Five of the tornadoes were long tracked, each traveling more than 32 miles (51 km) across Mississippi and into Alabama. A tornado that began in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, crossed into Alabama and lifted over Limestone County, having covered a distance of more than 130 mi (210 km). Along its path, the tornado destroyed entire communities and killed at least 44 people in Alabama, becoming the state's deadliest tornado until March 21, 1932, when another F4 tornado killed 49 people. An EF5tornado on April 27, 2011, is currently the state's deadliest on record, with 72 fatalities.[1]
In addition to the tornadoes on April 20, other tornadoes associated with the same weather system occurred on April 19 and April 21.[nb 2][nb 3][nb 4]
9 deaths – Tornado touched down in what is now the Ozark National Forest and headed northeast, hitting just outside New Blaine. Tornado resulted in the destruction of a bridge over Big Piney Creek, the second such instance since it was first built. Afterward, the tornado struck the Piney area, with five fatalities just to the north-northeast of the community. Their bodies and cooking utensils, along with their stove, were carried several hundred yards. All five deaths were in one family. Four other deaths and a total of 40 injuries occurred along the path. The tornado curved to the north after striking Piney before dissipating.[15]
10 deaths – A second strong tornado touched down at the same time as the previous event. It began northeast of Stafford and, like the preceding, also headed northeast. The tornado passed close to Alpha and briefly entered a small segment of Logan County before re-entering Yell County. As it did so, it killed seven people in one family, not far from the Harkey Valley community. All 10 deaths were in or near Harkey Valley. The noise of the tornado was reportedly heard for several miles. There were 10 confirmed injuries.[15]
A tornado injured 15 people as it hit St. Joe, wrecking the business district and a railroad depot. Two deaths may have occurred but were unconfirmed.[15]
A tornado touched down just outside Union, flattening many barns and wrecking a bridge. As it continued on, the tornado tore the roof off a shoe manufacturer. Rain soaked 75,000 pairs of shoes inside the factory. The tornado became a spectacular-looking waterspout over the Missouri River, reportedly lifting "millions of gallons" of water into the air. One person was injured.[15]
April 20 event
Confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, April 20, 1920[nb 5][nb 6]
24 deaths – Beginning in Ingomar, this was the first in a series of long-tracked, violent tornadoes in eastern Mississippi, several of which were part of tornado families. The tornadoes each formed about 60 mi (97 km) apart and pursued roughly parallel trajectories.[13] The Ingomar–Glen tornado claimed six lives as it touched down; later, it continued into six other settlements, causing immense destruction. Homes were leveled or sustained significant damage in Baker, Keownville, "Five", and Glen.[15] Near the end of its path, the tornado struck a home with five children inside, killing all. 180 injuries were distributed throughout the path, which mostly crossed rural, underdeveloped areas.[13][15]
27 deaths – A devastating tornado formed near the southwestern edge of Neshoba County and moved northeast, passing a short distance south of Philadelphia. As it did so, it destroyed several homes, with three deaths in the countryside, before striking the lumber camp at Deemer. 19 fatalities occurred there, though the total may have been even higher. There were no shelters in which to seek refuge, which probably heightened the death toll. Extreme damage occurred along much of the path, with five additional deaths confirmed in Winston County, where more homes were wrecked.[13][15] In all, the tornado injured 60 people.
36 deaths – The last of the four violent tornadoes to form in Mississippi, this was likely the most damaging in the state.[13] The tornado touched down close to Bay Springs and killed seven people near that town. The tornado also hurled a car hundreds of yards.[13][15] As it tracked to the northeast across Jasper County, it produced 14 more deaths in the county, most of which were in or near the Rose Hill community.[15] In the county alone, 110 injuries were reported and 103 "occupied" buildings sustained severe damage or were blown away.[13] As it crossed into Lauderdale County, the tornado produced extreme damage to homes and vegetation, beginning near Savoy and continuing to Bonita. The tornado splintered trees "like kindling wood" and flattened numerous small homes, several of which almost vanished.[13] The tornado caused 11 deaths in suburban Meridian.[15] Major damage occurred in Bonita, including the destruction of a school, a church, and 25 homes. The tornado later ended between Marion and Russell. Documents from Bay Springs were later found 50 miles (80 km) away.[13] 200 people were injured along the entire path.[15]
21 deaths – This intense tornado may have developed from the supercell that produced the F4 tornado near Deemer in Neshoba County, Mississippi.[12] Starting southwest of Carbon Hill, the tornado widened to 400 yd (1,200 ft) and downed trees as it moved northeast through eight communities, leveling numerous homes.[12][15] It first tracked near Pocahontas and Saragossa, later missing Manchester to the north. As it bypassed Manchester, the tornado destroyed homes and barns in the community of Bennett.[12] Farther northeast, the tornado struck the town of Arley, killing one person and obliterating homes and farms. Next, the tornado ravaged the community of Helicon, where all homes but one were destroyed. A swath was "swept clean" in Helicon and nearby Nesmith.[12][15] In and near Arley and Helicon, the tornado caused 19 confirmed deaths, yet the actual total may have been greater.[15] The tornado continued northeast to the Vinemont area, destroying two homes and killing a woman near Lacon. Other homes and barns lost their roofs or were wrecked before the tornado lifted not far from Lacey's Spring.[12][15] 50 injuries occurred along the entire path.
1 death – The Ingomar–Waynesboro supercell continued into Williamson County and produced yet another tornado. This tornado damaged or destroyed approximately 60 structures, among them six homes, with 10 injuries.[13][15]
27 deaths – This tornado, the final F4 of the outbreak, developed from the preceding storm as it neared the Tennessee River.[12] Observers first noted a visible funnel cloud about 10 mi (16 km) southwest of Lily Flaggvillage that crossed the river into Madison County.[12] The tornado formed a few miles south of Lilly Flagg as a "great, black, whirling cloud" near Green Cove.[12][15] The tornado leveled large swaths of forest, obliterated farms and tenant homes, and destroyed sturdy "country homes."[15] Reportedly, the tornado snapped or removed all fencing in its path and also lofted trees long distances onto hillsides. Much damage occurred as the tornado passed east of Brownsboro and west of Gurley, where a path 60 yd (180 ft) wide was reportedly "swept clean" of debris.[12][15] 100 injuries occurred along the path.
April 21 event
Confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, April 21, 1920[nb 5][nb 6]
A destructive, long-lived tornado developed near Bradley, northeast of Sturgis in Oktibbeha County. The funnel rapidly began producing "devastating" damage as it passed northwest of Starkville, with seven dead.[15] Moving northeast, the tornado killed 10 more people near Cedarbluff in Clay County, leveling many homes. Its path was then 200 to 300 yd (600 to 900 ft) wide.[13] Thereafter, the tornado entered Monroe County and proceeded to ravage the western part of Aberdeen. 22 people died there, though it was the only sizable town in the path.[15] Widening to at least 1⁄4mile (440 yd) wide, the tornado killed five more people in the county before crossing Itawamba County and then moving into Marion County, Alabama.[13] In all, the tornado flattened more than 200 homes, mostly small, in Mississippi.[15]
In Alabama, it leveled entire farms south of Bexar, with nine deaths.[15] One farm alone reported 500 hogs killed. In Marion County alone, the 1⁄2-mile-wide (0.80 km) tornado killed 20 people and injured about 200, leveling 87 homes and damaging 100, especially in the Hackleburg area.[12][15] In one area, a Ford automobile was hurled 1⁄4 mi (0.40 km), and a swath up to 1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) wide was reportedly "swept clean" as homes vanished.[12] In Franklin County, the tornado continued to destroy homes near Phil Campbell and Spruce Pine, but most of the deaths were near the Wacoquarry, east of Russellville, where small homes were said to have been "wiped out" and swept away.[12] 19 people died in and near the quarry, nine of whom were part of a family.[15] Nearby, large oak trees were wrested from the earth, huge stones thrown "like a feather", and half of a large boulder transported to Littleville, about 11 mi (18 km) away.[12]
Continuing into southeast Colbert County, the tornado flattened the Mehama community south of Leighton. There, four people died, many homes were destroyed, and numerous cattle were killed; notably, a Ford vehicle, hurled some distance, was stripped of its wheel casings.[12][15] One other home was destroyed nearby at Wolf Springs. Afterward, the tornado lost intensity, after having maintained F4 or greater strength for more than 100 mi (160 km).[15] Southeast of Town Creek, the tornado killed one more person before losing detection near the Tennessee River; the termination of its path is unknown and may have been in Limestone County, Alabama, or southern Tennessee.[12] Pronounced darkness occurred at several locations in the path of the storm; one observer near Waco noted that there was no daylight and conditions were "dark as midnight."[12]
^All losses are in 1920 USD unless otherwise noted.
^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.[2]
^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] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[5]Canada utilized the old scale until April 1, 2013;[6] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[7]
^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.[8] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[9] 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.[10]
^ abcAll 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.
^ abcPrior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[14]
^Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
