Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011
Map of tornadoes in the May 21–26, 2011 tornado outbreak sequence created using QGIS with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | May 21 – May 26, 2011 |
| Tornado outbreak | |
| Tornadoes | 239 |
| Maximum rating | EF5 tornado |
| Duration | 5 days, 4 hours, 30 minutes |
| Highest winds | Tornadic – >210 mph (340 km/h)* in El Reno, Oklahoma, on May 24 *(Wind gusts up to 295 mph (475 km/h) were measured via RaXPol Mobile Radar). |
| Highest gusts | Non-tornadic – 100 mph (160 km/h) gusts at two locations on May 25 |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 178 fatalities (+8 non-tornadic) |
| Damage | ~$7 billion (2011 USD) |
| Areas affected | Midwestern United States, Southern United States |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 2011 | |
From May 21 to May 26, 2011, several significant and deadly tornado outbreaks affected the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States. A six-day tornado outbreak sequence, most of the tornadoes developed in a corridor from Lake Superior southwest to central Texas, while isolated tornadoes occurred in other areas. An especially destructive EF5 tornado destroyed one-third of Joplin, Missouri, resulting in 158 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. The Joplin tornado was the deadliest in the United States since April 9, 1947, when an intense tornado killed 181 in the Woodward, Oklahoma, area. Tornado-related deaths also occurred in Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. Overall, the tornado outbreak resulted in 186 deaths, 8 of those non-tornadic, making it second only to the 2011 Super Outbreak as the deadliest since 1974. It was the second costliest tornado outbreak in United States history behind that same April 2011 outbreak, with insured damage estimated at $4–7 billion.