A four-day tornado outbreak affected the Central and Southern United States in mid-December 2022. The outbreak produced strong tornadoes in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, resulting in severe damage and three fatalities. On December 13, a high-end EF1 tornado was caught on video from multiple angles as it caused considerable damage in Grapevine, Texas, where five people were injured, and multiple EF2 tornadoes caused significant damage in other parts of Texas and Oklahoma that morning. Two large EF2 tornadoes occurred near DeBerry, Texas and Keachi, Louisiana to the southwest of Shreveport, Louisiana, with the second one causing severe damage and two fatalities. An EF3 tornado struck the northern fringes of Farmerville, causing major structural damage and 14 injuries.
Multiple strong tornadoes occurred across parts of the Gulf Coast region on December 14, and another fatality was confirmed in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana as a result of an EF2 tornado that struck Killona. Another damaging EF2 tornado impacted the New Orleans metro, following a path similar to a high-end EF3 tornado from March 22, 2022. A total of 77 tornadoes were confirmed, making this the fourth largest outbreak on record for the month of December, with the first and third being recorded in 2021, and the second being recorded in 2024. In addition, this tornado outbreak gave Oklahoma their most active December for tornadoes on record.1 dead, 15 hurt as tornadoes tear through Oklahoma City area, hurricane-force winds sweep across Plains, Fox Weather, February 28, 2023
Meteorological synopsis
On December 12, the Storm Prediction Center outlined a level 2/Slight risk of severe weather for parts of Southwestern Kansas, Western Oklahoma, and Northern Texas. A brief window for discrete supercells was forecasted, with a risk for all hazards (tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail) before a transition to a linear mode with a risk for embedded tornadoes and damaging winds. A few supercells developed, producing two weak tornadoes in Oklahoma, neither of which caused any damage. On December 13, as the associated longwave trough ejected eastwards, the Storm Prediction Center outlined a level 3/Enhanced risk of severe weather across eastern Texas, much of Louisiana, and southwestern sections of Mississippi. Environmental conditions were expected to favor the development of semi-discrete supercell thunderstorm structures, with an attendant risk for strong (EF2+) tornadoes. A broader level 2/Slight risk encompassed a larger share of the South Plains, particularly around the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex where some questions about the level of instability existed but wind shear profiles were conducive for severe weather. During the pre-dawn hours, a broken line of atmospheric convection with embedded supercell structures progressed eastward across North Texas. Here, temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s Fahrenheit overlapped with dewpoints in the low to mid-60s, contributing to modest surface convective available potential energy of 500–1,000 J/kg. Combined with strong shear profiles, atmospheric conditions led to the development of several tornadoes across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex throughout the morning hours.
By the early afternoon hours, a surface low-pressure area moved into northeastern Texas, supporting a cold front to the southwest and a warm front to the southeast. In the warm sector of this low, temperatures climbed to upwards of the mid-70s while dewpoints reached the upper 60s; this contributed to mid-level CAPE around 1,000 J/kg. Discrete supercells developed within this environment, tracking northeastward with time. As these storms overspread northern and central Louisiana into the afternoon hours, forecasters warned of the potential for renewed supercell development given the approach of the upper-level trough, both in Louisiana as well as Mississippi. All the while, the SPC renewed a level 3/Enhanced risk valid for December 14 across the Gulf Coast, continuing to highlight a large area for the potential of long-lived supercells capable of producing strong tornadoes. With time, discrete activity across the region congealed into an eastward-moving line of convection across portions of Louisiana and Mississippi. However, as the shortwave trough progressed eastward, strengthening wind fields in a warm sector increasingly destabilized by daytime heating, the SPC became increasingly concerned about the potential for this line to break down into discrete cells. The potential for numerous tornadic supercells to develop prompted the issuance of a level 4/Moderate risk across southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and western/southern Alabama.
As expected, numerous discrete supercells developed across the open warm sector in eastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, where forecasters outlined a Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado watch and warned of the potential for a few intense tornadoes. These cells eventually congealed into a line of five or six dominant supercells. As the threat area shifted eastward with time, additional supercells developed in the northern Gulf of Mexico. These thunderstorms progressed northeastward into the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southwestern Georgia.
Confirmed tornadoes
December 12 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Monday, December 12, 2022EF#LocationCounty / ParishStateStart Coord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax width EFUW of ElmwoodBeaverOK03:21–03:23A brief tornado touched down west of Elmwood with no damage observed. EF0S of BeaverBeaverOK03:38–03:39A brief tornado that struck powerlines but caused no visible damage to them was observed by a few storm chasers south of Beaver.
December 13 event