Tornadoes of 1980

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1980, 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. NOTE: On June 7, 1980, Red Lion, Pennsylvania was struck by an F3 tornado.

Tornadoes of 1980
Tracks of all US tornadoes in 1980.
TimespanJanuary 11 – December 7, 1980
Maximum rated tornadoF4 tornado
Tornadoes in U.S.866[1]
Damage (U.S.)Unknown
Fatalities (U.S.)28[2]
Fatalities (worldwide)>28

Events
Fatal United States tornadoes in 1980
Tornadoes of 1980 is located in the United States
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
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Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Tornadoes of 1980
Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 1980
Summary of tornadoes[3]
  • March 1 – Florida (1 death)
  • March 20 – Mississippi (1 death)
  • April 7 – Texas (1 death)
  • April 8 – Kentucky (2 deaths)
  • April 25 – Mississippi (1 death)
  • May 13 – Michigan (5 deaths)
  • May 15 – Louisiana (1 death)
  • May 16 – Louisiana (1 death)
  • May 30 – Indiana (1 death)
  • June 2 – Indiana (1 death)
  • June 3 – Nebraska (1 death)
  • June 3 – Nebraska (1 death)
  • June 3 – Nebraska (3 deaths)
  • June 7 – Indiana (1 death)
  • July 9 – Indiana (2 deaths)
  • July 15 – Wisconsin (1 death)
  • July 15 – Wisconsin (1 death)
  • July 15 – Wisconsin (1 death)
  • September 3 – Minnesota (1 death)
  • October 17 – Arkansas (1 death)

Total fatalities: 28

Numbers for 1980 were below average, both in terms of number of tornadoes and number of fatalities; however, there were over 1,100 injuries related to tornadoes.

United States yearly total
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 269 398 162 32 5 0 866

January

There were 7 tornadoes in the US in January.[4]

February

There were 11 tornadoes in the US in February.[5]

March

There were 41 tornadoes in the US in March.[6]

March 1
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 0 1 0 0

An F3 tornado struck Pompano Beach, Florida, killing one and injuring 33. This was last of only three F3/EF3 tornadoes to hit Broward County, Florida, with the others occurring on April 10, 1956 and February 23, 1965.[6]

April

There were 137 tornadoes in the US in April.[7]

April 2–4
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 10 2 0 1 0

An outbreak of 17 tornadoes struck the Great Plains, Midwest, and Eastern United States starting with an F4 tornado that struck Baylor County, Texas. Overall, the outbreak injured four.[7]

April 5

A rare strong F2 tornado injured one in California.[7]

May

There were 203 tornadoes in the US in May.[8]

May 13
See also: 1980 Kalamazoo tornado
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 2 0 2 0 0

A destructive F3 tornado tore through Downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, killing five, injuring 79, and causing an estimated at $50 million in damage. The tornado was one of four damaging tornadoes on this day. There were five fatalities and 94 injuries.[9]

June

There were 217 tornadoes in the US in June.[10]

June 2–3
Main article: 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak
Grand Island tornado of June 3, 1980
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 2 11 9 4 3 0

A two-day tornado outbreak caused widespread damage from North Dakota and Nebraska to Pennsylvania. The outbreak is best remembered for a slow-moving supercell complex that moved across Grand Island, Nebraska, spawning seven tornadoes, three of which were anticyclonic. The tornadoes also did not move in a straight line, with most looping back over their own path at least once. This part of the outbreak, which is also known as The Night of the Twisters, killed five and injured 200. Overall, the outbreak produced 29 tornadoes, killed six people and injured 413.[10][11]

June 29
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 0 1 2 0 0 0

An F2 tornado in Harford County, Maryland, moved onto the Aberdeen Proving Ground, injuring 10.[12]

July

There were 95 tornadoes in the US in July.[13]

July 8–12
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 11 5 1 1 0

A deadly outbreak sequence of 22 tornadoes tore through the Northern United States with July 9 producing an F4 tornado that killed two and injured 25 in Rushville, Indiana. Overall, two people were killed and 37 others were injured.[13]

July 15–16
Main article: Western Wisconsin Derecho
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 4 6 5 1 0 0

An intense weather system spawned a derecho that trigged the start of a two-day tornado outbreak from South Dakota to Pennsylvania, although it started with an F1 tornado in Florida. Three people were killed in separate tornadoes in Wisconsin on July 15, with tornadoes also injuring 27 others.[13]

August

There were 73 tornadoes in the US in August.[14]

September

There were 37 tornadoes in the US in September.[15]

September 3
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5
0 5 0 3 1 0 0

A small, but destructive outbreak of nine tornadoes hit the Mississippi Valley with a deadly F3 tornado striking Downtown St. Cloud, Minnesota, killing one and injuring 15.[9]

October

There were 43 tornadoes in the US in October.[16]

November

There were 3 tornadoes in the US in November.[17]

December

There were 2 tornadoes in the US in December.[18]

See also

References
  1. "U.S. Annual Tornado Maps (1952–2011): 1980 Tornadoes". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  2. "Tornadoes in 1980". Tornado History Project. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  3. "Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 11, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  4. "Tornadoes in January 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  5. "Tornadoes in February 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  6. "Tornadoes in March 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  7. "Tornadoes in April 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  8. "Tornadoes in May 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  9. "Tornado History Project: May 13, 1980". Archived from the original on 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  10. "Tornadoes in June 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  11. "NWS Hastings: June 3, 1980 Grand Island Tornadoes". NWS. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  12. http://www.weather.gov/Iwx/Historic_Events/MDcnty-tornado-events.htm
  13. "Tornadoes in July 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  14. "Tornadoes in August 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  15. "Tornadoes in September 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  16. "Tornadoes in October 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  17. "Tornadoes in November 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  18. "Tornadoes in December 1980". National Climatic Data Center. Tornado History Project. 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
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