Timespan January–December 1992 Damage (U.S.) unknown Fatalities (worldwide) >43 | Tornadoes in U.S. 1,297 Fatalities (U.S.) 39 | |
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Maximum rated tornado F5 tornado
Chandler, Minnesota
on June 16 | ||
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1992, 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, however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
Contents
Synopsis
The Tornado "Season" of 1992 was a late bloomer. Numbers were low thru April, and even May saw a relatively low number of tornadoes. However June set a then record for tornadoes with 399 in one month (eclipsed in May 2003). July and August continued to see well above average numbers of tornadoes. Finally, November saw a major outbreak from the 21st to 23rd resulting in 26 deaths.
Events
Confirmed tornado total for the entire year 1992 in the United States.
January
There were 15 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.
February
There were 29 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.
March
There were 55 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.
March 9–10
On March 10, five people were killed by two tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama (both F3 tornadoes).
March 30
On March 30, the southern Las Vegas Valley was hit by a tornado that shifted one home and partially unroofed another. Despite being one of the strongest tornadoes in Nevada history, there were no fatalities or injuries with this tornado.
May 6 (Argentina)
There were 137 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May and a very powerful F4 tornado in Argentina.
A severe and rare F4 tornado hit the small village of Estacion Lopez (200 inhabitants), in the center of the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina. After destroying 90% of households and tossing vehicles for hundreds of meters, the storm was categorized as one of the strongest tornadoes in the history of Argentina and the Southern hemisphere. Four fatalities occurred.
June
There were 399 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June. On June 7, before the Mid-June outbreak, a smaller tornado outbreak produced two F2 tornadoes in Eddy County, New Mexico and Vernon, Texas but there were no fatalities. On June 27, an F4 tornado struck the city of Fritch, Texas. None were killed, but the city sustained major damage. There is incredible video of this tornado from a man named Gary Kays available on YouTube at this time as the tornado in its early stages strikes his home.
June 14–18
The Mid-June 1992 tornado outbreak was one of the largest tornado outbreaks on record, affecting portions of the Central United States from June 14 to June 18, 1992. The outbreak began on June 14 when six tornadoes touched down in Colorado and Idaho. Fifty-eight tornadoes were reported across portions of the Great Plains on June 15, and 65 more were reported over much of the central U.S. on June 16. The 123 tornadoes that touched down on June 15–16 make that two-day span the 3rd largest two-day tornado outbreak in U.S. history behind only the Super Outbreak of April 3–4, 1974 and the May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence. Twenty-eight more tornadoes touched down on June 17, and 13 more touched down on June 18, giving this outbreak 170 confirmed tornadoes.
July
There were 213 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.
August
There were 115 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.
September
There were 81 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.
October
There were 34 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October. Three people were killed by a tornado in Pinellas Park, Florida on October 3rd in the Autumn Run/Beacon Run subdivision. It was an F3 tornado that ripped through the Pinellas Park subdivision on that day. In some parts of neighboring city of Largo, Florida was also affected by the tornado: in Largo parts of Morgan Fitzgerld Middle School, Pinellas Park High School, and many warehouse buildings (All on 118th Ave, Largo) were damaged.
November
There were 146 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.
November 29 (Australia)
Two very powerful tornadoes occurred near Bundaberg, Queensland, on November 29, 1992. They were officially rated as F3 and F4, being the most powerful confirmed tornadoes in Australia and among the most powerful tornadoes recorded in the southern hemisphere. Several houses were destroyed, however damage was light due to the tornadoes striking a relatively unpopulated rural area.
November 21–23
The November 1992 tornado outbreak was a three-day tornado outbreak that struck large parts of the eastern and Midwestern U.S. on November 21–23. Also sometimes referred to as the Widespread Outbreak (as was the Super Outbreak initially), this exceptionally long lasting and geographically large outbreak produced over $300 million in damage, along with 26 deaths and 641 injuries in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
December
There were 20 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.