Tornado outbreak of March 16–18, 2021
2021 tornado outbreak and blizzard in the United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A tornado outbreak occurred on Saint Patrick's Day in the Deep South. Mississippi and Alabama were greatly affected, with numerous tornadoes being confirmed, including four that were rated EF2. Six people were injured by four different tornadoes across Alabama during the outbreak. A non-tornadic fatality also occurred due to a car crash near Natchez, Mississippi. The outbreak began the day before, with a couple tornadoes in Mississippi, and continued over the next two days. The storm moved eastward and affected portions of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia on March 18, spawning more tornadoes and causing wind damage before the storms pushed offshore that night. In total, 51 tornadoes were confirmed during the event, including 25 in Alabama, making it the sixth-largest tornado event in the state's history, and is sometimes locally referred to as the Saint Patrick's Day tornado outbreak of 2021.[4] The same areas would be hit again by a more significant and destructive tornado outbreak sequence one week later.
Type | Extratropical cyclone Tornado outbreak Blizzard |
---|---|
Duration | March 16–18, 2021 |
Highest winds |
|
Tornadoes confirmed | 51 |
Max. rating1 | EF2 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 49 hours and 28 minutes |
Largest hail | 2.75 in (7.0 cm) diameter in Gordo, Alabama on March 17 |
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | Snow – 6.2 in (16 cm) at Borger, Texas[1] |
Fatalities | 1 non-tornadic fatality,[2] 6 tornadic injuries[note 1] |
Damage | $500 million (2021 USD)[3] |
Power outages | > 103,000 |
Areas affected | Southeastern United States, Southern Plains |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 2021 and 2020–21 North American winter 1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
The extratropical cyclone responsible for the tornado outbreak also resulted in a severe late-season blizzard in parts of the Southern Plains, particularly in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. Zero visibility was reported in much of the area for hours in a row on the morning of March 17, due to extremely heavy snowfall rates as well as wind gusts over 60 mph (97 km/h).