Tornadoes of 1980

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1980, 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.

Tornadoes of 1980
Grand Island tornado of June 3, 1980
TimespanJanuary 11 - December 7, 1980
Maximum rated tornadoF4 tornado
  • 5 locations
    on 4 different days
Tornadoes in U.S.866[1]
Damage (U.S.)Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)28[2]
Fatalities (worldwide)>28

Events

Numbers for 1980 were below average, both in terms of number of tornadoes and number of fatalities; however, there were over 1,100 injuries related to tornadoes.

United States yearly total
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 269 398 162 32 5 0 866

January

There were 7 tornadoes in the US in January.[3]

February

There were 11 tornadoes in the US in February.[4]

March

There were 41 tornadoes in the US in March, resulting in two fatalities.[5]

March 1
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 0 1 0 0

An F3 tornado struck Pompano Beach, Florida, killing one and injuring 33. This was last of only three F3/EF3 tornadoes to hit Broward County, Florida with the others occurring on April 10, 1956 and February 23, 1965.[5]

April

There were 137 tornadoes in the US in April, resulting in four fatalities.[6]

April 2–4
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 10 2 0 1 0

An outbreak of 17 tornadoes struck the Great Plains, Midwest, and Eastern United States starting with an F4 tornado struck Baylor County, Texas. Overall, the outbreak injured four.[6]

April 5
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 0 1 0 0 0

A rare strong F2 tornado injured one in California.[6]

May

There were 203 tornadoes in the US in May, resulting in eight fatalities.[7]

May 13
Main article: 1980 Kalamazoo tornado
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 2 0 2 0 0

A destructive F3 tornado tore through Downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing five, injuring 79, and causing an estimated at $50 million in damage. The tornado was one of four damaging tornadoes on this day. There were five fatalities and 94 injuries.[8]

June

There were 217 tornadoes in the US in June, resulting in seven fatalities.[9]

June 2–3
Main article: 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 11 9 4 3 0

A two-day tornado outbreak caused widespread damage from North Dakota and Nebraska to Pennsylvania. The outbreak is best remembered for a slow-moving supercell complex that moved across Grand Island, Nebraska, spawning seven tornadoes, three of which were anticyclonic. The tornadoes also did not move in a straight line, with most looping back over their own path at least once. This part of the outbreak, which is also known as The Night of the Twisters, killed five and injured 200. Overall, the outbreak produced 29 tornadoes, killed six people and injured 413.[9][10]

June 29
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 2 0 0 0

An F2 tornado in Harford County, Maryland moved onto the Aberdeen Proving Ground, injuring 10.[11]

July

There were 95 tornadoes in the US in July, resulting in five fatalities.[12]

July 8–12
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 11 5 1 1 0

A deadly outbreak sequence of 22 tornadoes tore through the Northern United States with July 9 producing an F4 tornado that killed two and injured 25 in Rushville, Indiana. Overall, two people were killed and 37 others were injured.[12]

July 15–16
Main article: Western Wisconsin Derecho
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 6 5 1 0 0

An intense weather system spawned a derecho that trigged the start of a two-day tornado outbreak from South Dakota to Pennsylvania, although it started with an F1 tornado in Florida. Three people were killed in separate tornadoes in Wisconsin on July 15, with tornadoes also injuring 27 others.[12]

August

There were 73 tornadoes in the US in August.[13]

September

There were 37 tornadoes in the US in September, resulting in one fatality.[14]

September 3
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 5 0 3 1 0 0

A small, but destructive outbreak of nine tornadoes hit the Mississippi Valley with a deadly F3 tornado striking Downtown St. Cloud, Minnesota, killing one and injuring 15.[15]

October

There were 43 tornadoes in the US in October, resulting in one fatality.[16]

November

There were 3 tornadoes in the US in November.[17]

December

There were 2 tornadoes in the US in December.[18]

See also

References
  1. "U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952 - 2011): 1980 Tornadoes". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. "Tornadoes in 1980". Tornado History Project. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  3. "Tornadoes in January 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  4. "Tornadoes in February 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  5. "Tornadoes in March 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  6. "Tornadoes in April 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  7. "Tornadoes in May 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  8. http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1980/5/13/table
  9. "Tornadoes in June 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  10. "NWS Hastings: June 3, 1980 Grand Island Tornadoes". NWS. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  11. http://www.weather.gov/Iwx/Historic_Events/MDcnty-tornado-events.htm
  12. "Tornadoes in July 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  13. "Tornadoes in August 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  14. "Tornadoes in September 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  15. http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1980/5/13/table
  16. "Tornadoes in October 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  17. "Tornadoes in November 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  18. "Tornadoes in December 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
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