April 1920 tornado outbreak
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | April 19–21, 1920 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | ≥ 17 |
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | ~ 2 days, 2 hours, 15 minutes |
| Fatalities | ≥ 243 fatalities; ≥ 1,374 injuries |
| Damage | Unknown |
| Areas affected | Southern United States |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
On April 19–21, 1920, a multi-day severe weather event affected the Southeastern United States. The most intense portion of the outbreak occurred on the morning of April 20. At least seven tornadoes affected the American U.S. states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, six of them rated violent F4s on the Fujita scale. The tornado outbreak killed at least 243 people.
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 EF5 tornado on April 27, 2011, is currently the state's deadliest on record, with 72 fatalities.
In addition to the tornadoes on April 20, other tornadoes associated with the same weather system occurred on April 19 and April 21.