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Tornadoes
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TORNADOES IN 2008
The latest data from the National Weather Service shows that the 2008 tornado season is nearing a record for the number of tornadoes in the U.S. The 1,390 tornadoes officially tallied through July 1 are the most ever recorded in the first seven months of a year. The annual record for tornadoes was the 1,817 twisters reported in 2004. The 123 deaths from tornadoes so far this year is second only to the 1998 total of 130. The latest National Weather Service tornado data are posted at http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/torn/monthlytornstats.html.
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TORNADOES
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm and comes into contact with the ground, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In an average year about 1,000 tornadoes are reported nationwide, according to NOAA. Tornado intensity is measured by the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. The scale rates tornadoes on a scale of 0 through 5, based on the amount and type of wind damage. It incorporates 28 different “damage indicators,” based on damage to a wide variety of structures ranging from trees to shopping malls.
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THE FUJITA SCALE FOR TORNADOES
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According to a 2009 A.M. Best study, 2008 was not only the worst year for catastrophe losses from tornadoes and related weather events, but it also was the second worst year for the number of tornadoes. 2008 catastrophe losses from tornadoes and related events as reported by ISO/PCS totaled $10.5 billion from 29 events. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there were 1,691 tornadoes in 2008, topped only by the record of 1,820 in 2004. The study says that tornadoes with insured damages of $1 billion or more from a single event are becoming more common. There were two such events in 2008, based on ISO/PCS data. The most deadly tornado event of 2008 was the Super Tuesday outbreak on February 5 and 6, when 82 tornadoes in nine states killed 57 people and caused $955 million in claims. Other findings of the A.M. Best study include:
- Four tornado and severe thunderstorm events in the 2006-2008 period represent the insurance industry’s highest in terms of insured losses.
- On average, tornadoes and related events have accounted for nearly 57 percent of all catastrophe losses per year since 1953.
- A June 8, 1966 tornado in Topeka, Kansas was the costliest tornado on record, causing $2.09 billion in damage in 2009 dollars, based on total damages, not just property insurance losses. The next four most costly (based on total damages, in 2009 dollars) occurred on May 11, 1970 in Lubbock, Texas ($1.55 billion); May 3, 1999 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ($1.41 billion); April 3, 1974 in Xenia, Ohio ($1.06 billion); and May 6, 1975 in Omaha, Nebraska ($970 million).
- The costliest thunderstorm/wind/tornado catastrophe, based on ISO/PCS insured property damage losses when it occurred was a May 2-11, 2003 event that caused $3.2 billion in damages to 18 states in the southern, midwestern and western U.S.
- After the March 14, 2008 downtown Atlanta tornado insurers may have to further consider tornado outbreaks that hit urban areas. That EF2 tornado was part of an event that caused $560 million in damages in Georgia and South Carolina, according to ISO/PCS.
- Although tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, 83 percent of annual tornado activity occurs in March through September.
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NUMBER OF TORNADOES AND RELATED DEATHS PER MONTH, 2007
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service.
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TORNADOES AND RELATED DEATHS BY STATE, 2007
State |
Tornadoes |
Fatalities |
| Alabama | 41 | 10 |
| Alaska | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 0 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 16 | 0 |
| California | 6 | 0 |
| Colorado | 55 | 2 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 0 |
| Delaware | 0 | 0 |
| D.C. | 0 | 0 |
| Florida | 49 | 21 |
| Georgia | 42 | 10 |
| Hawaii | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 3 | 0 |
| Illinois | 23 | 0 |
| Indiana | 18 | 0 |
| Iowa | 42 | 0 |
| Kansas | 137 | 14 |
| Kentucky | 30 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 23 | 3 |
| Maine | 1 | 0 |
| Maryland | 2 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 |
| Michigan | 23 | 3 |
| Minnesota | 18 | 0 |
| Mississippi | 33 | 0 |
| Missouri | 42 | 3 |
| Montana | 5 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 47 | 0 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 0 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 23 | 2 |
| New York | 3 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 12 | 0 |
| North Dakota | 38 | 1 |
| Ohio | 12 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 50 | 2 |
| Oregon | 2 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 0 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 18 | 1 |
| South Dakota | 44 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 10 | 0 |
| Texas | 197 | 9 |
| Utah | 1 | 0 |
| Vermont | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 2 | 0 |
| Washington | 0 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 5 | 0 |
| United States | 1,103 (1) | 81 |
(1) Includes tornadoes that track from a touchdown state into another state.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service. |
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TORNADOES AND RELATED DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1988-2008 (1)
Year |
Tornadoes |
Deaths |
Year |
Tornadoes |
Deaths |
Year |
Tornadoes |
Deaths |
| 1988 | 702 | 32 | 1995 | 1,234 | 30 | 2002 | 941 | 55 |
| 1989 | 856 | 50 | 1996 | 1,173 | 25 | 2003 | 1,376 | 54 |
| 1990 | 1,133 | 53 | 1997 | 1,148 | 67 | 2004 | 1,819 | 36 |
| 1991 | 1,132 | 39 | 1998 | 1,424 | 130 | 2005 | 1,264 | 38 |
| 1992 | 1,297 | 39 | 1999 | 1,345 | 94 | 2006 | 1,103 | 67 |
| 1993 | 1,173 | 33 | 2000 | 1,071 | 40 | 2007 | 1,098 | 81 |
| 1994 | 1,082 | 69 | 2001 | 1,216 | 40 | 2008 (2) | 1,691 | 126 |
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(1) Excludes Puerto Rico. Does not include tornadoes crossing state lines. Counts these tornadoes as one event.
(2) Preliminary.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service. |
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