Timespan January–December 1989 Damage (U.S.) unknown Fatalities (worldwide) >1,300 | Tornadoes in U.S. 856 Fatalities (U.S.) 50 | |
 | ||
Maximum rated tornado F4 tornado
11 locations
on 7 different days | ||
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1989, 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
The Tornado "Season" of 1989 could be described as quite typical in terms of numbers of tornadoes and fatalities. May and June both saw over 200 tornadoes and after the usual summer lull, a significant November outbreak led to the devastating Huntsville, Alabama F4 tornado. There were three tornadoes in Nevada including an F0 on June 7 and two F1 tornadoes on September 17 and October 14, (both in Clark County) which is an unusually high number for the state.
Events
Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1989 in the United States.
January
There were 14 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January. One F4 tornado occurred in Illinois/Indiana resulting in no fatalities.
February
There were 18 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.
March
There were 43 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.
April
There were 82 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April. On April 3, an F3 tornado hit Fort Branch, Indiana causing no fatalities, but 8 people were injured and damage was estimated between 5 and 50 million dollars.
April 26 (Bangladesh)
An extremely destructive and deadly tornado struck the Manikganj District in central Bangladesh. The tornado affected the cities of Daulatpur and Saturia the most, moving east through Daulatpur and eventually northeast and into Saturia. In total, this tornado killed an estimated 1,300 people making it the most deadly tornado on record.
May
There were 231 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May. A very busy tornado month saw seven F4 rated tornadoes.
May 5
The May 5, 1989 outbreak spawned 17 tornadoes in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, and was responsible for a combined total of $169 million in damage in the four states. It also caused seven deaths and 168 injuries. All F4 tornadoes caused deaths.
June
There were 252 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June. Two tornadoes on June 8 killed five people in Florida and Louisiana.
July
There were 59 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.
July 10
The 1989 Northeastern United States tornado outbreak was a series of tornadoes which caused more than $130 million (1989 USD) in damage across the Northeastern United States on July 10, 1989. The storm system affected five states with severe weather, including hail up to 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) across, thunderstorm winds up to 90 mph (150 km/h), and 17 tornadoes.
August
There were 36 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.
September
There were 31 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.
October
There were 30 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.
November
There were 57 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.
November 15–16
The November 1989 Tornado Outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak on November 15 and 16, 1989 across a wide swath of the southern and eastern United States and into Canada. It produced at least 40 tornadoes and caused 30 deaths as a result of two deadly tornadoes. The most devastating was the Huntsville, Alabama tornado, an F4 which killed 21 on the afternoon of the 15th nine of the people killed in Huntsville were in cars. Nine more fatalities were reported at a single elementary school by a downburst on the 16th in the Town of Newburgh, New York. Several other significant tornadoes were reported across 15 states.
December
There were 3 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.