March 1913 tornado outbreak sequence

March 1913 tornado outbreak sequence

Photo of the 1913 Omaha tornado, the deadliest of the outbreak
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	March 21–23, 1913
Tornadoes confirmed	≥ 19
Max rating1	F4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2	~2 days
Damage	≥ $9.68 million
Casualties	≥ 241 fatalities, hundreds of injuries
Areas affected	Southern and Midwestern United States
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado

1913 Omaha Easter Sunday tornado

F4 tornado
Photograph of tornado damage in Omaha
Formed	March 23, 1913 6:00 p.m. Central Time
Max rating1	F4 tornado
Damage	$8 million
Casualties	103 fatalities (94 in Omaha)
Areas affected	Omaha, Nebraska
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

¹Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The March 1913 tornado outbreak sequence was a devastating series of tornado outbreaks that affected the northern Great Plains, the Southern United States, and sections of the upper Midwest over a two-day-long period between March 21–23, 1913. Composed of two outbreaks, the sequence first began with a tornado outbreak that commenced in Mississippi early on March 21. Several significant tornadoes occurred, one of which killed seven people in one family and another destroyed much of Lower Peach Tree, Alabama, with 27 deaths all in that town. The tornado at Lower Peach Tree is estimated to have been equivalent to a violent F4 tornado on the Fujita scale, based upon damage accounts. The tornadoes occurred between 0630–1030 UTC, or pre-dawn local time, perhaps accounting for the high number of fatalities—a common trend in tornadoes in the Dixie Alley. In all, tornadoes in Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama killed 48 people, perhaps more, that day and injured at least 150 people.

March 23, Easter Sunday, was the most violent tornado outbreak to affect the northern Great Plains on so early a date in the year—a record that still stands as of 2012. That day, four F4 tornadoes affected portions of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, killing at least 168 people. The deadliest tornado of the day was a potent F4 tornado that grew to 0.25 miles (440 yd) in width as it passed through northern Omaha, Nebraska, killing at least 94 people in the city proper and three in rural areas. Damage in Omaha reached at least F4, possibly even F5, intensity, though confirmation of F5 damage could not be determined from available evidence. The tornado is the 13th deadliest ever to affect the United States and the deadliest to hit the U.S. state of Nebraska as of 2014. No other violent tornado would affect Omaha for another 62 years. Outside the Great Plains, the outbreak of March 23 also produced two other F4 tornadoes, one each in Missouri and Indiana, including a devastating path more than .5 mi (880 yd) through southern Terre Haute, Indiana, killing 21 people and injuring 250.