Tornadoes of 1989

Tornadoes of 1989

Huntsville tornado damage
Timespan January–December 1989
Maximum rated tornado

F4 tornado

  • 11 locations
    on 7 different days
Tornadoes in U.S. 856[1]
Damage (U.S.) unknown
Fatalities (U.S.) 50[2]
Fatalities (worldwide) >1,300

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1989, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Synopsis

The Tornado "Season" of 1989 could be described as quite typical in terms of numbers of tornadoes and fatalities. May and June both saw over 200 tornadoes and after the usual summer lull, a significant November outbreak led to the devastating Huntsville, Alabama F4 tornado. There were three tornadoes in Nevada including an F0 on June 7 and two F1 tornadoes on September 17 and October 14, (both in Clark County) which is an unusually high number for the state.

Events

Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1989 in the United States.

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
369 364 102 10 11 0 856

January

There were 14 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January. One F4 tornado occurred in Illinois/Indiana resulting in no fatalities.

February

There were 18 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.

March

There were 43 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.

April

There were 82 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April. On April 3, an F3 tornado hit Fort Branch, Indiana causing no fatalities, but 8 people were injured and damage was estimated between 5 and 50 million dollars.[3]

April 26 (Bangladesh)

An extremely destructive and deadly tornado struck the Manikganj District in central Bangladesh. The tornado affected the cities of Daulatpur and Saturia the most, moving east through Daulatpur and eventually northeast and into Saturia. In total, this tornado killed an estimated 1,300 people making it the most deadly tornado on record.[4]

May

There were 231 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May. A very busy tornado month saw seven F4 rated tornadoes.

May 5

The May 5, 1989 outbreak spawned 17 tornadoes in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, and was responsible for a combined total of $169 million in damage in the four states. It also caused seven deaths and 168 injuries. All F4 tornadoes caused deaths.

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 8 5 1 3 0 16

June

There were 252 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June. Two tornadoes on June 8 killed five people in Florida and Louisiana.

July

There were 59 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.

July 10

The 1989 Northeastern United States tornado outbreak was a series of tornadoes which caused more than $130 million (1989 USD) in damage across the Northeastern United States on July 10, 1989. The storm system affected five states with severe weather, including hail up to 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) across, thunderstorm winds up to 90 mph (150 km/h), and 17 tornadoes.

August

There were 36 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.

September

There were 31 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.

October

There were 30 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.

November

There were 57 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.

November 15–16

The November 1989 Tornado Outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak on November 15 and 16, 1989 across a wide swath of the southern and eastern United States and into Canada. It produced at least 40 tornadoes and caused 30 deaths as a result of two deadly tornadoes. The most devastating was the Huntsville, Alabama tornado, an F4 which killed 21 on the afternoon of the 15th nine of the people killed in Huntsville were in cars. Nine more fatalities were reported at a single elementary school by a downburst on the 16th in the Town of Newburgh, New York. Several other significant tornadoes were reported across 15 states.

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
15 15 8 1 1 0 40

December

There were 3 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952 - 2011): 1989 Tornadoes". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Tornadoes in 1989". Tornado History Project. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19890403.18.5
  4. ↑ Finch, Jonathan. "Tornados in Bangladesh and East India". National Weather Service. Bangladesh tornadoes. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
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