The Storm Prediction Center issues daily outlooks denoting the risk for severe weather and wildfires for specific regions in the United States. For severe weather, which includes the risk for thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, and straight-line winds, there are five risk levels indicating the probability for these hazards: marginal, slight, enhanced, moderate, and high. For wildfires, there are three risk levels: elevated, critical, and extremely critical. [1]
Although outlooks issued by the Storm Prediction Center indicate the severity of a convective or wildfire threat, they do not always come to fruition. There have been many instances where a high risk outlook did not verify and only a few tornadoes occurred. [2] Conversely, there have been days where a lower risk level was issued and a major tornado outbreak occurred. Some of the deadliest severe weather and wildfire days in recent history did not have a high risk or extremely critical outlook issued. For example, the 2011 Joplin tornado, which killed 158 people occurred on a moderate risk day, [3] as did the tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021, which killed 89 people. [4] Furthermore, both the October 2017 Northern California wildfires, which killed 44 people, [5] and the 2023 Hawaii wildfires, which killed 101 people occurred under a critical fire weather outlook. [6]
The following are lists of the deadliest days in which various risk levels were issued for severe weather and wildfires.
Note: Fatality totals include deaths that took place in regions outside of the delineated outlook zones. Furthermore, only direct tornadic fatalities that occurred on the day that the outlook was issued for are included.
Fatalities | Event | Outlook | Region | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
30 | Saragosa tornado [7] | Central and Midwestern U.S. | May 22, 1987 | |
24 | Evansville tornado outbreak [8] | Midwestern U.S. | November 6, 2005 | |
Tornado outbreak of March 2–3 [9] | Middle Mississippi River Valley | March 3, 2020 | ||
21 | Groundhog Day tornado outbreak [10] | Southeastern U.S. | February 2, 2007 | |
17 | Tornado outbreak of December 10–11 [11] | Eastern U.S. | December 11, 2021 | |
9 | Super Tuesday tornado outbreak [12] | Eastern U.S. | February 6, 2008 | |
New Year's Eve tornado outbreak [13] | Mississippi River Valley | December 31, 2010 | ||
8 | Tornado outbreak of April 20 [14] | Midwestern U.S. | April 20, 2004 | |
Tornado outbreak of November 14–16 [15] | Southeastern U.S. | November 16, 2006 | ||
7 | Tornado outbreak of March 15 [16] | Midwestern U.S. | March 15, 1984 |
Note: Enhanced risks have only been issued since October 22, 2014.
Fatalities | Event | Outlook | Region | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
23 | Tornado outbreak of March 3 [17] | Southeastern U.S. | March 3, 2019 | |
13 | Tornado outbreak of December 26–28 [18] | Central U.S. | December 26, 2015 | |
10 | Easter tornado outbreak [19] | Southeastern U.S. | April 13, 2020 | |
8 | Tornado outbreak of January 12 [20] | Southeastern U.S. | January 12, 2023 | |
7 | Tornado outbreak of March 5–7 [21] | Midwestern U.S. | March 5, 2022 | |
Tornado outbreak of December 9–10 [22] | Middle Mississippi River Valley | December 9, 2023 | ||
6 | Tornado outbreak of January 10–11 [23] | Southeastern U.S. | January 11, 2020 | |
Tornado outbreak of April 22–23 [24] | Central U.S. | April 22, 2020 | ||
5 | Tornado outbreak of December 23–24 [25] | Southeastern U.S. | December 23, 2014 | |
Tornado outbreak of April 4–5 [26] | Ohio River Valley | April 5, 2023 |
Fatalities | Event | Outlook | Region | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
159 | Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26 [3] | Midwestern U.S. | May 22, 2011 | |
76 | United States–Canada tornado outbreak [27] | Northeastern U.S., Great Lakes region | May 31, 1985 | |
72 | Tornado outbreak of December 10–11 [4] | Middle Mississippi River Valley | December 10, 2021 | |
42 | Kissimmee tornado outbreak [28] | Southeastern U.S. | February 22, 1998 | |
29 | Plainfield tornado [29] | Midwestern U.S., Great Lakes region | August 28, 1990 | |
28 | Central Texas tornado outbreak [30] | Central U.S. | May 27, 1997 | |
27 | March 1997 tornado outbreak [31] | Central U.S. | March 1, 1997 | |
Tornado outbreak of April 2 [32] | Midwestern U.S. | April 2, 2006 | ||
24 | Tornado outbreak of May 18–21 [33] | Central U.S. | May 20, 2013 | |
22 | Easter tornado outbreak [34] | Southeastern U.S. | April 12, 2020 | |
Tornado outbreak of March 24–27 [35] | Central U.S. | March 24, 2023 |
Fatalities | Event | Outlook | Region | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
316 | Super Outbreak [36] | Southeastern U.S. | April 27, 2011 | |
57 | Carolinas tornado outbreak [37] | Southeastern U.S. | March 28, 1984 | |
48 | Super Tuesday tornado outbreak [38] | Middle Mississippi River Valley | February 5, 2008 | |
46 | Oklahoma tornado outbreak [39] | Central U.S. | May 3, 1999 | |
41 | Tornado outbreak of March 2–3 [40] | Ohio River Valley | March 2, 2012 | |
40 | Palm Sunday tornado outbreak [41] | Southeastern U.S. | March 27, 1994 | |
38 | Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2003 [42] | Central U.S. | May 4, 2003 | |
35 | Tornado outbreak of April 6–9 [43] | Southeastern U.S. | April 8, 1998 | |
34 | Tornado outbreak of November 9–11 [44] | Southeastern U.S., Ohio River Valley | November 10, 2002 | |
27 | Tornado outbreak of April 2–3 [45] [46] | Central and Midwestern U.S. | April 2, 1982 |
Note: Fatality totals include deaths that took place in regions outside of the delineated outlook zones. Furthermore, only direct wildfire fatalities that occurred on the day that the outlook was issued for are included.
Fatalities | Event | Outlook | Region | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
101 | 2023 Hawaii wildfires [6] | [nb 1] | Hawaii | August 8, 2023 |
31 | October 2017 Northern California wildfires [5] | California | October 8, 2017 | |
19 | Yarnell Hill Fire [47] | Southwestern U.S. | June 30, 2013 | |
18 | North Complex Fire and Slater and Devil fires [48] | Western U.S. | September 9, 2020 | |
13 | October 2017 Northern California wildfires [49] | California | October 9, 2017 | |
12 | Cedar Fire [50] | California | October 26, 2003 |
Fatalities | Event | Outlook | Region | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
85 | Camp Fire [51] | California | November 8, 2018 | |
12 | Texas–Oklahoma wildfires [52] | Southern Great Plains | March 12, 2006 | |
10 [53] | September 2020 Labor Day wildfires [54] | Northwestern U.S. | September 8, 2020 | |
7 | March 2017 Great Plains wildfires [55] | Southern Great Plains | March 6, 2017 | |
4 | April 2009 Texas wildfires [56] | Southern Great Plains | April 9, 2009 |