home and College Station, destroying homes, mobile homes, and a church. The tornado downed many trees and power lines and injured 8 people. Another F2 tornado near Union heavily damaged a dairy barn and the roofs of several homes. Many trees were downed, and three mobile homes were destroyed, resulting in a fatality and three injuries. An F3 tornado touched down near Reed, and moved northeast. Roofs were damaged at several homes. In addition, the tornado rolled a 500-gallon butane tank, damaged or destroyed metal barns and sheds, and knocked down hundreds of trees. Near the town of Kelso, the tornado completely destroyed a metal farm shop, and pieces of debris from the structure were found 6 miles away. Also near the shop, a pickup truck was mangled with several large farm implements thrown, overturned or destroyed. A tractor-trailer was flipped before the tornado dissipated near Snow Lake.
Tornado activity began to spread into Mississippi later that night, and an F3 tornado caused major damage near Greenwood. Another F3 tornado touched down near Bruce before moving east and slamming into Pontotoc, where major damage occurred. At least 360 homes, 15 businesses and 2 churches were damaged or destroyed in Pontotoc. Among the homes destroyed was a restored antebellum plantation home listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Six people were killed in town, and 43 others were injured. The tornado then struck Baldwyn, where 100 homes were damaged or destroyed, and the Baldwyn High School which lost the roof to its gymnasium. Past Baldwyn, the tornado struck Guntown, where 8 homes and 1 business were heavily damaged, while 13 other structures were damaged. Lesser damage occurred in Saltillo and Wheeler before the tornado dissipated. Additional weak tornadoes occurred in Tennessee on the 25th before the event came to an end. Overall, the outbreak produced 25 tornadoes and killed 7 people.
March There were 34 confirmed tornadoes in the United States in March.
March 12–13
A small progressive tornado outbreak stretched from Texas to Georgia. At 3:30AM, an F1 tornado touched down outside of Tatum, Texas, moving into the town and causing damage to several structures. Two F0 tornadoes were reported later in the morning in and around Kentwood, Louisiana. Nine more weak tornadoes struck southern Mississippi that morning, two of which injured seven and five people in Lamar County and Forrest County, respectively. In the afternoon, an F1 tornado destroyed several mobile homes in Red Level, Alabama, killing two people and injuring another.NCDC: Event Details Another F1 tornado also destroyed mobile homes near Boykin, Georgia later in the afternoon, injuring 2 people.NCDC: Event Details After midnight, three tornadoes touched down in extreme northern Florida, including an F2 tornado in Hamilton County and an F1 tornado which injured five people and caused $5 million in damage to Daytona Beach.
March 15
A small outbreak of seven tornadoes struck northern Florida and southern Georgia between 4:30 and 8:30AM. An F2 tornado struck a residential area near Wausau, Florida at 4:30AM, killing one person and injuring 21. Another F2 tornado hit further north near Round Lake and Kinard, causing minimal damage. Another F2 tornadoes injured 13 in Decatur and Grady Counties in Georgia. Overall, the outbreak killed one and injured 34.
March 29
A small outbreak struck northern Florida on the morning. Two F2 and four F0 tornadoes injured one person and caused a few million dollars in damage. An additional F0 tornado was confirmed that afternoon in South Carolina.
April There were 135 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in April.
April 6–7
Six tornadoes struck Kansas, Texas, and Nebraska on April 6. The only tornado to cause casualties was an F2 tornado that injured two in Rolla, Kansas.Data from the Storm Prediction Center archives, which are accessible through SeverePlot, free software created and maintained by John Hart, lead forecaster for the SPC. The tornadoes were spawned by a serial derecho that caused widespread wind damage along its path.
On April 7, a rare F0 tornado touched down and caused $150,000 in damage in the Northeastern Fresno suburb of Clovis, California. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
April 10–11
An extended tornado outbreak consisting of 97 tornadoes struck the central Great Plains. The outbreak killed four, injured 18, and occurred in three stages.
It began when a strong area of storms moved across eastern Kansas and adjacent Missouri on the afternoon of the 10th. One supercell passed over northern St. Louis producing ten tornadoes, one of which (rated F1) destroyed a mobile home, killing one and injuring two. Tornadoes occurred as far east as southwestern Illinois, but the supercell is more memorable for exceptionally widespread large hail. With some hailstones up to baseball size, the swath is the largest continuous in areal coverage and longest in length and duration of very large hail known. Because of the extensive area and heavily populated areas impacted, it is the costliest hailstorm in U.S. history, with $2 billion of insured losses.April 10th 2001
The next stage of the outbreak was a swarm of tornadoes which formed on the night of the 10th into the pre-dawn hours of the 11th in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. One person was killed and eleven were injured in this stage, mostly by F2 tornadoes.
After a short break, a third bunch of tornadoes were spawned in and close to the state of Iowa in the late morning through the afternoon. Mostly weaker tornadoes, there were a few significant tornadoes. One, rated F2, destroyed a lodge in the town of Agency, killing two people and injuring three. All told, more than $23 million in damage was attributed to the entire outbreak.NCDC: Event Details
April 21
A rare F1 tornado struck the three state junction area of California, Arizona, and Nevada, crossing the Colorado River and causing minimal damage.NCDC: Event Details
Additionally, an outbreak of 11 tornadoes hit Central Kansas. While most of them were weak, one unexpected F4 tornado struck without a tornado warning being issued. Touching down just outside Hoisington, it tore a two-block-wide path through the north and west sides of town, completely destroying almost 200 homes and businesses and damaging another 230. The roof of the local hospital was partially torn off, and vehicles were tossed and mangled. The tornado caused $43 million in damage. 28 people were injured, and one man was killed by a flying vehicle.NCDC: Event Details This outbreak also included an F2 tornado which heavily damaged two farms, and nine scattered F0 tornadoes.
May There were 240 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in May.
May 1
An outbreak of 10 tornadoes struck Minnesota and Wisconsin. One, an F2, damaged 100 homes in Glenville, Minnesota, resulting in $20 million in damage. Fortunately, the outbreak did not cause any casualties.
May 9–10
On May 9, A small tornado outbreak passed mostly over open fields in Minnesota. One F2 tornado did cause significant damage—one man was injured, and at least 30 structures were damaged or destroyed resulting in $20 million of damage. The other nine tornadoes were rated F0.
The next day, 12 tornadoes, including two F2 twisters, touched down across Central Iowa. Although more than $300,000 in damage was done, there were no injuries. An F0 tornado was also confirmed in Illinois. Overall, the two days produced 21 tornadoes, and one injury.
May 20–21
A moderate outbreak of 32 tornadoes stretched across much of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. All the tornadoes were weak except for a significant F2 tornado near Dustin, Oklahoma.NCDC: Event Details
The next day, another moderate outbreak occurred, mainly on the Lower Peninsula of Michigan as well as eastern Ohio, West Virginia, and Texas. An F2 touched down in Hartland, Michigan, and caused significant damage to the town, mostly to hundreds of damaged and totaled vehicles. This tornado also destroyed a towing company and damaged a manufacturing plant to the north. Three people were injured by this tornado. Three others were injured in three separate F1 tornadoes, in Elwell, Michigan, Shepherd, Michigan, and Canton, Ohio. The May 21 outbreak caused more than $7 million in damage.
May 26 A supercell thunderstorm produced an F2 tornado that touched down on the northeast side of Fort Wayne, Indiana, causing $6.5 million in damage to a shopping center, a retirement home, and several houses.NCDC: Event Details
May 27–29
On May 27, two separate outbreaks occurred over the Eastern United States and the Great Plains. In the East, five tornadoes touched down, including an F2 tornado which caused $1 million in damage north of Manalapan, New Jersey. In the Plains, seven weak tornadoes touched in Kansas and Oklahoma.NCDC: Event Details
On May 28, five F0 tornadoes touched down in the Southeast. Meanwhile in Colorado, a stationary supercell dropped large amounts of rain and hail near Ellicott, as well as four brief weak F0 tornadoes. Two F2 tornadoes and an F1 tornado also caused a combined 13 injuries throughout the state.
On May 29, A moderate tornado outbreak hit the southwestern Great Plains, mainly in the form of F0 tornadoes in Colorado, Kansas, and the Texas Panhandle. One supercell produced six weak landspouts and a large F3 tornado near Lamar, Colorado. The Lamar tornado completely destroyed a modular home and five vehicles in its vicinity, and damaged two other homes nearby. Eleven power poles were destroyed as well. Another F3 destroyed a home and an office building near Panhandle, Texas. The only casualty from this outbreak was from a large F1 tornado which blew over a semi-truck outside of Quanah, Texas, badly injuring the driver.NCDC: Event DetailsNCDC: Event Details
May 29 (Poland)