April_1956_tornado_outbreak

Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1956

Tornado outbreak of April 2–3, 1956

1956 windstorm in the central United States

From April 2–3, 1956, a large, deadly tornado outbreak affected the Great Plains, parts of the South, and the upper Midwest in the contiguous United States, especially the Great Lakes region. The outbreak produced at least 55 tornadoes, including an F5 that devastated the Grand Rapids metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan on April 3. It was one of three tornadoes to move across southwest Lower Michigan on that day. A fourth tornado struck north of the Manistee area, in the northern part of the peninsula. The Hudsonville–Standale tornado killed 18 and injured 333. It remains the fourth deadliest tornado on record in Michigan and is the most recent F5 on record there. Several other deadly, intense, long-tracked tornadoes also occurred during the outbreak. In addition to the fatalities in Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Berlin, Wisconsin, three people were killed in Tennessee, one person in Kentucky and two more people in Wisconsin. In total, 39 were killed during the entire event.[nb 1]

Quick Facts Tornadoes, Maximum rating ...

Background

Tuesday, April 3, 1956, was a warm and humid day across most of the Midwestern U.S., the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley. Temperatures in the areas affected by the worst of the outbreak were well into the 70s °F, approaching 80 °F (27 °C) in Michigan, with anomalously high dew points—the latter exceeding 60 °F (16 °C) near the shoreline of Lake Michigan. A potent low-pressure area accompanied an intense mid-latitude cyclone with a pronounced dry line located near the western Great Lakes. An attendant warm front extended eastward over Wisconsin, a vigorous cold front southward through Illinois. In tandem with the advancing trough, a strong jet stream with winds up to 135 kn (155 mph; 250 km/h) extended over Little Rock, Arkansas, and impinged on the Upper Midwest. Prior to the arrival of the storms in the region, schools had closed earlier than usual due to the threat of severe weather. By late afternoon, the cold front crossed over the western Great Lakes including Lake Michigan.[2]

Outbreak statistics

More information Date, Total ...

Confirmed tornadoes

More information FU, F0 ...

Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991.[10][nb 5] 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments.[14][nb 3] Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.

More information Color / symbol, Description ...
More information F#, Location ...

Saugatuck–Gibson–Graafschap–Holland, Michigan

Quick Facts F4 tornado, Overall effects ...

This violent tornado was the first member of a long-lived, destructive family. It and the Hudsonville–Standale F5 are officially listed as a single, long-tracked, continuous tornado with a 58.8-mile-long (94.6 km) path, but were retrospectively and separately determined by Thomas P. Grazulis and the National Weather Service to have been a family of two or more tornadoes, one of which was a 9-mile-long (14 km) F4 (possibly an F5 as well) and the other a 48-mile-long (77 km) F5, the latter being the most recent F5 tornado on record in the U.S. state of Michigan. The first tornado may have passed through or near Gibson and Graafschap, lifted near Holland, and passed aloft over Zeeland Charter Township before reforming into and touching down as a second tornado just east of town. This second tornado then continued northeast before lifting a short distance north of Trufant.

The first member of the family developed over Lake Michigan and moved ashore a short distance south of Oval Beach, damaging a CBU building and several summer houses at Camp Gray. Heading north-northeastward, it passed near Mount Baldhead, wrecking a wooden beachfront home. An old, well-constructed, anchor-bolted lighthouse, fastened by a dozen iron pylons, was leveled, along with a trio of outbuildings and a cabin; all the pylons at the lighthouse were snapped or dislodged, indicating F4 winds. The tornado crossed part of the present-day Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Along the rest of its path, the tornado wrecked three homes—one brick, a pair frame, a twin-storied among the latter—and unroofed or destroyed a few barns. A few of the homes sustained at least F4 damage. Windows were smashed at a multi-story retail structure as well. Barns, outbuildings, and garages were wrecked along the path. Seven people were injured.[114]

Vriesland–Hudsonville–Standale–Comstock Park–Trufant, Michigan

Quick Facts F5 tornado, Highest winds ...

Beginning a short distance east of Vriesland in Ottawa County, Michigan, this extremely violent tornado formed shortly after the dissipation of the Saugatuck F4. Rapidly intensifying, it moved northeastward over the southwestern and northern suburbs of Grand Rapids, causing F5 damage to businesses and homes there. Within half an hour the tornado killed 13 people as it tracked from Hudsonville to Standale and thence to Comstock Park, the last of which would be hit by an F4 tornado on Palm Sunday in 1965. Homes in Hudsonville and Standale were cleanly swept away from their foundations, with only small pieces of debris recovered in some locations. At least one home was so obliterated that all the floor tiles had been completely scoured from the foundation. Vehicles nearby were tossed hundreds of yards and mangled beyond recognition. Extensive wind-rowing of debris was observed, and hundreds of trees were snapped and debarked as well. After devastating the Hudsonville–Standale area, the tornado continued northeastward, past Rockford, obliterating a home, destroying a mobile home park, and damaging several farmsteads before dissipating. 18 people were killed and 333 others were injured by the storm. This, the fourth deadliest tornado in Michigan on record, was the last F5 (confirmed and/or possible) in the U.S. state of Michigan and occurred three years after the Flint–Beecher tornado that killed 116. The tornado that struck the Grand Rapids area was the inspiration for the La Dispute song "Hudsonville, MI 1956". Meanwhile, Hudsonville would be hit directly by a brief-but-strong F2 tornado just one year later, although that tornado caused no casualties.[115]

Bangor–Allegan–Lowell, Michigan

Quick Facts F3 tornado, Overall effects ...

This intense, long-lived tornado family passed through or near Bangor, Bloomingdale, and the southern half of Allegan. Near the Van Buren–Allegan County line, it leveled a farmhouse and swept away several lakeside cabins; the farmhouse may have sustained F4 damage, but may not have been sufficiently well built, so only F3 damage is confirmable. In Allegan, the tornado mostly unroofed a road commission building and a factory, and 12 or more farms reported severe losses to livestock. Afterward, the tornado weakened, veered rightward, and may have lifted and reformed into a new event, as no structural damage occurred and damage to vegetation was lighter than elsewhere along the path. The tornado then re-intensified in Barry and Kent counties, badly damaging many farms. In all, the tornado destroyed 29 homes, mostly at low-end F3 intensity. A dozen people were injured.[116]

See also

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[1]
  2. [N 2]
    All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
  3. [N 3]
    The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.[3][4] Tornado ratings were retroactively applied to events prior to the formal adoption of the F-scale by the National Weather Service.[5] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[6] Canada used the old scale until April 1, 2013;[7] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[8]
  4. [N 4]
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Data publication does not list exact damage totals for every event, instead giving damage categories. As such, damage for individual tornadoes is not comprehensive.[9]
  5. [N 5]
    Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information.[11] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[12] Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.[13]
  6. [N 6]
    All starting coordinates are based on the NCEI database and may not reflect contemporary analyses
  7. [N 7]
    The listed width values are primarily the average/mean width of the tornadoes, with those having known maximum widths denoted by ♯. From 1952 to 1994, reports largely list mean width whereas contemporary years list maximum width.[17] Values provided by Grazulis are the average width, with estimates being rounded down (i.e. 0.5 mi (0.80 km) is rounded down from 880 yards to 800 yards.[18][19]

References

  1. [1]
    Schneider, Russell S.; Brooks, Harold E.; Schaefer, Joseph T. (2004). Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875–2003) (PDF). 22nd Conf. Severe Local Storms. Hyannis, Massachusetts: American Meteorological Society. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  2. [2]
    Multiple sources:
  3. [3]
    Grazulis 1993, p. 141.
  4. [4]
    Grazulis 2001a, p. 131.
  5. [5]
    Edwards et al. 2013, p. 641–642.
  6. [6]
    Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  7. [7]
    "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  8. [8]
    "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  9. [9]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, Events reported
  10. [10]
    Agee and Childs 2014, p. 1496.
  11. [11]
    Grazulis 2001a, pp. 251–4.
  12. [12]
    Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)". Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  13. [13]
    Cook & Schaefer 2008, p. 3135.
  14. [14]
    Agee and Childs 2014, pp. 1497, 1503.
  15. [15]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10083356
  16. [16]
    USWB 1956, p. 114.
  17. [17]
    Agee and Childs 2014, p. 1494.
  18. [18]
    Brooks 2004, p. 310.
  19. [19]
    Grazulis 1990, p. ix.
  20. [20]
    USWB 1956, p. 106.
  21. [21]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10063704
  22. [22]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10007475
  23. [23]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092621
  24. [24]
    USWB 1956, p. 107.
  25. [25]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025422
  26. [26]
    Grazulis 1993, p. 993.
  27. [27]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025425
  28. [28]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025434
  29. [29]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025435
  30. [30]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025436
  31. [31]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092622
  32. [32]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092623
  33. [33]
    USWB 1956, p. 108.
  34. [34]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025427
  35. [35]
    "Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)". Storm Prediction Center Maps, Graphics, and Data Page. Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. July 11, 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  36. [36]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025429
  37. [37]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092624
  38. [38]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092625
  39. [39]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092627
  40. [40]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092628
  41. [41]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092629
  42. [42]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092632
  43. [43]
    Grazulis 1984, p. A-65.
  44. [44]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092630
  45. [45]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025440
  46. [46]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025445
  47. [47]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025447
  48. [48]
    USWB 1956, pp. 108–9.
  49. [49]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025437
  50. [50]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025441
  51. [51]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025444
  52. [52]
    USWB 1956, p. 109.
  53. [53]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10092631
  54. [54]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10093492
  55. [55]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10093493
  56. [56]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10093494
  57. [57]
    USWB 1956, pp. 109–10.
  58. [58]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025446
  59. [59]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025449
  60. [60]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025453
  61. [61]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10069400
  62. [62]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025451
  63. [63]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025452
  64. [64]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025455
  65. [65]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025457
  66. [66]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025456
  67. [67]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10093496
  68. [68]
    USWB 1956, p. 110.
  69. [69]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10093497
  70. [70]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025458
  71. [71]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10025459
  72. [72]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10063708
  73. [73]
    USWB 1956, pp. 110–1.
  74. [74]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10063707
  75. [75]
    USWB 1956, p. 111.
  76. [76]
    Grazulis 1993, p. 994.
  77. [77]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10147919
  78. [78]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #9983100
  79. [79]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10147920
  80. [80]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #9983101
  81. [81]
    Grazulis 1984, p. A-66.
  82. [82]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10147921
  83. [83]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10147922
  84. [84]
    USWB 1956, p. 112.
  85. [85]
    Grazulis 1993, pp. 994–5.
  86. [86]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10049838
  87. [87]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10007476
  88. [88]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10007478
  89. [89]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10037016
  90. [90]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10037017
  91. [91]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10005193
  92. [92]
    USWB 1956, pp. 112, 126.
  93. [93]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10007479
  94. [94]
    Grazulis 1993, p. 995.
  95. [95]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10127395
  96. [96]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10005194
  97. [97]
    USWB 1956, p. 113.
  98. [98]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10007480
  99. [99]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10005195
  100. [100]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10037018
  101. [101]
    Ostuno 2008, pp. 3, 13–4, 16.
  102. [102]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10040544
  103. [103]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10040546
  104. [104]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10040549
  105. [105]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10049839
  106. [106]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10049840
  107. [107]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10127396
  108. [108]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10005198
  109. [109]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10049841
  110. [110]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10005196
  111. [111]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10005197
  112. [112]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10005199
  113. [113]
    Storm Data Publication 1956, #10049839
  114. [114]
    Multiple sources:
  115. [115]
    Multiple sources:
  116. [116]
    Multiple sources:

Sources
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article April_1956_tornado_outbreak, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.