Notable April Severe Weather Outbreaks

April 5 Severe Weather Reports (Source: NOAA)

The most active time of the year for severe weather in the United States starts in April and runs through June.  There has been a significant amount of severe weather during the last few days across much of the United States.  In fact, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center placed a portion of the Mid-Atlantic Region under moderate risk for severe weather today.  “Severe weather” is defined as a thunderstorm that contains any of the following: 1) hail at least 1” in diameter or greater; 2) wind gusts of at least 58 mph; or 3) a tornado.

Let’s take a look at recent April severe weather outbreaks in the United States.

2016: Nearly five hundred severe weather reports occurred in a massive outbreak on April 26 that spanned from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Although there were 35 confirmed tornadoes, the most frequent type of severe weather during this event were severe wind gusts. 

2015:  On April 19, a total of 335 cases of severe weather were reported.  This outbreak spanned from Texas to Florida, and north to the Tennessee Valley.  On April 9, nearly 300 cases of severe weather occurred in an even larger geographic area, which ranged from parts of Texas to Michigan to North Carolina.  A total of 49 tornadoes were confirmed by meteorologists on these two days, but, fortunately, no fatalities were reported. 

2014: One of the largest April tornado outbreaks of recent memory occurred on April 28 in the southeastern United States.  That’s when 121 tornadoes developed which were part of nearly 360 cases of severe weather overall.  The majority of the tornadoes occurred in Mississippi and Alabama, with a tragic 31 reported fatalities.  NOAA data indicates April averages 155 tornadoes, so to see 121 in just a single day underscores how significant this outbreak was.  The high death toll serves as a reminder of how important having a plan of action is to seek safety should dangerous weather approach.  

2012: On April 14, a total of 344 reported cases of severe weather developed from Texas to Illinois.  Roughly a third of these severe reports included 122 tornadoes.  The majority of the tornadoes on this day developed in the state of Kansas, right in the middle of “Tornado Alley.”  As it turned out, April 2012, saw the highest number of tornadoes (233) of any month that year, according to NOAA data.