List of United States tornadoes from January to March 1982

This is a list of all tornadoes that were confirmed by the National Climatic Data Center in the United States from January to March 1982. During this period, 81 tornadoes touched down across 23 states, resulting in 7 fatalities and numerous injuries. The strongest of these storms was an F4 in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles on March 18. Activity greatly varied between the three months, with January being above average, February at record low levels and March around average. Aside from two notable outbreaks, tornado events were sporadic and scattered across the country. More than half of the 60 tornadoes in March occurred during a single outbreak from March 14 to 17.

United States yearly total

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	373	421	187	58	6	1	1047

January

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	3	8	6	1	0	0	18

January 1982 tornadoes

Date	State	F#	County	Coord.	Path length	Comments/Damage
January 3, 1982	Mississippi	F3	Newton	32.25°N 89.17°W	11 miles (18 km)	1 death – First killer January tornado since 1978.[1] Along the tornado's path, 20 homes were destroyed and 40 structures were damaged. Seventeen people sustained injuries. Total damage from the tornado reached $2 million.[2] Location was the Newton, Mississippi area.
	Alabama	F2	Chilton, Coosa	32.75°N 86.52°W	15 miles (24 km)	Five mobile homes and two gas station were destroyed near southeast of Clanton, Alabama near Lake Mitchell.[2] Originally believed to be two separate tornadoes, later analysis found that the tornado had an intermittent 15 miles (24 km) track through two counties.[2][3]
		F2	Autauga, Chilton	32.68°N 86.57°W	8 miles (13 km)	In Lily Hill, southeast of Clanton, Alabama, a house was blown away, injuring four occupants. The tornado tracked over the same area the previous one did, forcing rescuers to take shelter. A total of six people were injured by the tornado.[2]
		F1	Autauga	32.67°N 86.52°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief tornado touched down near Interstate 65 southeast of Clanton, Alabama, downing trees and power lines. Four cars sustained damage from debris.[3]
		F1	Chilton	32.83°N 86.65°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado in the Clanton, Alabama area injured four people.[4]
		F2	Cullman	34.22°N 86.73°W	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Brief touchdown near Simcoe, Alabama; a gas station, mini-mart and trailer were destroyed.[2]
		F2	Marshall	34.35°N 86.45°W	3 miles (4.8 km)	Tornado touched down along Alabama State Route 69 northeast of Arab, Alabama and tore the roof off a home. One person was injured.[2][3]
		F1	Monroe	31.52°N 87.33°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief touchdown near Monroeville, Alabama.[4]
	Arkansas	F0	Lee	34.8°N 90.67°W	0.1 miles (160 m)	Brief touchdown east-northeast of Marianna, Arkansas.[4]
		F1	Phillips	34.52°N 90.58°W	0.1 miles (160 m)	Brief touchdown in Helena, Arkansas.[4]
January 4, 1982	Georgia	F1	Cherokee	34.32°N 84.42°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief touchdown northeast of Cherokee County Airport near Georgia State Route 515.[4]
January 7, 1982	Alabama	F1	Houston	31.2°N 85.32°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief touchdown near Cowarts, Alabama.[4]
January 14, 1982	Florida	F1	Lee	26.52°N 81.6°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief touchdown near Lehigh Acres, Florida.[4] Several homes were damaged along the tornado's path, leaving $300,000 in losses.[5]
		F0	Hendry	26.63°N 81.43°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief touchdown east-northeast of Lehigh Acres, Florida.[4]
January 20, 1982	California	F0	Riverside	33.95°N 117.4°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief touchdown in downtown Riverside, California.[4] The tornado felled several trees, tore the roof off a home and injured one person.[6]
January 22, 1982	Arkansas	F2	Garland	34.5°N 93.05°W	2 miles (3.2 km)	Small tornado struck Hot Springs, Arkansas, damaging several homes and injuring one person.[7]
January 23, 1982	Mississippi	F1	Lauderdale	34.5°N 93.05°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down southeast of Collinsville, Mississippi.[4]
January 30, 1982	Louisiana	F2	Assumption	29.98°N 91.07°W	3 miles (4.8 km)	Brief tornado touched southwest of Paincourtville, Louisiana. One person was injured by the tornado.[4]

February

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	0	1	2	0	0	0	3

February 1982 tornadoes

Date	State	F#	County	Coord.	Path length	Comments/Damage
February 11, 1982	Hawaii	F2	Honolulu	21.33°N 157.72°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down south of Waimānalo, Hawai'i. Occurred simultaneously with the Maunawili tornado.[8] Nearly 24 homes sustained damage.[9]
		F2	Honolulu	21.37°N 157.77°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down near Maunawili, Hawai'i. Occurred simultaneously with the Waimānalo tornado.[8]
February 17, 1982	Florida	F1	Manatee	27.52°N 82.55°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief tornado touched down near Palmetto, Florida, damaging 12 mobile homes and a lumber yard. One home had its roof torn off and thrown 30 yards (27 m) away. Losses in the lumber yard were estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.[10]

March

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	9	23	20	7	1	0	60

March 1982 tornadoes

Date	State	F#	County	Coord.	Path length	Comments/Damage
March 6, 1982	Florida	F0	Pinellas	27.75°N 82.68°W	3 miles (4.8 km)	Brief tornado touched down in St. Petersburg, Florida.[11]
		F1	Miami-Dade	25.6°N 80.4°W	10 miles (16 km)	Roughly 100 homes and 500 vehicles sustained damage in Kendall, Florida.[12][13] Four people were injured in the city.[11] Losses from the tornado were estimated over $500,000.[14]
		F1	Highlands	27.42°N 81.42°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief tornado touched down north-northwest of Lake Placid, Florida.[11]
March 7, 1982	Florida	F1	Volusia	29.12°N 81.33°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down east of DeLeon Springs, Florida, downing trees and power lines. A few homes sustained damage from flying debris.[14]
March 12, 1982	Illinois	F2	McDonough	40.33°N 90.68°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down south of Macomb, Illinois, injuring one person.[11]
March 13, 1982	Ohio	F1	Fairfield	39.75°N 82.6°W	2 miles (3.2 km)	Brief tornado touched down south of Lancaster, Ohio.[11] Twelve outbuildings and one home were destroyed.[15]
March 14, 1982	Texas	F1	Taylor	32.28°N 99.82°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A restaurant in Buffalo Gap, Texas, was heavily damaged.[16]
		F2	Runnels, Taylor	32.07°N 99.92°W	11 miles (18 km)	First of two tornadoes that struck near Winters, Texas (north-northeast), this tornado moving toward Lawn, Texas. Five homes,[2] a swath of farmland and an oil derrick were destroyed along its path.[17]
		F3	Runnels, Coleman, Taylor, Callahan	31.87°N 100.15°W	41 miles (66 km)	Second tornado that passed near Winters, Texas, toward east of Lawn, Texas.[11] Several barns and farming equipment were destroyed in this area.[2] The community of Goldsboro sustained significant damage; one home was mostly destroyed in this area. The tornado also flattened an oil rig.[18] A 25 yd (23 m) section of asphalt was torn off Highway 382. Fourteen people were injured by the tornado.[11] Total losses reached $3 million.[2]
		F1	Callahan, Eastland	32.12°N 99.15°W	5 miles (8.0 km)	Short-lived tornado touched down near Cross Plains, Texas.[11]
		F1	Dallas	32.62°N 96.93°W	2 miles (3.2 km)	A brief tornado damaged 18 homes in the Dallas suburb of Duncanville, Texas.[18]
March 15, 1982	Alabama	F1	Calhoun	33.78°N 85.88°W	8 miles (13 km)	Alexandria, Alabama area
	Kansas	F2	Greenwood	37.67°N 96.07°W	2 miles (3.2 km)	Brief tornado damaged 25 cabins and trailers north-northwest of Fall River, Kansas.[2]
		F2	Woodson, Allen	37.78°N 95.85°W	30 miles (48 km)	Long-tracked tornado damaged numerous homes, however, specifics are unknown. Southeast of Toronto, Kansas to Colony, Kansas[2]
		F3	Montgomery	37.02°N 95.85°W	6 miles (9.7 km)	1 death – One person was killed and another injured when the tornado destroyed their trailer. Intensity is disputed to be F2 rather than F3 by Grazulis. In the Tyro, Kansas area.[2]
		F1	Montgomery		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
		F2	Labette, Crawford		17 miles (27 km)	Relatively long-tracked tornado destroyed two trailers and damaged several other homes. Three people were injured in the trailers.[2]
		F3	Crawford, Barton (MO), Vernon (MO), Cedar (MO), St. Clair (MO)		70 miles (110 km)	2 deaths – 8 others injured
		F3	Labette, Cherokee		30 miles (48 km)	1 death – 6 others injured
		F0	Cherokee		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
		F3	Crawford, Jasper (MO)		9 miles (14 km)
	Oklahoma	F1	Seminole		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
		F3	Pontotoc		6 miles (9.7 km)	1 death – 36 others injured
		F2	Hughes		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
		F2	Osage		0.1 miles (0.16 km)	1 person injured
		F1	Osage		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
		F1	Washington		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
		F2	Washington		3 miles (4.8 km)	57 people injured
		F2	Nowata		12 miles (19 km)
		F2	Nowata		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
		F1	Haskell		0.1 miles (0.16 km)
	Missouri	F3	Benton		14 miles (23 km)	1 person injured
		F2	Morgan		5 miles (8.0 km)
		F1	Moniteau		5 miles (8.0 km)
		F0	Callaway		24 miles (39 km)	Long-tracked weak tornado
March 16, 1982	Kentucky	F2	Clark, Powell		8 miles (13 km)	A tornado destroyed eight homes and many outbuildings along its path from Trapp, Kentucky, to Black Creek, Kentucky. Two people were injured.[2]
	Indiana	F1	Wells, Adams		9 miles (14 km)
March 17, 1982	Georgia	F0	Fulton	33.77°N 84.4°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado struck downtown Atlanta, Georgia, just south of the Georgia Institute of Technology.[11] One office building sustained some exterior damage.[19][20]
	California	F0	San Diego	32.73°N 117.18°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Small tornado briefly touched down along the southeast end of San Diego International Airport's runway.[11]
March 18, 1982	Hawaii	F2	Honolulu	21.5°N 158.03°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down near Wahiawā, Hawai'i.[11]
	Kansas	F2	Seward	37.12°N 100.98°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Northwest of Liberal, Kansas.
		F2	Haskell, Gray	37.43°N 100.95°W	48 miles (77 km)	Satanta area to Cimarron area
	New Mexico	F0	Curry	34.47°N 103.07°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down northeast of Clovis, New Mexico.[11]
	Texas	F4	Moore, Hansford, Ochiltree, Beaver (OK)	36.02°N 101.73°W	88 miles (142 km)	Long-lived 0.5 mi (800 m) wide tornado tracked through the northern Texas Panhandle into the Oklahoma Panhandle shortly before midnight (local time), starting near Sunray, Texas and ending near Beaver, Oklahoma.[11] At least 12 farms in Hansford County and four homes in Beaver County were destroyed. Twelve people were injured by the tornado and losses exceeded $1 million.[21]
March 19, 1982	Iowa	F1	Taylor		2 miles (3.2 km)
March 20, 1982	Tennessee	F1	Sumner	36.62°N 86.45°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Northeast of Portland, Tennessee
	Kentucky	F2	Shelby	38.22°N 85.23°W	1 mile (1.6 km)	8 people injured. In Shelbyville, Kentucky area.
		F2	Shelby, Franklin	38.12°N 84.45°W	20 miles (32 km)	South-southeast of Shelbyville, Kentucky to Frankfort, Kentucky
	Arkansas	F0	Lincoln	37.78°N 95.85°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down near or on the Arkansas River north of Grady, Arkansas.[11]
March 28, 2018	California	F1	Fresno	36.57°N 119.62°W	5 miles (8.0 km)	1 person injured. In the Selma, California area.
March 29, 1982	Florida	F1	Palm Beach	26.62°N 80.05°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	1 person injured in the Lake Worth, Florida area.
	Utah	F0	Beaver	38.5°N 112.88°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	First March tornado in Utah since 1907, touched down well to the northeast of Milford, Utah.[1][11]
	California	F0	Alameda	37.68°N 121.77°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	In Livermore, California area.
		F1	Los Angeles	34.08°N 118.1°W	2 miles (3.2 km)	In San Gabriel, California area.
	South Dakota	F2	Bennett	43.17°N 101.95°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Touched down west of Martin, South Dakota. A mobile home was picked up by the tornado and one of its occupants was thrown out of the building; however, he was unharmed. The other person in the home sustained minor injuries.[22]
March 30, 1982	Wisconsin	F1	Juneau, Wood, Portage	44.2°N 90°W	28 miles (45 km)	Long-lived intermittent tornado made several touchdowns along a 28 miles (45 km) path through central Wisconsin, from southeast of Nekoosa, Wisconsin to Stevens Point, Wisconsin.[1][11] Numerous trees were felled by the tornado, one of which fell on a mobile home and destroyed it. The two occupants of the home sustained extensive injuries. Nearby, another mobile home was destroyed and a house was moved off its foundation. Due to the intermittent nature of the tornado, newspaper reports initially stated it to have been a series of tornadoes rather than a single one.[23]
	Illinois	F2	Jefferson	38.15°N 88.9°W	0.8 miles (1.3 km)	1 death – Short-lived but damaging tornado touched down near Ina, Illinois. Five trailers and four homes were destroyed, one of which was blown off its foundation and thrown into another. Sixteen other homes and several trailers sustained damage. Three people were also injured and losses were estimated at $1 million.[21]
		F1	Hamilton	38.25°N 88.47°W	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Brief tornado touched down east-southeast of Mayberry, Illinois.[11]
March 31, 1982	Louisiana	F1	Washington	30.97°N 90.1°W	12 miles (19 km)	Tornado touched down due west of Angie, Louisiana and tracked eastward for 12 miles (19 km) before dissipating. No known damage took place during the tornado's existence.[11]
	Ohio	F2	Knox	40.4°N 82.48°W	0.75 miles (1.21 km)	Brief tornado destroyed four homes and heavily damaged seven others in Mt. Vernon, Ohio.[21] Seven people were injured in the town. The tornado was roughly 660 yards (600 m) wide and struck less than three hours after a statewide tornado drill. According to residents, there was no warning issued before the tornado struck. In the wake of the tornado, 15 national guardsmen were deployed to patrol the area and prevent vandalism.[24]

References

• Grazulis, Thomas P. (November 1990). Significant Tornadoes 1880–1989. 2. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-02-3.

Footnotes

1. Edward W. Ferguson; Joseph T. Schaefer; Steven J. Weiss; Larry F. Wilson; Frederick P. Ostby (August 1983). "Tornado 1982: A Near-Record Year" (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. American Meteorological Society. 111 (8): 1665–1678. Bibcode:1983MWRv..111.1665F. doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1983)111<1665:TANRY>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
2. Grazulis, p. 628
3. Associated Press (January 4, 1982). "Area escapes heavy damage from violent weather". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 2. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
4. "Tornadoes in January 1982". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
5. Dana Walker (January 15, 1982). "Weather prepares for a record cold weekend". The Bryan Times. p. 2. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
6. Associated Press (January 21, 1982). "Snow Buries Twin Cities". The Palm Beach Post. p. A2. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
7. Associated Press (January 23, 1982). "Midwest again hit by winter storm". Gadsden Times. p. 1. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
8. "Tornadoes in February 1982". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
9. "Students trapped in volcano". Lewiston Morning Tribune. February 13, 1982. p. 2A. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
10. Tom Tryon (February 18, 1982). "Wet Winds Leave Damages In Wake". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1B. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
11. "Tornadoes in March 1982". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
12. Associated Press (March 7, 1982). "Man Dies as Tornadoes Strike Southern Florida". New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
13. "Damage heavy as tornadoes slam Florida areas". Rome News-Tribune. March 7, 1982. p. A1. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
14. United Press International (March 8, 1982). "Tornado blows up a $500,000 storm". The Montreal Gazette. p. C8. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
15. United Press International (March 14, 1982). "Tornado, High Winds Hit Plains, Midwest". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1A. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
16. Associated Press (March 15, 1982). "Midwest Inundated; Twisters Hit Texas". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. p. 2A. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
17. Associated Press (March 15, 1982). "Twisters slam Texas town". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 3A. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
18. Associated Press (March 15, 1982). "Tornadoes Rip Texas". The Evening News. p. 5A. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
19. "Thunderstorms over Tennessee". Boca Raton News. March 18, 1982. p. 2A. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
20. Associated Press (March 18, 1982). "Floodwaters Seep Through Dike". Daily Times. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
21. Grazulis, p. 629
22. United Press International (March 30, 1982). "Fierce spring storms spawn heavy snow in Northwest". Ellensburg Daily Record. p. 12. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
23. "Tornado cleanup underway in state". The Milwaukee Journal. March 31, 1982. p. 2. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
24. Associated Press (April 1, 1982). "Drill Previews Ohio Tornado". Daily Times. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2011.