Tornadoes in U.S. 680 Fatalities (U.S.) 43 | Damage (U.S.) >$1 billion Fatalities (worldwide) >43 | |
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Timespan January 3 - December 25, 1977 Maximum rated tornado F5 tornadoBirmingham, Alabamaon April 4 | ||
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1977, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
Contents
Synopsis
Numbers for 1977 were below average, both in terms of number of tornadoes and number of fatalities; however, there were over 700 injuries related to tornadoes.
January
5 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in January.
February
17 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in February.
March
64 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in March.
March 28
A small, widespread tornado outbreak caused an F2 tornado to strike the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Another F2 struck the downtown area of Lafayette, Louisiana. An F3 struck 5 to 10 houses northwest of Camden, Mississippi. Overall, there were only 10 injures, but no fatalities.
April
88 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in April.
April 4
Violent F5 tornado struck the Smithfield area in northern Birmingham, Alabama, sweeping away many homes and killing 22 people. Outbreak extended from Mississippi to North Carolina, with several strong tornadoes documented. The storm system also caused the crash of Southern Airways Flight 242, which happened on the same day, in the same area. Not only an F5 tornado occurred, but an F3 tornado struck the Lindale, Georgia area, where 12 trailers were completely swept away off their foundations killing 1 person. Many people don't know that Ted Fujita flew over the damage and toyed with rating the tornado an F6.
May
22 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in May. A rare, strong F4 tornado struck the Oklahoma Panhandle. Another large tornado struck a small town in Missouri.
May 4–5
A low-pressure system swept across the Great Plains and Great Lakes regions, producing 3 F4 tornadoes: two in Missouri and one in Atlanta, Illinois. An F3 hit Harrisonville, Missouri. Overall, there were no fatalities, but several injuries.
May 16–21
A very large tornado outbreak moved across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. This outbreak included one of the strongest tornadoes ever in the Oklahoma Panhandle, which struck the small town of Keyes, Oklahoma. An F2 tornado touched down in Moore, Oklahoma and moved through Oklahoma City. An F3 touched down very close to the Altus, Oklahoma AFB.
June
132 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in June.
July
99 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in July.
August
82 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in August.
August 21
An F3 tornado killed 6 and injured 56 in Neoga, Illinois.
September
65 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in September.
October
25 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in October.
November
24 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in November.
December
23 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in December.