1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak
Windstorms in the Midwest and Southern United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about 1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
On March 28, 1920, a large outbreak of at least 37 tornadoes, 31 of which were significant, took place across the Midwestern and Southern United States. The tornadoes left at least 153 dead and at least 1,215 injured. Many communities and farmers alike were caught off-guard as the storms moved to the northeast at speeds that reached over 60 mph (97 km/h). Most of the fatalities occurred in Georgia (37), Ohio (28), and Indiana (21), while the other states had lesser totals. Little is known about many of the specific tornadoes that occurred, and the list below is only partial.[nb 2][nb 3]
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2023) |
Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Duration | March 28, 1920 |
Tornadoes confirmed | ≥ 37 |
Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | ~9 hours |
Fatalities | ≥ 153 fatalities, ≥ 1,215 injuries |
Damage | Unknown[nb 1] |
Areas affected | Midwestern and Southern United States |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
Severe thunderstorms began developing in Missouri during the early morning hours. The storms moved quickly to the northeast towards Chicago, Illinois. The first tornado injured five people 35 mi (56 km) southeast of Springfield, Missouri, in Douglas County. This first tornado was a harbinger of things to come as the morning went on and the atmosphere began to destabilize, due to the abundance of sunshine that preceded the cold front in the warm sector, which covered the lower Great Lakes region extending southward well past the Ohio River Valley.[citation needed]