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🌪️ This Week In Tornado History

April 22, 1920 - Braselton-Maysville-Homer, GA: An F3 tornado moved from near Braselton, GA, passing NW of Maysville and south of Homer. Thomas Grazulis officially denotes 4 fatalities but states, “at least three, and possibly seven people died as homes were destroyed.” 15 injuries listed.

April 23, 2021 - Lockett, TX: An EF2 tornado tracked for 6.4 miles through Hardeman and Wilbarger Counties in Texas, near Lockett. A home was significantly damaged, and a pick-up truck was thrown 100 yards.

April 24, 1904 - Saltillo-Mt. Vernon-Mt. Pleasant, TX: An F4 tornado crossed 28 miles through Hopkins, Franklin and Titus Counties in Texas. Six homes were demolished SW of Saltillo. A dozen homes were struck near Mt. Vernon. North of Mount Pleasant, one large farm house was “blown into kindling wood.” Source: Thomas Grazulis.

April 25, 2011 - Arkansas: Eighteen tornadoes occurred across the state of Arkansas on this day. We take an in-depth look at four of these, two of which caused fatalities. The Walnut Valley-Hot Springs Village EF3 moved 16.78 miles. 20 were injured and tragically, 8-month-old Alexander Ellington was killed. Four people died by an EF2 at Vilonia at Black Oak Ranch Estates.

April 26, 2011 - Groesbeck, TX: During the April 25-28, 2011 Super Outbreak, 34 tornadoes occurred in Texas. Most of the tornadoes produced damage in the EF0 range. Two were rated EF2. The remaining twisters caused EF1 damage. This summary explores one of the EF1 tornadoes that struck Groesbeck, TX. The Tire Shop on Ellis Street took a direct hit from the tornado. Per the Groesbeck Journal, “the roof and several beams and rafters were swept away during the storm, and glass was sucked out of vehicles that were parked just outside the building.”

April 27, 2011 - Anchor-Okolona-Chapel Grove-Wren, MS: This was the predecessor to the infamous Smithville tornado. The areas damaged by this twister received very little attention, and no complete survey was made of the track by the National Weather Service (NWS). We dug deep into both the stories and the damage. What we found was astounding.

April 28, 2011 - Glade Spring, VA: One of the worst tornadoes in Virginia history tore through the Appalachian Mountains and a thriving country town. At a maximum width of 2,320 yards (1.32 miles), it is by far the widest the state has ever seen and wreaked havoc across a 24-mile path. More than a remarkable meteorological event for the region, this twister reshaped hundreds of lives, particularly in the community of Glade Spring.

Article of the Week

Looking back this week at the 2011 Super Outbreak narratives, and I am so proud of the work we did on the writing and research and we still have more events from that outbreak to cover! The Cullman, AL EF4 was a special event for me as I remember covering the event live that day on WRSA radio in Huntsville. It was sobering to go back and write their story. Here is the overview of that event and we do break it down into three premium summaries available to Patreon members! Links to those narratives are in the overview.

Many thanks to all of you for subscribing to our newsletter! - Jen Narramore, Owner Tornado Talk