A large

tornado outbreak A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same Synoptic scale meteorology, synoptic scale weather system. The number of tornadoes required to qualify as an outbreak typically are at least six to ten, with at least ...

struck the Southern region of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on March 21–22, 2022, before transitioning to the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital. As of 2011, the Eastern ...

on March 23. The outbreak started with numerous supercell thunderstorms and severe squall lines developing in central

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and southern

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, prompting the issuance of numerous tornado warnings, including multiple PDS tornado warnings. An EF3 tornado caused considerable damage in

Jacksboro, Texas Jacksboro is a city in Jack County, Texas, in the United States. Its population was 4,184 at the 2020 census. U.S. Highways 281 and 380, and Texas State Highways 114 and 199 intersect at Jacksboro, which is the county seat of Jack County. ...

, while an EF2 tornado from the same storm caused a fatality in Sherwood Shores. Other strong tornadoes caused damage near College Station and in the Austin and Houston metropolitan areas. Severe and tornadic activity continued into the next day as the system moved eastward with numerous tornadoes reported in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. On the evening of March 22, a supercell moved through the

New Orleans metropolitan area The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (, ), is a List of United States me ...

, with an EF3 tornado producing severe damage in Arabi, resulting in one death and at least two injuries. Widespread flooding also accompanied the decaying squall line in Alabama. Tornadoes occurred on March 23 over the

, associated with the same system, including EF2 tornadoes near Pickens, South Carolina, and Gladesboro, Virginia. In all, 86 tornadoes were confirmed.

Meteorological synopsis

March 21

Signs for a severe weather outbreak became evident multiple days before it came to fruition. On March 19, 2022, the

Storm Prediction Center The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is a US government agency that is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), operating under the control of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is part of the National Oceani ...

(SPC) issued a Day 3 enhanced risk for the areas encompassing central and eastern

and western

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, as readings indicated that atmospheric conditions would become supportive for a damaging severe weather outbreak. The next day, the highlighted area was slightly shifted to the west, covering central Texas, and a 10%, hatched risk for strong tornadoes was introduced, as discrete supercell thunderstorms were expected to develop in the area. On the day of the event, the SPC upped the risk to a moderate risk, encompassing east-central Texas, as atmospheric conditions continued to become more favourable for severe weather.

CAPE A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

values reaching 1500-2000 J/kg placed themselves over a highly moist area, with 70 °F

dew point The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) in order to produce a relative humidity of 100%. This temperature depends on the pressure and water content of the air. When the air at a temperature above the ...

s present across south-central Texas. Additionally, a strong mid-upper-level jet of around overspread the area, further increasing the instability in the atmosphere. As such, the SPC increased the size of the 10% hatched risk area for tornadoes, and introduced a small 15%, hatched corridor for strong tornadoes to occur, along east-central Texas. As the evening progressed, and the atmospheric conditions for a major event to take place kept improving, the SPC issued its first tornado watch, spreading from extreme southern

, all the way to the

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

area, discussing the elevated probabilities for supercells and tornadoes to occur. Multiple supercells soon formed inside and outside the concern area. A powerful supercell developed just outside the main risk area, producing a strong, long-tracked EF3 tornado, that caused considerable damage in the town of

. An EF2 tornado in Sherwood Shores, Texas, caused major damage, killed one person and injured several others. The same storm also produced an EF1 tornado that caused significant damage in Kingston, Oklahoma. As the evening rolled in, a squadron of powerful tornadic cells formed in the southern and central portions of the watch area. These cells soon became discrete in nature, and their isolation allowed for them to increase in intensity and coverage. Soon, multiple Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado warnings were issued from these supercells, as large and intense tornadoes were reported near Austin, Jarrell, and Elgin, Texas. A tornado was caught on a shopper's camera as it swept though a local

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

's parking lot damaging multiple stores and leading to the closer of a Ross. The same tornado later hit a tower camera belonging to Austin ABC affiliate

KVUE KVUE (channel 24) is a television station in Austin, Texas, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Steck Avenue just east of Loop 1 in northwest Austin, and its transmitter is located ...

as it hit the

Kalahari Resorts Kalahari Resorts and Conventions is a water park resort chain with four locations, in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas. Named for the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, occupying eastern Namibia, western Botswana and northwestern South A ...

water park in Round Rock, Texas. A long-track

supercell A supercell is a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone, a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (su ...

spawned several tornadoes, including multiple strong EF2 tornadoes, in College Station, Madisonville, Crockett,

Alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

, Mount Enterprise and

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

, causing multiple injuries and damaging structures. The EF2 tornado that caused major damage in the Crockett area resulted in a fatality.

March 22

As the remnants of the storm system moved into

, it became the base for yet another day of intense tornadic activity. Moderate instability, were

values of around 1500-2000 J/kg were present over central Louisiana and western

, interacted with 400m2/s2 helicity values and strong

wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...

, creating a highly favorable environment for severe weather to develop. At dawn on March 22, the

issued a moderate risk encompassing central Louisiana and western Mississippi, and a large 15% hatched probability for tornadoes was introduced, as multiple sustained

s were expected to develop in the area. In anticipation to the formation of a long squall line with embedded supercell structures in northern Louisiana and western Mississippi, the SPC issued a tornado watch for the area, discussing the moderate probabilities for intense tornadoes to form. It was the first of multiple watches to be issued that day. As the line of storms progressed, multiple tornadoes were spawned from imbedded circulations within the line, some of which were strong. However, as the evening advanced, a long line of defined supercells developed on central Mississippi, soon becoming tornadic. Multiple tornadoes were reported from this line, including several strong EF2 tornadoes and an EF3 tornado. In Louisiana, a line of intense supercells formed in the late evening hours, and would go on to spawn the most notable tornadoes of the day. An intense high-end EF3 tornado caused considerable damage in the eastern

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

neighborhoods, as it was widely captured on video from multiple angles. The most severe damage was in Arabi, where several homes were destroyed. One person was killed and several other were injured. Multiple PDS tornado warnings were issued by the adjacent supercells, as additional tornadoes were spawned by the storms in central Louisiana.

March 23

Multiple areas were outlined by the Storm Prediction Center for March 23. The area first outlined was a 15% contour from the

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

northeastward into Central

and Central

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in a Day 7 outlook issued on March 17. Other than an extension into Central

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, this area did not significantly change until March 20, when the Day 4 outlook for this day significantly expanded to southeastern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

southwestward in northern

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and Alabama was mostly eliminated. Virginia would eventually be removed from this area, but a slight risk covered the rest of the area in the Day 3 and Day 2 outlooks. Additionally, a marginal risk extended into the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

region and the 17:30 UTC Day 2 outlook added a slight risk to the Ohio Valley. These areas were refined on March 23, and all hazards were expected. The line of storms that had moved through the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

the previous night produced isolated wind damage and a weak tornado in the Florida Panhandle and Georgia. Farther north in the Ohio Valley, multiple severe thunderstorms, including supercells, formed at moved northeastward, producing scattered wind damage and hail. Three weak tornadoes also touched down in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. The most significant area of tornadoes occurred when a small cluster of supercells formed of the higher terrain in the Western

Carolinas The Carolinas, also known simply as Carolina, are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the southwes ...

that evening. Wind damage and tornadoes, two of which were rated EF2, touched down in this area, as well as southwestern Virginia. The storms weakened below severe limits that night. An isolated severe threat was expected the next day across most of the southeastern coast, but no reports came in, as the storm system exited completely into the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

Confirmed tornadoes

March 21 event

March 22 event

March 23 event

Gretna–Arabi–New Orleans East, Louisiana

On March 22, a strong tornado touched down and moved through the

metropolitan area, originating in Gretna in Jefferson Parish at 7:21 p.m. CDT (00:21 UTC). The tornado began near Manhattan Boulevard and damaged some traffic lights. As it crossed Hero Drive and Claire Avenue, homes sustained minor roof damage and broken windows. A parked van was moved slightly, while fencing and tree limbs were downed. Minor damage continued as it moved through Gretna Park and across Mason Street and Creagan Avenue, where patio furniture and trees were damaged, and homes sustained minor damage to roofs, garages, and carports. The tornado then moved through parts of Terrytown, where homes and businesses had roofing material blown off. Additional damage occurred as the tornado crossed into the

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

area of Orleans Parish. It moved across General Meyer Avenue and Patterson Drive in Algiers before it was caught on video crossing the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. Damage in Algiers consisted of downed trees and tree branches, along with roof and siding damage to structures. All damage in the West Bank area (Gretna, Terrytown, Algiers) was consistent with an EF0 rating. After crossing the river, the tornado intensified to EF2 strength as it moved into

St. Bernard Parish St. Bernard Parish (; ) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat and largest community is Chalmette, Louisiana, Chalmette. The parish was formed in 1807. St. Bernard Parish is part of the New Or ...

and the community of Arabi, just east of the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The tornado was broadcast live on television by skycam on WDSU as it was passing through the area, exhibiting horizontal vortices and accompanied by power flashes. Moving almost due-north through the middle of Arabi, the tornado caused a relatively narrow path of severe damage along the Friscoville Avenue corridor. Many homes in this area were badly damaged and sustained total loss of their roofs, detached garages were destroyed, power lines were downed, and trees were snapped. The exterior wall of an automotive repair business was blown outward, and a metal warehouse building that housed a brewery was destroyed. High-end EF2 damage occurred near the intersection of Friscoville Avenue and St. Bernard Highway (LA 46), where the La Vid Verdedera church was destroyed, cars were flipped, a strip mall was partially destroyed, and a small house was pushed off its foundation and largely collapsed. EF2 damage continued in neighborhoods north of St. Bernard Highway, where more homes had their roofs torn off and many trees were snapped or uprooted. Arabi Elementary School sustained damage to its roof and fencing, and a school bus was overturned at that location. Continuing to the north-northeast at high-end EF2 strength, it then crossed into residential areas north of Judge Perez Drive (LA 39). Homes in this area had roofs and exterior walls torn off, and some were shifted off of their foundations. The tornado intensified further as it crossed Patricia Street into the St. Claude Heights neighborhood in northern Arabi. It reached its peak strength at this location as it moved along Rose Street and Benjamin Street, where multiple houses had major structural damage or were destroyed. One well-built home that was extensively anchored with foundation straps was torn from its block foundation; it was pushed away and rotated 90 degrees, although the house itself remained mostly intact. Two other nearby homes were completely leveled and swept away, one of which was reduced to a bare foundation slab. However, due to construction quality, a rating above EF3 was not assigned. As a result, damage in this area received a high-end EF3 rating, with winds estimated at . Numerous other houses in this area had total roof and exterior wall loss, with only interior rooms left intact. Homes that were farther away from the center of the damage path suffered considerable roof and siding damage, and many had their windows blown out. The tornado momentarily weakened back to EF2 strength within the vicinity of Sidney Street, and dozens of homes suffered partial to total roof loss along this segment of the path. At least one house had partial exterior wall loss, and another residence was shifted off of its foundation. A large RV was tossed and flipped over, and power poles were snapped as well. Just north of here, the tornado reached EF3 strength for a second time, and multiple houses had their roofs torn off and exterior walls collapsed. A couple of poorly anchored homes built on raised pier foundations were swept completely away, and debris was scattered throughout the neighborhood. The lone fatality from the tornado occurred in this area when a pickup truck was thrown against a tree, killing the driver. Some metal truss electrical transmission towers were significantly damaged along the bank of the Florida Canal as the tornado exited Arabi. The tornado weakened substantially as it moved back into Orleans Parish across Bayou Bienvenue and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, again causing minor damage consistent with an EF0 rating. Minor damage continued as the tornado crossed Almonaster Avenue into New Orleans East. A metal building sustained damage to its exterior, and some metal shipping containers were rolled into wooden power poles, snapping them in half. Several fences, trees, and tree limbs were downed, and more homes sustained mainly minor roof, siding, and garage door damage in the area of Read Boulevard, Chef Menteur Highway (US 90), Prentiss Avenue, and Coronado Drive before the tornado dissipated at 7:38 p.m. CDT (00:38 UTC) near Dwyer Road at Joe W. Brown Memorial Park, south of I-10. The tornado traveled and reached a maximum path width of . In addition to the fatality, at least two people were injured. As a high-end EF3, this tornado was the strongest ever on record to hit the New Orleans metropolitan area, with winds of up to 160 mph. An EF2 tornado would strike Gretna and Arabi just nine months later on December 14, 2022. Unlike this tornado, that tornado would cause significant damage in both communities. In that tornado, six people were injured.

Non-tornadic effects

The storms produced inches of rain to areas of

where many areas were facing drought conditions and about 170 wildfires, helping lessen the impact of the previous conditions. In

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

, a daily record of of snow fell. The snowstorm shut down

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

from

Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe, Adams County, Colorado, Adams, and Douglas County, Colorado, Douglas List of counties in Colorado, counti ...

, to the

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

state line. A flash flood warning was issued for northwestern Tuscaloosa County, Alabama at 7:21 p.m. CDT (00:21 UTC) on March 22, which was originally scheduled to expire at 9:15 p.m. CDT (02:15 UTC); however, it was extended until 10:15 p.m. CDT (03:15 UTC). These floods closed some roads near the campus of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

, and overflowed Twomile Creek in Northport; no damage has been reported yet as a result of these floods. Flash flood warnings were issued throughout several other counties in Alabama as well, including Shelby, Jefferson, Walker, Greene, and Hale counties. This flash flooding submerged a car, killing three people.

Preparations and impacts

Due to the projected path of severe weather, many schools either closed early or cancelled after-school activities March 22 in

and

to allow for students to get to safety and shelters were opened for those without adequate protection. Multiple

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

trains were severely delayed due to having to wait for severe weather to pass along their routes on March 21. At least 19 people were hospitalized due to injuries from the severe weather in

; about 10 were hospitalized in Grayson County and about 9 were treated in Jack County.

Aftermath

On March 22, Texas governor

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...

issued a disaster declaration for 16 counties in the state. Over 48,000 households in

were reported to be without power the morning of March 22, and several schools in the Houston area opened late. In

the high school and elementary school were reported to be damaged along with between 60 and 80 homes, with damage also seen in

Round Rock Round Rock is a city in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson and Travis County, Texas, United States, part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 according to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city stra ...

, Granger, and

Taylor, Texas Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population at the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census was 16,267, up from 15,191 as of 2010. History In 1876, the Texas Land Company auctioned lots in anticipation of the ar ...

. Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards issued a state of emergency for Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany parishes following the tornadoes. After the storm it was reported that about 8,000 customers were without power in New Orleans, and about 13,000 customers were without power in the three surrounding parishes.

Notes

References

External links