1913 Easter tornado outbreak

Severe windstorm in the United States February 2025 January 2025 Easter Sunday Tornadoes Map.jpg A map showing the tracks of the tornadoes March 23, 1913 ≥ 15 F4+ 1913 $3 million ($ in US USD)All losses are in 1913 United States dollars unless otherwise noted. note Losses 192 853+ Central United States tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1913 On March 23, 1913—Easter Sunday—a devastating tornado outbreak affected the northern Great Plains and sections of the Upper Midwest, lasting approximately 31 2 hours.An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/schneider/otbrkseq.pdf Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875–2003) Schneider Russell S. Brooks Harold E. Schaefer Joseph T. Harold E. Brooks 2004 American Meteorological Society Hyannis, Massachusetts 22nd Conf. Severe Local Storms https://ams.confex.com/ams/11aram22sls/techprogram/programexpanded_230.htm September 17, 2019 note Outbreak It was the most violent tornado outbreak to affect the northern Great Plains on so early a date in the year—a record that still stands as of 2020. That day, four F4 tornadoes affected portions of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, killing at least 168 people. The deadliest tornado of the day was a violent tornado, retroactively rated F4 on the present-day Fujita scale,The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.Grazulis 1993 141Grazulis 2001a 131 Tornado ratings were retroactively applied to events prior to the formal adoption of the F-scale by the National Weather Service.Edwards et al. 2013 641–642 While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,Edwards Roger Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/ef-scale.html The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC) Storm Prediction Center February 25, 2016 March 5, 2015 Canada used the old scale until April 1, 2013;Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) https://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=41E875DA-1 Environment and Climate Change Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada February 25, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220706/http://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=41E875DA-1 March 3, 2016 June 6, 2013 dead nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.The International Tornado Intensity Scale http://www.torro.org.uk/tscale.php Tornado and Storm Research Organisation Tornado and Storm Research Organisation February 25, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160305120332/http://www.torro.org.uk/tscale.php March 5, 2016 2016 dead note Fujita that grew to 1/4 mi yd on in width as it passed through northern Omaha, Nebraska, killing at least 94 people in the city proper and three in rural areas. Damage in Omaha reached at least F4, possibly even F5, intensity, though confirmation of F5 damage could not be determined from available evidence. The tornado is the 13th deadliest ever to affect the United States and the deadliest to hit the U.S. state of Nebraska as of 2024. No other violent tornado would affect Omaha for another 62 years. Outside the Great Plains, the outbreak of March 23 also produced two other F4 tornadoes, one each in Missouri and Indiana, including a devastating path more than 1/2 mi yd on through southern Terre Haute, Indiana, killing 21 people and injuring 250. In all, tornadoes struck Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Indiana, and Missouri, though only significant events were recorded and other, weaker tornadoes may have gone undetected. Background left|thumb|Weather analysis on March 23 A series of potent storm systems traversed the US during March 1913,Evan Kuchera 23 March 1913 Omaha area tornadoes 2014-07-05 https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1vg-e6nr9ZHW_nI2RJsWscPZFE-XzRQjhrzUdw4XcIeo/edit#slide=id.p 2014-07-05 described by the US Weather Bureau as "...the most extraordinary situation in regards to the weather since the creation of the bureau." Anomalously high moisture had gathered near the US Gulf Coast, as an intense upper level storm system moved in from the west. According to retrospective numerical modeling of this event,Compo G. P. Whitaker J. S. Sardeshmukh P. D. Matsui N. Allan R. J. Yin X. Gleason B. E. Vose R. S. Rutledge G. Bessemoulin P. Brönnimann S. Brunet M. Crouthamel R. I. Grant A. N. Groisman P. Y. Jones P. D. Kruk M. C. Kruger A. C. Marshall G. J. Maugeri M. Mok H. Y. Nordli Ø. Ross T. F. Trigo R. M. Wang X. L. Woodruff S. D. Worley S. J. The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 137 654 2011 0035-9009 10.1002/qj.776 1–28 1 free 2011QJRMS.137....1C 2434/167622 free a strong cap aloft was in place over the central Plains, as is common as the elevated mixed layer advects eastward from the Rockies. Observations taken at 13Z 23 March 1913 showed that surface low pressure was located in Colorado, and a warm front stretched due eastward from there into Illinois. Morning temperatures near this front were in the 30s. South of the front warmer and moister air was present, but dewpoints in the upper 50s were confined to southern Oklahoma and Arkansas, far away from where the tornadoes were to later occur in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. As the day progressed, the surface low ejected through Nebraska, with a dry line and trailing cold front. South winds blowing 40–50 knots at times brought the moister air rapidly northward. One of the worst dust storms on record occurred behind the dry line in western Kansas, but in the warm sector the day remained dry until mid afternoon when light showers began to form in central Nebraska. A cooperative observer in Osceola noted that the wind shifted from S to NW at 2230Z (4:30 PM local). Professors at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln noted that the relative humidity there jumped from 53% at 2150Z to 78% at 2230Z, indicating much higher dewpoints had rapidly arrived in Lincoln since the cold front was still to the west near Osceola. They also noted that the surface low passed just to the north of Omaha and was in western Iowa at 01Z 24 March 1913. With all of this observed information, it is likely that the quality moisture required to produce convection strong enough for tornadoes arrived just an hour or two before the strong forcing associated with the surface low pressure and attendant frontal systems. At the time of the tornadoes it is estimated that surface temperatures were in the upper 60s, dewpoints were in the upper 50s, and surface winds were southerly around 25–30 knots. Numerical modeling estimates that 500 hPa flow was around 80 knots from the WSW and that CAPE was from 1000 to 2000 J/kg. These conditions are similar to those found in other tornado outbreaks.Craven Jeffrey P. Harold E. Brooks John A. Hart Baseline climatology of sounding derived parameters associated with deep, moist convection Natl. Wea. Dig 28 1 2004 13–24 http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/craven/baseclim.pdf Tornadic storms developed from 5:00-6:00 PM local time and while storm motions were to the NE, the prevalence of tornadic storms moved southward with the dryline/cold front intersection, lasting until 8:00 PM local in NW Missouri. A serial derecho then formed and moved across Iowa and Illinois through the nighttime hours, hitting Chicago in the early morning. Outbreak statistics +Outbreak death tollStateTotalIndiana21Iowa33Louisiana1Missouri2Nebraska135Totals192 All deaths were tornado-related Confirmed tornadoes ≥ 15 ? 1 ? 5 3 6 0 Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991.Agee and Childs 2014 1496Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information.Grazulis 2001a 251–4 Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.Edwards Roger The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC) http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#Climatology Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes Storm Prediction Center February 25, 2016 March 5, 2015 Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.Cook Schaefer 2008 3135 note NCEI 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments.Agee and Childs 2014 1497, 1503note Fujita Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis. March 23 event + Confirmed tornadoes – Sunday, March 23, 1913All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency. note Date/TimeF#LocationCounty / ParishStateTime (UTC)Path lengthWidthnote Width The listed width values are primarily the average/mean width of the tornadoes, with those having known maximum widths denoted by ♯. From 1952 to 1994, reports largely list mean width whereas contemporary years list maximum width.Agee and Childs 2014 1494 Values provided by Grazulis are the average width, with estimates being rounded down (i.e. 0.5 mi km on is rounded down from 880 yards to 800 yards.Brooks 2004 310Grazulis 1990 ixDamage F3W of Craig (NE) to NW of Blencoe (IA)Burt (NE), Monona (IA)NE, IA23:00–?15 mi km on on200 yd m on onThis intense tornado hit rural areas, collectively affecting 15 or more farms. Striking the northwestern side of Craig, it also destroyed 11 homes. 13 people were injured.Grazulis 1993 737 F4SE of Mead (NE) to northern Yutan (NE) to Woodbine (IA)Saunders (NE), Douglas (NE), Washington (NE), Harrison (IA)NE, IA23:30–?62 – 63 mi km on on800 yd m on on100,000 $22 deaths – This violent tornado leveled the northern side of Yutan, claiming 17 lives there, half of them children's. In town the tornado destroyed or damaged 40 homes, along with a quartet of churches. It also killed a few people in Iowa before dissipating, as well as three more near Yutan. In all 50 injuries were reported. The tornado passed just west of Logan, Iowa.Grazulis 1984 A-26Grazulis 1993 737Trudy E. Bell 2007 The Devastating Nebraska–Iowa–Missouri Tornadoes of 1913: Harbingers of the U.S.'s Now-Forgotten Most Widespread Natural Disaster http://trudyebell.com/Bell_NE-IA-MO_tornadoes1913text_MVHC2007_2-25-07.php https://web.archive.org/web/20150427060436/http://trudyebell.com/Bell_NE-IA-MO_tornadoes1913text_MVHC2007_2-25-07.php 27 April 2015 17 October 2024 F3Lincoln to Prairie Home to E of GreenwoodLancaster, CassNE23:30–?15 mi km on on150 yd m on onTouching down near Havelock, Lincoln, this event was part of the Omaha tornado family. It destroyed several homes and injured a few people.Grazulis 1993 737 F4Ralston (NE) to northwestern Omaha (NE) to S of Arcadia (IA)Sarpy (NE), Douglas (NE), Pottawattamie (IA), Harrison (IA), Shelby (IA), Carroll (IA)NE, IA23:45–?85 – 90 mi km on on400 yd m on on2,500,000 $103 deaths – See section on this tornado – 350 people were injured. F4Southern Bellevue (NE) to southern Council Bluffs (IA) to SE of Glidden (IA)Sarpy (NE), Pottawattamie (IA), Harrison (IA), Shelby (IA), Audubon (IA), Carroll (IA)NE, IA00:15–?~98 mi km on on400 yd m on on400,000 $25 deaths – Part of a two-member family, this tornado leveled small, possibly frail homes in Iowa. A secondary tornado may have caused 15 mi km on or more of damage. 75 injuries occurred. The tornado passed east of Harlan, Iowa, near Gray, and near Carroll.Grazulis 1984 A-27Grazulis 1993 737 F4S of Douglas (NE) to Berlin (NE) to E of Macedonia (IA)Otoe (NE), Cass (NE), Mills (IA), Pottawattamie (IA)NE, IA00:15–?65 – 75 mi km on on800 yd m on on18 deaths – This potent tornado flattened numerous farms in Nebraska, causing a dozen deaths in Berlin, now Otoe. Hitting Rock Bluff—then Rock Cliffs—it claimed still another life, then leveled more farms in Iowa. In all 100 injuries were reported.Grazulis 1984 A-26Grazulis 1993 737 F2NW of SalineBienvilleLA01:00–?6 mi km on on200 yd m on on1+ death – This tornado destroyed small tenant homes, as well as a spacious home. It or a related event may have killed one more person in Bossier Parish. Five people were injured.Grazulis 1993 738 F2BurchardPawneeNE01:00–?≥5 mi km on onThis tornado unroofed and destroyed four homes, along with a school. This or a separate-but-related tornado may have destroyed a few barns in nearby Barneston.Grazulis 1993 738 F2+Falls CityRichardsonNE~01:00–?A tornado felled utility poles and trees, while leveling a large warehouse. F3+Mount AyrRinggoldIA~02:00–?Apparently intense, this tornado felled large trees and chimneys, while blowing a church 8 in ft m on off its foundation. F4N of Prairieton to southern Terre Haute to near BrazilVigo, ClayIN02:30–?22 mi km on on1000 yd m on on21 deaths – This tornado virtually leveled a five-block swath of Terre Haute, destroying or damaging 300 homes in town. Damaging floods followed the tornado, adding to losses. 250 people were injured.Grazulis 1984 A-27Grazulis 1993 738 F4SW of Savannah to E of AlbanyAndrew, Gentry, HarrisonMO02:30–?45 mi km on on200 yd m on on2 deaths – This tornado destroyed buildings on 30 farms in Gentry County. It also swept away at least one home and leveled many farms, while destroying other homes. Eight injuries occurred.Grazulis 1984 A-27Grazulis 1993 738 F2+Southern FremontDodgeNEA tornado tossed a 150 ft m mid -tall smokestack 30 ft m on.Bell Trudy E. 1913 Flood - Articles and Research https://trudyebell.com/1913flood.php Trudy E. Bell, M.A. 17 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20130326040252/https://trudyebell.com/1913flood.php 26 March 2013 F0Guthrie CenterGuthrieIAThis tornado hit a farm, damaging several outbuildings. F2+S of Casey to between Stuart and MenloAdair, GuthrieIAA tornado destroyed homes and barns, while felling trees and power poles. Omaha, Nebraska–Beebeetown, Iowa 41.25 -96 title the 1913 tornado the 1975 tornado 1975 Omaha tornado outbreak#Omaha, Nebraska yes Omaha, Nebraska–Beebeetown, Iowa March 23, 1913, 6:45 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) 1913 Omaha, Nebraska wedge tornado.png 300 The Omaha tornado atl F4+ 103 (94 in Omaha) 350+ $8,000,000 ($ in US USD) left|thumb|Damage in Omaha This violent and extremely deadly tornado, the deadliest of the outbreak, would strike Omaha, Nebraska at approximately 6:00 p.m. local standard time on March 23, 1913. The storm's path was reported as being 1/4 - 1/2 mi km on wide and contained multiple vortices.Condra G. E. G. A. Loveland May 3, 1914 The Iowa-Nebraska Tornadoes Of Easter Sunday, 1913 Bulletin of the American Geographical Society XLVI 2 100–107 10.2307/199859 199859 https://books.google.com/books?id=-XU9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA100 2009-08-15 subscription The Omaha tornado followed the path of Little Papillion Creek as it entered the city. It moved through the west side of town alongside the Missouri Pacific Railroad, destroying the small workers cottages in the area. The tornado was so strong that steel train cars were later found pierced by pieces of shattered lumber from the demolished homes. By the time the tornado reached Dewey Avenue it was five blocks wide. When it reached Farnam Hill, the tornado followed a shallow valley through this upscale neighborhood. The large mansions of Farnam were no match for the winds, and many houses were torn to pieces, along with several in the Gold Coast Historic District including the Joslyn Castle, which sustained considerable damage. Buildings were found chopped in half, pipes and supports dangling into space, such as the Duchesne Academy which was nearly obliterated. At North 24th and Lake Streets in the Near North Side neighborhood a large African American crowd was enjoying an Easter Sunday performance when the tornado flattened the building and killed more than two dozen people. Other brick structures in this small commercial district took similar hits, and more people died here than in any other part of Omaha. A streetcar running down North 24th Street in North Omaha encountered the tornado near this area. Thanks to the quick action of operator Ord Hensley in ordering passengers to lie on the floor of the car, everyone survived. Later, photographers would spot the wrecked machine and would call it the "Streetcar of Death", imagining that no one on board could have survived given the immense damage. The F4 tornado skirted the downtown area and moved over the Missouri River into Iowa, killing a few children near Beebeetown and causing further damage. Passing north of Persia, the tornado tracked through or near Defiance, Panama, and Manilla. South of Arcadia it hurled a farmhouse 50 ft m on, shortly before dissipating. Tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis variously estimated a total path length of 40 to 45 mi km on, but subsequent analysis by other researchers in 2007 indicated a path more than twice as long.Grazulis 1984 A-26Grazulis 1993 737 In all, 103 people died, 94 of which were in Omaha, and at least 350 were injured. Reportedly, 1,700 homes in Omaha alone were destroyed or damaged, with $8 million total damage from the storm, $51 2 million of which was in Omaha (financial damage estimates vary; the NOAA reports more damage than this). In the aftermath of the tornado, a cold front moved into Omaha and caused further misery, as newly homeless residents struggled to escape the snowy weather.Jackman William James Patton Jacob Harris History of the American nation https://books.google.com/books?id=pOoGAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA1750 6 1911 Western Press Association 1750–1756 Chapter CII. '1913, Great Damage By Tornado And Flood' Many homes, mostly small, throughout the northern side of the city were leveled, and "dozens" were swept away.Grazulis 1984 A-26 Photographs at the time showed empty foundations, suggestive of F5 damage, but these may have been related to post-tornado clean-up.Grazulis 1993 738 Non-tornadic effects The same storm system that struck Nebraska created a dust storm in Kansas and hit Missouri with hail and heavy rain.Christopher Klein The Superstorm That Flooded America 100 Years Ago History 2013-03-25 http://www.history.com/news/the-superstorm-that-flooded-america-100-years-ago 2013-07-03The Great Flood of 1913, 100 Years Later: The Storms of March 23–27, 1913 Silver Jackets 2013 http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/1913Flood/storms_wx/storms.shtml 2013-07-29 April 2, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140402023614/http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/1913Flood/storms_wx/storms.shtml dead Williams 2013 23Trudy E. Bell Forgotten Waters: Indiana's Great Easter Flood of 1913 Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History 18 2 5–6 Spring 2006 Indiana Historical Society http://images.indianahistory.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16797coll39/id/2928/filename/2883.pdf The Omaha tornado marked the beginning of the destruction from storms associated with the Great Flood of 1913. Williams 2013 16 On Monday and Tuesday, March 24 and 25, the storms brought heavy rains to the Midwest and upstate New York, causing widespread flooding. Aftermath Remarkably, operators from the Webster Telephone Exchange Building in Omaha did not leave their stations either during or after the tornado. The building was used as an infirmary for the wounded and dying, with physicians and nurses coming from area hospitals. US Army troops from Fort Omaha set up headquarters in the building, as soldiers patrolled the area for looters and to offer assistance. Initially, James Dahlman, the longtime mayor of Omaha, refused assistance from any outside sources, including the federal government. However, he relented after seeing the extent of the damage throughout the city. The federal government poured in assistance soon after. The massive damage caused by the tornado inspired new engineering techniques aimed at creating a tornado-proof edifice. The first such building was the First National Bank of Omaha building, built in 1916 at 1603 Farnam Street. The 14-story building was built in a "U"-shape. See also 2020 Easter tornado outbreak – Another deadly tornado outbreak during Easter weekend 107 years later. Disaster Books – Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado Great Dayton Flood List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of tornadoes causing 100 or more deaths List of tornadoes striking downtown areas Timeline of North Omaha, Nebraska history Tornado outbreak of April 25–28, 2024 - Another significant, similar tornado outbreak that struck the Omaha area on April 26 Notes note References Bibliography Ernest M. Agee Samuel Childs Adjustments in Tornado Counts, F-Scale Intensity, and Path Width for Assessing Significant Tornado Destruction Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology June 1, 2014 53 6 1494–1505 10.1175/JAMC-D-13-0235.1 American Meteorological Society free 2014JApMC..53.1494A Agee and Childs 2014 Brooks Harold E. Harold E. Brooks On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity Weather and Forecasting April 2004 19 2 310–19 10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2 free 2004WtFor..19..310B Cook A. R. Schaefer J. T. The Relation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to Winter Tornado Outbreaks Monthly Weather Review August 2008 136 8 3121–3137 10.1175/2007MWR2171.1 free 2008MWRv..136.3121C Roger Edwards James G. LaDue John T. Ferree Kevin Scharfenberg Chris Maier William L. Coulbourne Roger Edwards (meteorologist) Tornado Intensity Estimation: Past, Present, and Future Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society May 1, 2013 94 5 641–653 10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00006.1 free American Meteorological Society 2013BAMS...94..641E Edwards et al. 2013 Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Vol. I, ed. Charles Reagan Wilson and William Ferris (New York: Anchor Books, 1989). Grazulis Thomas P. Thomas P. Grazulis May 1984 Violent Tornado Climatography, 1880–1982 NUREG CR-3670 OSTI Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 7099491 free Grazulis Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1880–1989 November 1990 The Tornado Project of Environmental Films St. Johnsbury, Vermont 1-879362-02-3 2 1 Grazulis Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events July 1993 The Tornado Project of Environmental Films St. Johnsbury, Vermont 1-879362-03-1 1 Grazulis Thomas P. The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm https://archive.org/details/tornadonaturesul0000graz registration 2001a University of Oklahoma Press Norman 978-0-8061-3538-0 1 Grazulis Thomas P. F5-F6 Tornadoes The Tornado Project of Environmental Films 2001b St. Johnsbury, Vermont 1 Williams Geoffrey Washed away : how the Great Flood of 1913, America's most widespread natural disaster, terrorized a nation and changed it forever Pegasus Books New York 2013 978-1-60598-404-9 785079140 registration https://archive.org/details/washedawayhowgre0000will External links National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (n.d.) Omaha's Terrible Evening. Tragic Story of America's Greatest Disaster. Category:F4, EF4 and IF4 tornadoes Category:20th-century tornadoes Category:Meteorological events in 1913 Category:1913 natural disasters Category:Tornadoes in Nebraska Category:Natural disasters in Omaha, Nebraska Category:North Omaha, Nebraska Omaha Easter Sunday tornado Category:1913 natural disasters in the United States Category:March 1913 in the United States 1913-03-23