This page documents the
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es and
tornado outbreak
__NOTOC__
A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same synoptic scale weather system. The number of tornadoes required to qualify as an outbreak typically are at least six to ten, with at least two rotational l ...
s of 1977, primarily in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. 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.
Synopsis
Numbers for 1977 were below average, both in terms of number of tornadoes and number of fatalities; however, there were over 700 injuries related to tornadoes.
Events
January
5 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in January.
February
17 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in February.
March
64 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in March.
March 28
A small, widespread tornado outbreak caused an F2 tornado to strike the
University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...
in
Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Another F2 struck the downtown area of
Lafayette, Louisiana. An F3 struck 5 to 10 houses northwest of
Camden, Mississippi
Camden is an unincorporated community located on Mississippi Highway 17 in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. Camden is located approximately northeast of Sharon and is located within the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Altho ...
. Overall, there were only 10 injures, but no fatalities.
April
88 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in April.
April 4–5
A violent F5 tornado struck the
Smithfield, Alabama area in
Northern Birmingham, sweeping away many homes and killing 22 people. The damage in Birmingham was so severe that when
Ted Fujita flew over the damage, he toyed with rating the tornado an F6. It was the most severe tornado of a large outbreak of 21 tornadoes that extended from
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
to
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, with several strong tornadoes documented. An F3 tornado also struck the
Lindale, Georgia area, where 12 trailers were completely swept away off their foundations, killing one person. The storm system also caused the crash of
Southern Airways Flight 242
Southern Airways Flight 242 was a flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. On April 4, 1977, it executed a forced landing on Georgia State Route 381 in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, Unit ...
in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, which killed 72 and injured 22.
April 16 (China)
Three separate tornadoes touched down in
Xiaogan
Xiaogan () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Hubei province, People's Republic of China, some northwest of the provincial capital of Wuhan. According to the 2020 census, its population totaled 4,270,371, of whom 988,479 lived in the built ...
,
Huangpi, and
Huanggang in
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
province, causing catastrophic damage and many fatalities. Along the tornados’ path, villages were allegedly “obliterated” and concrete structures were destroyed. Severe damage were observed in Huangpi, where fuel tanks weighing 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) were picked up and thrown over 200 meters (219 yards).
At least 103 deaths were attributed to the Huanggang tornado alone, which leveled a high school auditorium leading to the death of dozens of students inside, making it the second deadliest tornado recorded in China since 1950.
In total across Hubei, at least 118 deaths and over 1100 injuries were attributed to the tornadoes.
May
228 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in May.
May 4–5
A low-pressure system swept across the
Great Plains and
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...
regions, producing 3 F4 tornadoes: two in
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
and one in
Atlanta, Illinois
Atlanta (formerly Xenia) is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,692 at the 2010 census.
History
The community was incorporated on March 26, 1853.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Atlanta has a total area ...
. An F3 hit
Harrisonville, Missouri
Harrisonville is a town in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,121 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cass
County. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
History
Harrisonville was founded in 1837 up ...
. Overall, there were no fatalities, but several injuries.
May 16–21
A very large tornado outbreak moved across
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
,
Oklahoma, and
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
. This outbreak included one of the strongest tornadoes ever in the
Oklahoma Panhandle, a long track F4 tornado which struck the small town of
Keyes, Oklahoma
Keyes is a town in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 324 at the 2010 census.
History
Keyes was established in 1925 by the Elkhart and Santa Fe Railway (both leased to and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Atchison, Tope ...
and tracked into
Baca County, Colorado
Baca County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,506. The county seat is Springfield.
Located at the southeast corner of Colorado, the county shares state borders with Kansas, New Mexi ...
, where it dissipated. An F2 tornado touched down in
Moore, Oklahoma
Moore is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 62,793 at the 2020 census, making Moore the seventh-largest city in the state of Oklahoma.
Located between Okla ...
and moved through
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
. An F3 touched down very close to the
Altus, Oklahoma AFB. A long track F2 tornado touched down near
Elkhart, Kansas
Elkhart is a city in and the county seat of Morton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,888. The south edge of the city is the Kansas-Oklahoma state border, and the city is from the Kansas-Co ...
before continuing striking the eastern fridges of
Ulysses, Kansas
Ulysses (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Kansas, United States. It is named after Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,788.
History ...
damaging several farms before tracking into the east side of
Garden City, Kansas where more damage was noted before dissipating in northern
Finney County
Finney County (county code FI) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 38,470. Its county seat and most populous city is Garden City.
History
Finney County began about 1880 as Buffalo ...
after traveling 117 miles though it may have been a tornado family.
June
132 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in June.
July
99 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in July.
August
82 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in August.
August 21
An F3 tornado killed 6 and injured 56 in
Neoga, Illinois.
September
65 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in September.
October
25 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in October.
November
24 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in November.
December
23 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in December.
December 13
An F3 tornado touched down in northeast
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, Texas at 08:05 local time and was on the ground for 25 miles and was up to wide at times as it traveled northeast, destroying 12 homes, 18 mobile homes, and 13 small businesses. The tornado also damaged 128 homes. One man died when his truck was blown off a road into woods as he was trying to outrun the tornado and forty people were injured. The tornado's funnel rarely touched the ground as damage to treetops was noted but no ground damage was noted at the same location.
See also
*
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
**
Tornadoes by year
The following is a list of tornado events by year.
Number of tornadoes in United States by year and intensity
See also
* List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
Pe ...
**
Tornado records
This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State Tornado, which spread through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It is considered an F5 on the Fujita Scale, even ...
**
Tornado climatology
Tornadoes have been recorded on all continents except Antarctica. They are most common in the middle latitudes where conditions are often favorable for convective storm development. The United States has the most tornadoes of any country, as we ...
**
Tornado myths
Tornado myths are incorrect beliefs about tornadoes, which can be attributed to many factors, including stories and news reports told by people unfamiliar with tornadoes, sensationalism by news media, and the presentation of incorrect information ...
*
List of tornado outbreaks
These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred around the globe.
# ''Exact death and injury counts are not possible; especially for large events and events before 1955.''
# ''Prior to 1950 i ...
**
List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
This is a list of tornadoes which have been officially or unofficially labeled as F5, EF5, T10-T11, IF5, or an equivalent rating, the highest possible ratings on the various tornado intensity scales. These scales – the Fujita scale, the Enhance ...
**
List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America.
#''The listing is U.S.-centric, with greater and more consistent information available for U.S. tornadoes. Some North Americ ...
**
List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
This is a list of notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in Canada in the 21st century. (2001 through 2100). Due to increasing detection, particularly in the US and southern Canada, numbers of cou ...
**
List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
**
List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia
''Parent article:'' List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in Asia, including the Arabian Peninsula.
Bangladesh
China
India
Indone ...
**
List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
**
List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
This article is a list of tornadoes that have impacted the central business district (downtown or city center) of a large city (that is, one having at least 50,000 people, not counting suburbs or outlying communities, at the time of the storm).
I ...
*
Tornado intensity
Tornado intensity can be measured by ''in situ'' or remote sensing measurements, but since these are impractical for wide-scale use, intensity is usually inferred by proxies, such as damage. The Fujita scale, Enhanced Fujita scale, and the Inte ...
**
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is deter ...
**
Enhanced Fujita scale
The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia.
The Enhanced Fujita scale repl ...
References
{{Tornadoes by year
1977 meteorology
Tornado-related lists by year
Torn