Tornado outbreak of March 5–7, 2022
Confirmed tornadoes and tornado warnings on March 5–7. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 5–7, 2022 |
| Tornado outbreak | |
| Tornadoes | 32 |
| Maximum rating | EF4 tornado |
| Highest winds | Tornadic – 170 mph (270 km/h) (Winterset, Iowa EF4 on March 5) |
| Highest gusts | Non-tornadic – 81 mph (130 km/h) (Rockford, Illinois straight-line winds on March 5) |
| Winter storm | |
| Largest hail | 2.75 in (7.0 cm) Orient, Iowa on March 5 |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 7 fatalities, 11 injuries |
| Damage | $1 billion |
| Areas affected | Midwestern United States, Mississippi Valley |
| Power outages | ≥56,000 |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 2022 | |
A significant early spring tornado outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of March 5, 2022 in the Midwest, primarily in the state of Iowa, before transitioning to a damaging wind event across northern parts of Illinois and Indiana. Multiple tornadoes were reported, several of which were produced by a dominant supercell thunderstorm in central Iowa. One long-track, low-end EF4 tornado caused major damage near the towns of Winterset and Norwalk, resulting in six fatalities. Multiple other supercells spawned along an area of moderate destabilization in northern Missouri, prompting further tornado warnings in southern Iowa, as they entered a highly favorable environment for maturing. Large hail and damaging wind gusts accompanied the storms, which continued their passage across the Midwestern states into overnight. More tornadic weather was confirmed in Arkansas and Missouri the next day and into the early morning of March 7. In addition to that, straight line winds killed one person near Hazel, Kentucky when a semi trailer was blown over on US 641. Another non-tornadic fatality occurred in western New York as the storm approached.