Tornadoes of 1992

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1992, 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.

Tornadoes of 1992
Chandler, Minnesota F5 tornado
TimespanJanuary–December 1992
Maximum rated tornadoF5 tornado
Tornadoes in U.S.1,297[1]
Damage (U.S.)unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)39[2]
Fatalities (worldwide)>43

Synopsis

The tornado season of 1992 was an unusually late bloomer. Numbers were low through April, and even May saw a lowish number of tornadoes. However June set a then record for tornadoes with 399 in one month (eclipsed in May 2003). July and August continued to see well above average numbers of tornadoes. Finally, November saw a major outbreak from the 21st to 23rd resulting in 26 deaths.

Events

Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1992 in the United States.[3]

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 698 413 129 43 13 1 1297

January

There were 15 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.[3]

February

There were 29 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.[3]

March

There were 55 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.[3]

March 3–10
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 17 14 3 2 1 0

A tornado outbreak sequence affected the country for seven straight days. On March 9, an 880 yard wide F4 tornado carved a 20 mile through Sharkey, Washington, and Humphreys Counties in Mississippi, injuring one person. On March 10, five people were killed by two F3 tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama. Overall, 37 tornadoes touched down, five people were killed, and 100 others were injured.[3]

March 30
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 1 0 0 0 0

The southern Las Vegas Valley was hit by two tornadoes, including an F1 tornado that shifted one home and partially unroofed another. Despite being one of the strongest tornadoes in Nevada history, there were no fatalities or injuries with this tornado. Elsewhere, an F0 tornado also touched down in Florida.[3][4]

April

There were 53 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.[3]

May

There were 137 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May.[3]

May 6 (Argentina)

A powerful F4 tornado hit the small village of Estacion Lopez (200 inhabitants), in the center of the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina. After destroying 90% of households and tossing vehicles for hundreds of meters, the storm was categorized as one of the strongest tornadoes in the history of Argentina and the Southern hemisphere. Four fatalities occurred.

June

There were 399 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June.[3]

June 7
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 11 1 2 0 0 0

A small tornado outbreak produced two F2 tornadoes in Eddy County, New Mexico and Vernon, Texas but there were no fatalities.[3]

June 14–18
Main article: Tornado outbreak of June 14–18, 1992
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 54 64 33 15 3 1

One of the largest tornado outbreaks on record affected portions of the Central United States from June 14 to the 18th. The outbreak began on June 14 when six tornadoes touched down in Colorado and Idaho. 58 tornadoes were reported across portions of the Great Plains on June 15, and 65 more were reported over much of the central U.S. on June 16. The 123 tornadoes that touched down on June 15–16 make that two-day span the 3rd largest two-day tornado outbreak in U.S. history behind only the 1974 Super Outbreak and the May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence. 28 more tornadoes touched down on June 17, and 13 more touched down on June 18, giving this outbreak 170 confirmed tornadoes.[3]

June 27

An F4 tornado struck the city of Fritch, Texas. None were killed, but the city sustained major damage.[3]

July

There were 213 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.[3]

August

There were 115 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.[3]

August 25–28
Main article: Hurricane Andrew
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 43 21 1 1 0 0
Damage from an F3 tornado spawned by Andrew in LaPlace

After moving across South Florida without spawning any tornadoes the day before, Hurricane Andrew spawned an F3 tornado in LaPlace, Louisiana as it approached the Louisiana coast on August 25, killing two people and injuring 32 others. Over the next three days, a tornado outbreak struck areas from the Lower Mississippi Valley up the Appalachian Mountains corridor. Most of the tornadoes were weak, but one F2 tornado did occur in Chester County, Pennsylvania, injuring three people. Overall, the outbreak spawned 66 tornadoes, killed 2 people, and injured 54 others.[3]

September

There were 81 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.[3]

October

There were 34 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.[3]

October 3
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 5 1 1 0 0

A destructive and deadly tornado outbreak struck Florida and Georgia. Central Pinellas County, Florida took the brunt of the outbreak, as they were struck by three tornadoes in the early morning hours, including both strong tornadoes. All three deaths and 75 of the 77 injuries came from that county alone. A total of 11 tornadoes were confirmed from the outbreak.[3]

November

There were 146 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.[3]

November 21–23
Main article: Tornado outbreak of November 1992
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 12 36 26 15 6 0

A three-day tornado outbreak struck large parts of the eastern and Midwestern U.S. on November 21–23. Also sometimes referred to as the Widespread Outbreak (as was the Super Outbreak initially), this exceptionally long lasting and geographically large outbreak produced over $300 million in damage, along with 26 deaths and 641 injuries in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.[3]

November 29 (Australia)
Main articles: 1992 Queensland storms and Bucca tornado
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 0 0 1 1 0

Two very powerful tornadoes occurred near Bundaberg, Queensland, on November 29, 1992. They were officially rated as F3 and F4, being the most powerful confirmed tornadoes in Australia and among the most powerful tornadoes recorded in the southern hemisphere. Several houses were destroyed, however damage was light due to the tornadoes striking a relatively unpopulated rural area.[5][6][7]

December

There were 20 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.[3]

See also

References
  1. "U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952 - 2011): 1992 Tornadoes". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  2. "Annual U.S. Killer Tornado Statistics". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  3. http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/1992/table
  4. Ed Vogel (March 22, 2010). "Tornado stories not just hot air in Nevada". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. Whitaker (2005), 199.
  6. Coenraads (2005), 229.
  7. "Tornadoes". Bureau of Meteorology. Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
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