The Second-Deadliest Tornado Season

Fall tornado season is here.

Midland's Meteorologist, Bruce Jones shares why it's important to keep fall tornadoes in mind and why preparation with weather and emergency radios should still be a priority.

Tornado season in the US

It can be argued that the US tornado season begins in September and ends in May. Spring is the most active and violent season, and every year we lecture children and citizens on the dangers of severe weather, plus the importance of being prepared for it. From March through May in the USA, tornado drills in schools and hospitals are a common practice.

However, the second-most active tornado season, and the one that catches many people off-guard, runs from September through November…the Fall Tornado Season.

Fall tornadoes

The third week of September and the second week of November statistically see the most autumn tornadoes, with the majority of fall season tornado deaths most likely to happen during the November peak.

What causes these two tornado seasons?

In order for a thunderstorm to attain the super-severe status necessary to birth a tornado, strong upper-level winds must skim the tops of thunderstorms, tilting them to the side, and mixing the storm’s wind directions and speeds. Twice each year these high altitude “jet stream” winds pass over the US- once in the cold-to-warm shift called Spring, and again in the warm-to-cold transition of Autumn.

A fall outbreak

The tornado outbreak of November 21-23, 1992 is the deadliest fall outbreak ever, and America’s third-worst outbreak of any season.

In 42 hours, 94 tornadoes ravaged 13 states killing 26 people and doing the equivalent of $650 million damage, as measured in 2024 dollars.

This historic event began the afternoon of Saturday, November 21 in Houston, Texas. An F4 tornado, at times a mile wide, crossed Interstate 10, devastated neighborhoods, and headed into farmland that today is packed with homes, schools, and businesses. The twister stayed on the ground for 30 miles.

Just before midnight, this outbreak’s second F4 tornado struck outside of Jackson, Mississippi, killing a total of 12 people, including a father, his two sons, and a neighbor. They had cancelled their Boy Scout campout to stay home and avoid the evening’s severe weather. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed.

On Sunday, more deadly F4’s devastated portions of Georgia and Kentucky. The final notable tornado touched down in North Carolina at 4:10 am on Monday, November 23^rd. On the ground for more than three hours, with a nearly continuous path of 160 miles, it is the longest-lived tornado in North Carolina history. The 100-yard-wide funnel approached Elizabethtown around 7:20 am. Despite the tornado having been on the ground for hours, and a tornado warning for Edgecomb County in effect for more than 30 minutes, a loaded school bus drove directly into the funnel, flipping the bus and injuring 21 students. Lesson learned- today most American school buses have two-way radios allowing drivers to stay abreast of the weather.

Fall vs Spring tornadoes

The fall tornado season is not as violent as spring, and it has never included an EF-5 tornado.

Despite the lack of these dreaded killers, the autumnal season is responsible for many fatalities because most people don’t expect tornadoes to happen at the same time as jack-o-lanterns or Thanksgiving dinners.

Preparing with weather and emergency alert radios

It's important for every home, school and business to have a NOAA Weather Radio.

These “smoke detectors for storms” are designed to alert you when you are asleep or otherwise not paying attention. They silently monitor a radio broadcast direct from your local weather service office. When the National Weather Service issues a watch or warning, these weather and emergency alert radios will sound.

During odd seasons and off hours, when you’re not tuned in, your weather radio is.

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The first line of alerting at home during severe weather and emergencies, the Public Alert-Certified WR120 brings the fastest, most reliable life-saving information to keep your family safe.

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60 weather and emergency alerts
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