February–March 2007 Tornado Outbreak

February–March 2007 Tornado outbreak sequence

Radar scan of the Enterprise tornado
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	February 28 – March 2, 2007
Tornadoes confirmed	56 confirmed
Max rating1	EF4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2	37 hours, 7 minutes
Damage	>$580 million
Casualties	20 deaths (+19 non-tornadic), 98 injuries
Areas affected	Central and Southern United States
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado

¹Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

The February–March 2007 tornado outbreak sequence was a deadly tornado outbreak across the southern United States that began in Kansas on February 28, 2007. The severe weather spread eastward on March 1 and left a deadly mark across the southern US, particularly in Alabama and Georgia. Twenty deaths were reported; one in Missouri, nine in Georgia, and 10 in Alabama. Scattered severe weather was also reported in North Carolina on March 2, producing the final tornado of the outbreak before the storms moved offshore into the Atlantic Ocean.

In the end, there were 56 tornadoes confirmed during the outbreak, including three EF3 tornadoes reported across three states, as well as three EF4 tornadoes; two in Alabama and one in Kansas, the first such tornadoes since the introduction of the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Total damages were estimated at over $580 million from tornadoes alone, making it the fourth-costliest tornado outbreak in US history (the figure not including damage from other thunderstorm impacts including hail and straight-line winds). Insured losses in the state of Georgia topped $210 million, making this outbreak the costliest in that state's history.Enterprise, Alabama, which was hit the hardest, sustained damages in excess of $307 million.

The tornado outbreak was related to a large low-pressure system across the central United States that intensified on February 28 while over Kansas, and a cold front moved across the region, providing the lift needed to allow the storms to develop. In addition, a surge of very moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and warm temperatures across the south side of the storm helped feed the storms. Temperatures were in the 70s °F (low 20s °C) in some areas to the south, while the mercury was below freezing on the north side. The dewpoints were in the 60 °F (16 °C) range as far north as southeastern Kansas, which provided extra fuel.