Tornadoes of 1978

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1978, 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.

Tornadoes of 1978
Tracks of all US tornadoes in 1978.
TimespanJanuary 4 - December 24, 1978
Maximum rated tornadoF4 tornado
Tornadoes in U.S.595[1]
Damage (U.S.)Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)53
Fatalities (worldwide)>236

Synopsis
Fatal United States tornadoes in 1978
Tornadoes of 1978 is located in the United States
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Tornadoes of 1978
Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 1978
Summary of tornadoes[2]
  • January 7 – Arkansas (1 death)
  • January 26 – Virginia (1 death)
  • April 18 – Mississippi (4 deaths)
  • May 4 – Florida (3 deaths)
  • May 26 – Texas (1 death)
  • May 31 – Kansas (3 deaths)
  • June 17 – Kansas (16 deaths)
  • June 25 – Illinois (1 death)
  • July 4 – North Dakota (5 deaths)
  • July 5 – Minnesota (4 deaths)
  • July 23 – Pennsylvania (1 death)
  • July 31 – North Carolina (1 death)
  • August 29 – Mississippi (1 death)
  • September 16 – Iowa (6 deaths)
  • December 3 – Louisiana (2 deaths)
  • December 3 – Arkansas (1 death)
  • December 3 – Louisiana, Arkansas (2 deaths)
Total fatalities: 53

Numbers for 1978 were really below average, but on the other hand, the death toll was well above average.

Events
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 242 225 104 19 5 0 595

January

23 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in January.[3]

February

7 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in February.[4]

February 28 (Japan)

The longest tracked tornado in Japan tracked over 25 miles, the tornado started from Kanagawa Prefecture and ends in Chiba Prefecture. The tornado damaged 289 homes and injuring 36 people, the tornado itself was also responsible for Tozai Line train derailment, and the tornado itself was rated around F2-F3.[5]

March

17 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in March.[6]

March 17 (India)

A tornado of unknown rating killed 28 people in New Delhi causing considerable damage.

April

107 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in April, including an F4 that struck Monticello, Mississippi, killing 4 people.[7]

April 10 (India)

A confirmed but unrated tornado hit Odisha, India, killing at least 150 people, and injuring over 700 people.

April 30

A small but strong F4-rated tornado would occur at Piedmont, Oklahoma, under a spectacular supercell formation, and was the first to be captured on videotape.

May

213 tornadoes were confirmed in the U.S. in May.[8]

May 4

A minor tornado outbreak caused severe damage in Clearwater, Florida, killing 3 people. The damage from the Clearwater tornado was rated F3. An F2 tornado struck Gainesville, Florida, injuring at least 4 people.

May 12

An F3 tornado caused 17 injuries in Gracey, Kentucky.[9]

June

148 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in June.[10] On June 20, there were three tornadoes, with the strongest being an F2 tornado in Bryans Road, Maryland.[11][12]

June 17
Main article: 1978 Whippoorwill tornado

On June 17, an F1 tornado capsized a boat, drowning 16 people.

June 25

A minor outbreak of tornadoes occurred in Northern Indiana. An F3 tornado touched down on the northwestern end of Indianapolis. Another F3 damaged buildings in Lafayette, Indiana. An F0 satellite tornado, the satellite tornado of the Lafayette tornado, briefly touched down in a small field at least two miles north of West Lafayette, Indiana.

July

143 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in July.[13]

July 4

Many tornadoes tore through North Dakota, including an F4 tornado that killed 5 people in Elgin.

July 30 (Canada)

Although tornadoes are rare in the polar region of Canada, an F2 tornado struck Yellowknife, toppling a tower and then destroying a transmission tower. Some witnesses said that they saw a huge mile-wide wedge tornado coming. The tornado was the third tornado in the Northwest Territories region since 1960.

July 31

Three F2 tornadoes occurred in Dare County, North Carolina and in Frederick County and Howard County in Maryland, killing one person and injuring four, with all casualties caused by the Dare County tornado.[14]

August

65 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in August.[15]

September

20 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in September. One notable tornado was a landspout that touched down between the Mason–Dixon line. It was also captured on film.[16]

October

7 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in October.[17]

October 28 (Argentina)

An F3 tornado caused severe damage to the city center of Morteros, in central Argentina. leaving five dead and 100 wounded.

November

9 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in November.[18]

December

30 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in December.[19]

December 3
Main article: 1978 Bossier City tornado outbreak

An F4 started the outbreak when it hit Shreveport, Louisiana, killing 2 people. An F3 killed 2 more people in Tillman, Louisiana, when a mobile home was decimated. An F2 caused considerable damage in El Dorado, Arkansas, killing one person when a woman was crushed by trees in her mobile home.

See also

References
  1. "1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  2. "Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 11, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  3. "January, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  4. "February, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  5. "気象庁 | 竜巻等の突風データベース". www.data.jma.go.jp. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  6. "March, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  7. "April, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  8. "May, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  9. "Tornado History Project: 19780512.21.2". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  10. "June, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  11. "Tornado History Project: June 20, 1978". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  12. "Tornado History Project: 19780620.24.3". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  13. "July, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  14. "Tornado History Project: July 31, 1978". www.tornadohistoryproject.com.
  15. "August, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  16. "September, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  17. "October, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  18. "November, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  19. "December, 1978". Tornado History Project. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
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