Tornado outbreak sequence of April 2–5, 1957
The 1957 Dallas tornado exhibiting multiple vortices on April 2 | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak sequence |
|---|---|
| Duration | April 2–5, 1957 |
| Highest gust | 83 kn (96 mph; 154 km/h) in Toledo, Ohio, on April 5 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 73 confirmed |
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 3 days, 16 hours, 35 minutes |
| Largest hail | 2+1⁄2 in (6.4 cm) in Oklahoma on April 2 |
| Fatalities | 21 fatalities, 341 injuries |
| Damage | $10.062 million (1957 USD) $113 million (2025 USD) |
| Areas affected | Central and Eastern United States |
Part of the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1957 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
On April 2–5, 1957, a deadly tornado outbreak sequence struck most of the Southern United States. The outbreak killed at least 21 people across three states and produced at least 73 tornadoes from Texas to Virginia. The outbreak was most notable due to a tornado that hit a densely populated area of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, killing 10 people and injuring 200 or more. The tornado, highly visible for most of its path, was at the time the most observed and best-documented tornado in recorded history; hundreds of people photographed or filmed the F3 tornado as it moved just west of Downtown Dallas. The film of this tornado is still known for its unusually high quality and sharpness, considering the photography techniques and technology of the 1950s. Damage from the Dallas tornado reached as high as $4 million (1957 USD). Besides the famous Dallas tornado, other deadly tornadoes struck portions of Mississippi, Texas, and Oklahoma. Two F4 tornadoes struck southern Oklahoma on April 2, killing five people. Three other significant, F2-rated tornadoes that day killed two people in Texas and one more in Oklahoma. An F3 tornado struck rural Mississippi on April 4, killing one more person.