Tornadoes of 1996

Tornadoes of 1996

The F5 Oakfield, Wisconsin tornado
Timespan	January - December 1996
Maximum rated tornado	F5 tornado Oakfield, WI on July 18
Tornadoes in U.S.	1,173[1]
Damage (U.S.)	$720 million
Fatalities (U.S.)	26[2]
Fatalities (worldwide)	>26

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1996, 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, however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.

Synopsis

The 1996 tornado season saw fairly average numbers across the board, though fatalities were lower than average at just 25. There were a few notable outbreaks, but most were outside the main "tornado alley" of the midwestern United States. The July F5 tornado that struck Oakfield, Wisconsin was the first F5 tornado since 1992.

Events

Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1996 in the United States.

January

There were 35 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January. 9 people were injured by an EF-1 tornado in Miami, FL on January 3, 1996.

February

There were 14 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.

March

There were 71 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March. On March 6, six people were killed in Alabama by two tornadoes. One F3 tornado killed four in Dallas County, while another F2 killed two in Montgomery County.

April

There were 177 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April. On April 14, and F4 tornado killed seven people in Stone and Izard counties in Arkansas. The seven fatalities from this tornado were the most killed by one tornado in 1996. Among the fatalities were Quarterback Kurt Warner's In-Laws.

April 19–21

The April 1996 Tornado Outbreak Sequence was a series of tornado outbreaks that occurred over a three-day period between April 19 to April 21, 1996 across a large area of eastern North America. It was the most notable outbreak of the year; the 19th was the most prolific tornado outbreak in Illinois history. Six people were killed in the outbreak, and 11 tornadoes were rated as high as F3.

Thirty-three tornadoes hit Illinois. It broke the old record of 25 set on August 10, 1974. This outbreak can also be compared to the May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence as it was a very huge, deep and vigorous system. The same system produced tornadoes in Ontario on the 20th; and destructive tornadoes also occurred in Arkansas and Texas on the 21st.

May

There were 235 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May.

May 28

The May 1996 Kentucky tornado outbreak was a small outbreak of tornadoes that occurred in Central and northern Kentucky on May 28, 1996. The tornado resulted in over $100 million in damages. One tornado was rated as high as F4. The outbreak resulted in no fatalities.

June

There were 128 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June. On June 24, there were nine tornadoes with the strongest being an F2 in Centreville, Virginia.^[3]

July

There were 202 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July. On July 8, an F2 tornado touched down in Winthrop, Maine (just outside Augusta) but caused no deaths or injuries. It was one of only two significant tornadoes to hit the Augusta area.

July 18

The 1996 Oakfield Tornado is the name of an F5 tornado which destroyed Oakfield, Wisconsin on July 18, 1996. The violent tornado developed outside of town and moved southeastward across Wisconsin taking direct aim at Oakfield. At 7:15 p.m. the large tornado struck the 1,012 person town, injuring 17 people but killing none. It would be the only F5 tornado to hit the United States that year. The tornado width when it reached its maximum strength was about 100 yards (92m) wide, making it one of the narrowest F5's on record. There were eleven other tornadoes in Wisconsin from this storm complex, with one death at Marytown, Wisconsin.

July 19 Pennsylvania tornado outbreak

A band of slowly moving thunderstorms moved over Central PA producing heavy rain and flooding, especially in the Altoona area where 700 homes were damaged. The storms also produced a family of tornadoes that moved through the area.

At 9:20 a.m. the first tornado, rated an F2, touched down 6 miles north of New Bethlehem in Clarion County. It tracked southeast into Jefferson County through Langville. The tornado lifted 1.5 miles west of Oliveburg. The tornado uprooted trees and rolled a mobile home, about a mile north of Truttsburg. The tornado also damaged some homes and farms, crops and downed extensive swaths of trees along its path. It was on the ground for about 10 miles and averaged 100 yards in width.

At 9:45 am just 5 minutes after the first tornado dissipated, a second F2 touched down 1.5 miles south east of Punxsutawney. The tornado touched down in Jefferson County and traveled south east into northeastern Indiana County north east of Glen Campbell. In Jefferson county, damage was confined to trees.

The tornado strengthened and caused greater damage in Indiana County. Just east of Rossiter, the tornado tore the roof off of a barn. A child, playing outside, sought shelter in the barn. The roof lifted off and three of the four walls collapsed. The child was not injured. A horse that was inside the barn was sucked out and thrown 75 feet in the air into a field. The tornado then traveled up a hill and significantly damaged one mobile home and destroyed a second. The second mobile home was carried at least 75 yards across a road and smashed against a row of trees. Three people inside the mobile home were injured, one critically. The tornado at this time was at its strongest, at the upper end of F2. A nearby wood frame house was destroyed and dense areas of trees felled or snapped. About a dozen homes sustained damaged in this area, 5 extensively. Thirty pound cinder blocks from a garage were thrown approximately 300 yards up a nearby hill where a stronger suction vortex was noted. The tornado then tracked into Clearfield county.

The tornado continued along its 30-mile curved path causing tree damage in Clearfield County, the tornado crossed Five Points into Cambria County across Glendale Lake in Prince Gallitzin State Park before ending 2 miles east of Frugality near the Blair County border. The storm damaged several mobile homes and farms in Five Points, picked a boat out the water on Glendale lake and felled many trees in the park. A herringbone tree pattern was noted along with suction vortex damage to crops.

Around 11:00 AM an F2 tornado touched down 2 miles east of Colver in Cambria County and tracked 6 miles southeast before ending 1 mile west of Loretto. The path width was 100 yard wide. Two homes and a barn were destroyed, several roofs and a second barn were also damaged. A central suction vortex was visible in crop damage.

At about the same time the tornado mention above formed, an F1 tornado touched down 2 miles northeast of Altoona in Blair County on Brush Mountain. This tornado moved south east taking down a swath of trees and caused and causing minor damage to homes along a 1.5 mile path near Sickles Corner. The path width averaged one half mile wide.

Several other tornadoes touched down across PA and MD later in the day, those were not related to family of tornadoes listed above which came from a one storm cell.^[4]

August

There were 72 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.

September

There were 101 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.

October

There were 68 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.

October 26

The Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak was an unusual tornadic event that affected Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota on October 26, 1996. Twenty-six tornadoes touched down (max F2 rating) on what turned out to be a record breaking late-season tornado outbreak. This outbreak fortunately saw no fatalities.

November

There were 55 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.

December

There were 15 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.

See also

• Tornadoes by Year

References

External links

• U.S. tornadoes in 1996 - Tornado History Project
• Storm Data "1996 Annual Summaries" (NCDC)
• US Killer Tornadoes of 1996 (The Tornado Project)
• Tornado deaths monthly (University of Nebraska, Lincoln)