Tornadoes of 2008
Clockwise from top: A destroyed neighborhood in Parkersburg, Iowa after an EF5 tornado on May 25; EF4 damage to dormitory buildings in Jackson, Tennessee after a tornado on February 5; Radar imagery of tornadic supercells during the Super Tuesday tornado outbreak; The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia after being hit by an EF2 tornado on March 14; Damage to a home in Picher, Oklahoma following an EF4 tornado on May 10. | |
| Timespan | January 7 – December 27, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Maximum rated tornado | EF5 tornado
|
| Tornadoes in U.S. | 1,692 |
| Damage (U.S.) | ~$1.84 billion |
| Fatalities (U.S.) | 126 |
| Fatalities (worldwide) | 152 |
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2008. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.
There were 1,692 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in 2008, with 126 confirmed fatalities. This made 2008 the deadliest year in that country since 1998. Fatalities were also reported elsewhere in the world: Eighteen in China, three in France, two each in Bangladesh and Poland, and one in Russia. With 1,692 confirmed tornadoes, 2008 ranked as the fourth most active US tornado season on record; only 2011, 2024, and 2004 have had more tornadoes confirmed with 1,713, 1,753 and 1,817, respectively. The US state of Kansas received the most tornadoes in the United States in 2008 with 187.