1936 Cordele–Greensboro tornado outbreak

Weather event in the United States May 2025 February 2025 1936 Cordele-Greensboro tornado outbreak April 1–2, 1936 ≥ 13 F4 ~14 hours 49 confirmed Unknown Unknown Southeastern United States The 1936 Cordele–Greensboro tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that affected the Southeastern United States during April 1936. The Greensboro, North Carolina, and Cordele, Georgia, tornadoes were the deadliest spawned during the April 1–2 outbreak, which developed in three waves of tornadic activity over 14 hours, associated with the same storm system. On the evening of April 2, 1936, the Greensboro tornado left a long path of F4 damage across the south side of Greensboro, passing through the south side of downtown. The storm began its path near High Point Road at Elam Street and continued east along Lee Street to east of Bennett College. This storm left $2 million in damage in Greensboro (1936 USD).Syracuse Herald, Syracuse, New York. April 3, 1936. It was responsible for 14 deaths and 144 injuries, standing as the second-deadliest tornado in the history of North Carolina after a February 1884 tornado that caused 23 deaths along a path from Rockingham to Lillington. Later in the week, a second outbreak would spawn devastating tornadoes in Waynesboro, Tennessee, Tupelo, Mississippi, and Gainesville, Georgia. Tornado table ≥ 13 ≥5 ? ? 5 0 3 0 no April 1 April 1, 1936 F# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Comments/DamageGeorgia F?AthensClarke0100unknownDamage in one neighborhood, with a church destroyed. F4Tignall to LincolntonWilkes, Lincoln013020 mi km5 deaths — A tornado killed five people as it destroyed 10 homes and damaged 30 in Tignall. The courthouse and 50 homes were damaged in Lincolnton and nearby farms also reported damage. Cattle were killed and five barns and a store wrecked.Severe Local Storms Monthly Weather Review 1936 64 4 156–158 10.1175/1520-0493(1936)64<156:SLSA>2.0.CO;2 http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/064/mwr-064-04-0156.pdf 18 April 2013 Mary Souder United States Weather Bureau Washington, D.C. 1936MWRv...64..156. free The section of the path in Lincolnton, which was widest and weakest, may have been another tornado by a separate thunderstorm.Kincer J. B. Tornado Disasters in the Southeastern States, April 1936 Monthly Weather Review May 1936 64 5 168 10.1175/1520-0493(1936)64<168:TDITSS>2.0.CO;2 http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/064/mwr-064-05-0168.pdf 18 April 2013 U.S. Weather Bureau Washington, D.C. 1936MWRv...64..168K freeAlabama F2N of GordoPickens05004 mi km1 death — Five homes were destroyed and one woman killed in the small community of Hannah's Church, 7 mi km to the north of Gordo. Sources:Grazulis, Significant, p. 865 April 2 April 2, 1936 F# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Comments/DamageGeorgia F2Sasser areaTerrell11305 mi km1 death — Tenant homes were destroyed southwest and northeast of Sasser. The tornado unroofed large homes and threw about debris as it hit downtown Sasser. This tornado and the subsequent Leesburg and Cordele tornadoes were produced by the same supercell. F?Dawson areaTerrell11451 death — Tornado reported at Dawson. F2N of LeesburgLee, Sumter120015 mi km1 death — Six homes were destroyed as the tornado passed 2 mi km north of Neyami and into Sumter County. Losses reached $4,300. F4Cordele areaCrisp123015 mi km23 deaths — A large and violent tornado developed 7 mi km southwest of Cordele and moved into the business district. It destroyed 276 homes and damaged 165, causing ~$3 million in damage in the town. At least 11 other buildings were also damaged. "Many of the finest houses were torn to splinters..." South Carolina F2LodgeColleton13301 mi km1 death — Brief tornado touchdown destroyed a farm in Lodge, between Barnwell and Walterboro. F?HamptonHamptonunknown1 deathNorth Carolina F?ConcordMecklenburg, Cabarrus2230Businesses and homes heavily damaged (with at least one building destroyed) near downtown Concord. F4Greensboro area Guilford001211 mi km14 deaths — A tornado produced F4 damage through the southern part of downtown Greensboro. 56 buildings were completely destroyed, with 233 more damaged. ~$2 million in damage. F2N of MebaneAlamance, Orange00403 mi km1 death — Passed 1 mi km north of Mebane. Three small homes were destroyed and five people were injured. The tornado may have also caused "slight" damage 3 mi km to the north of Hillsborough. The parent supercell also produced the Warren County tornado. F?SE of WarrentonWarren0215An eyewitness in the Warren County community of Arcola noted that "a heavy cloud and a loud roar passed north of me at 9:15 P.M." Sources: See also 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak – An even deadlier outbreak that occurred just days after this one List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of tornadoes striking downtown areas References Bibliography Grazulis, Thomas P. 1993 Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events Environmental Films 1-879362-03-1 2003 The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm University of Oklahoma Press 978-0-8061-3538-0 Category:F4, EF4 and IF4 tornadoes Category:20th-century tornadoes Category:Meteorological events in 1936 Category:Tornadoes in Alabama Category:Tornadoes in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Tornadoes in South Carolina Category:Tornadoes in North Carolina Category:Concord, North Carolina Cordele-Greensboro Tornado Outbreak Category:History of Greensboro, North Carolina Category:1936 natural disasters in the United States Cordele-Greensboro tornado outbreak 1936-04-01