This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1971, primarily in the United States. 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.
Events
Fatal United States tornadoes in 1971
Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 1971
Numbers for 1971 were above average for the 1950–1970 period, having a total of 889 confirmed tornadoes. Several very deadly tornadoes occurred, bringing the death total up to 159 people for the yearly total. Over 2700 people were injured by the end of 1971.[1]
There were 19 tornadoes were confirmed in the United States in January.[3]
January 15
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
1
3
6
0
0
0
An outbreak of 10 tornadoes hit Florida and Georgia.[4] One F2 tornado killed one and injured one outside of Americus, Georgia.[5] Overall, the outbreak killed one and injured four.[4]
January 28
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
Two tornadoes touched down in Hawaii. This first tornado, which was rated F1, struck Wahiawa, damaging few buildings. The other tornado was an even stronger F2 tornado that struck several buildings north of Kailua-Kona, injuring four.[6]
February
83 tornadoes were reported in the United States in February.[7]
February 4
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
1
5
1
1
0
0
A small tornado outbreak struck parts of the Midwestern and Southern United States. An F2 tornado destroyed a trailer near Gore Springs, Mississippi, killing seven people. An F3 tornado damaged and destroyed homes and other buildings in Sugar Bend, Bear Creek, and Dime, Alabama, killing one person and injuring at least thirteen.[8][9]
February 7
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
1
2
3
2
0
0
A small tornado outbreak occurred in Georgia and Florida, producing two F3 tornadoes in the Pensacola and St. Augustine areas of Florida. There were eight tornadoes overall. No fatalities were reported, but 115 people were injured.[10]
Map detailing tornado tracks of the February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak
A deadly tornado outbreak struck portions of the Lower Mississippi River Valley and the Southeastern United States on February 21–22, 1971. The two-day outbreak produced at least 19 tornadoes, and probably several more, mostly brief events in rural areas;[11][12] killed 123 people across three states; and "virtually leveled" entire communities in the state of Mississippi.[13] Three violent, long-lived tornadoes—two of which may have been tornado families[14]—in western Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana caused most of the deaths along 300 miles (483 km) of path.[12] One of the tornadoes attained F5 intensity in Louisiana, the only such event on record in the state, although the rating is disputed.[15][16] The outbreak also generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The entire outbreak is the second deadliest ever in February, behind only the Enigma tornado outbreak in 1884 and ahead of the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. February 21 was the fourth-deadliest day for tornadoes in Mississippi on record.[12] At one point, the National Weather ServiceWSR-57[17]radar in Jackson, Mississippi, reported four hook echoes, often indicative of tornado-producing supercells, simultaneously.[12]
March
40 tornadoes were reported in March in the United States.[18]
March 12
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
0
5
0
4
1
0
A tornado outbreak impacted southern Oklahoma, northern Texas, and extreme eastern Arkansas. An F4 tornado "exploded" homes in Malta and Daniels Chapel, Texas, killing one person and injuring five. An F3 tornado struck Achille and Yuba, Oklahoma and north of Willis, severely damaging two schools at Achille. Race horses and 100 head of cattle were killed.[8][19]
April
75 tornadoes were reported in the United States in April.[20]
A tornado outbreak sequence caused 10 deaths across Kentucky and Illinois. On April 27, an F4 tornado severely damaged or destroyed 101 homes as it pass from Bramlett to Christine, Kentucky, killing six people. Another F4 tornado killed two people in Gosser Ridge, Kentucky.[21] Two F3 tornadoes each killed one person in Illinois and Tennessee. The next day, nine tornadoes stuck in and near the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex while an isolated F2 tornado injured two people in Georgia. In all, 30 tornadoes touched down across the Midwest, Great Plains, and Southeast. There were 187 injuries to go with the 10 fatalities.[8][22]
May
166 tornadoes were reported in the United States in May.[23]
May 4–13
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
11
34
22
8
1
0
A large outbreak sequence produced 76, including several deadly, tornadoes across the United States. There were six fatalities and 242 injuries.[23]
June
199 tornadoes were reported in June in the United States.[24]
July
100 tornadoes were reported in the United States in July.[25]
August
50 tornadoes were reported in the United States in August.[26]
August 30
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
A rare F2 tornado caused severe damage north of Colfax, Washington.[27] Later that day, another F2 tornado caused at least $3 million in damages and injured 41 people in Tempe, Arizona, the highest number of injuries from a single tornado in Arizona history. The worst damage occurred at the Holiday Village Mobile Home Court, where 35 trailers were destroyed. There was one indirect fatality, a man who died of a heart attack during the storm.[28][29]
September
47 tornadoes were reported in the United States in September.[30]
October
38 tornadoes were reported in the United States in October.[31]
November
16 tornadoes were reported in the United States in November.[32]
December
56 tornadoes were reported in the United States in December.[33]
^ abcGrazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films. pp. 1120–1129. ISBN1-879362-03-1.
^"Other Violent Tornadoes in Mississippi History". National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Mississippi. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. March 2, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
^Lietz, J0shua. "Tornadoes on March 12, 1971". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 4 December 2020.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
National Weather Service; Saltsman, E. J. (February 1971). Written at Jackson, Mississippi. "Special Weather Summary". Mississippi section. Climatological Data. Asheville, North Carolina: United States Department of Commerce. 76 (2): 15–8.
