Type Tornado outbreak Tornadoes confirmed 34 Duration of tornado outbreak ~25 hours | Duration March 21–22, 1952 Max rating Start date March 1952 | |
Casualties 209 fatalities, ≥1,212 injuries Damage 19.5 million USD (1952 USD) Similar 1932 Deep South tornado o, Enigma tornado outbreak, 1908 Dixie tornado outbreak, 1955 Great Plains tornado o, 2008 Super Tuesday t | ||
The March 1952 Southern United States tornado outbreak was the ninth deadliest tornado outbreak in the history of the United States. Affecting the American South, it produced 209 deaths, 50 of which were related to a single tornado in Arkansas. The outbreak produced 11 violent F4 tornadoes across the Southern United States, which is the fourth-largest number of F4–F5 events produced by a single outbreak. Only the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, the 1974 Super Outbreak, and the 2011 Super Outbreak surpassed this number. The severe weather event resulted in the fourth-largest number of tornado fatalities within a 24-hour period since 1950. The weather system associated with the outbreak also produced several inches of snow across the central and northern Great Plains and the upper Midwest. Blizzard conditions affected Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
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Meteorological synopsis
On March 21, 1952, a significant surface low progressed across Oklahoma and Arkansas. Southerly winds transported dewpoints in excess of 64°F across portions of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Strong upper level wind speeds moved eastward and intersected the warm, moist air mass.
Non-tornadic effects
A significant blizzard affected the Great Plains. In Kansas, 15 inches (38 cm) of snow were recorded. On March 22, Charles City, Iowa, documented 11.6 inches (29 cm), which was the town's greatest 24-hour snowfall record at the time. Minnesota reported 17 inches (43 cm), while Bergland, Michigan, reported 2 feet (61.0 cm) of snowfall. Heavy snow and strong winds disrupted highways and road traffic. Flash floods also affected Sumner and Clay counties, Tennessee.