Tornado outbreak of February 21–22, 1971
Tornado tracks on February 21–22, 1971 | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | February 21–22, 1971 |
| Highest gust | 50 kn (58 mph; 93 km/h) in Alabama on February 21 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | ≥ 19 |
| Max. rating1 | F5 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 1 day, 9 hours, 15 minutes |
| Largest hail | 1+3⁄4 in (4.4 cm) in Alabama and Ohio on February 22 |
| Fatalities | 123 deaths, 1,592 injuries |
| Damage | $45.901 million (1971 USD) $356 million (2025 USD) |
| Areas affected | Southern United States (primarily the Mississippi Delta), Great Lakes region |
Part of the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1971 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
From Sunday to Monday, February 21–22, 1971, a devastating tornado outbreak, colloquially known as the Mississippi Delta outbreak, struck portions of the Lower Mississippi and Ohio River valleys in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The outbreak generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The two-day severe weather episode produced at least 19 tornadoes, and probably several more, mostly brief events in rural areas; killed 123 people across three states; and wrecked entire communities in Mississippi. The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an F5 that developed in Louisiana and crossed into Mississippi, killing 48 people, while the deadliest was an F4 that tracked across Mississippi and entered Tennessee, causing 58 fatalities in the former state. The former tornado remains the only F5 on record in Louisiana, while the latter is the deadliest on record in Mississippi since 1950. A deadly F4 also affected other parts of Mississippi, causing 13 more deaths. Other deadly tornadoes included a pair of F3s—one each in Mississippi and North Carolina, respectively—that collectively killed five people.