April 21st, 1974:
An outbreak of fourteen tornadoes impacted several states, from Texas to Michigan. Officially, eight tornadoes were significant (EF2+). An F4 damaged or destroyed numerous farms and several hundred homes in & around Oshkosh, WI. Two people were killed.
April 19th, 2023:
A localized tornado outbreak impacted the outskirts of the Oklahoma City metro. Several tornadoes were over half a mile wide, and many exhibited deviant motion. The strongest tornadoes of the day were EF3s near Cole and Pink. Two people were killed.
April 19th, 2011:
A widespread severe weather outbreak affected numerous states from Texas to Pennsylvania. The SPC received over 1000 storm reports, over 900 of which were for wind and hail. 80 tornadoes were confirmed, including an EF3 near Girard, Illinois.
More than a century after the 1906 disaster, San Francisco is still waking up before dawn to remember the earthquake that destroyed much of the city.
April 18-19th, 1880:
A substantial outbreak of ≥23 tornadoes struck the Midwest and Southern US. Four tornadoes were violent. Two F4s followed similar paths south of Springfield, MO. The town of Marshfield was all but destroyed. At least 165 people were killed.
April 17-18th, 1970:
A quartet of violent tornadoes ravaged the Texas Panhandle. At least two of the F4s were likely families. Several towns, including Whiteface, Plainview, and Clarendon, received devastating strikes. 22 people were killed and 130 were injured.
April 17th, 1941:
Noman Zahrt photographed the tornado below near Marengo, Iowa. The estimated F3 tornado injured five people along its 15-mile path. A weaker, estimated F1 moved from east of Cedar Rapids to Anamosa. The tornado caused one fatality.
Wow!
ESWD - Severe Weather History @weatherhistory.bsky.social
16/17 APR 1910 - Reichensachsen (Hessen), Germany
The hot-air ballon "Delitzsch" was hit by lightning around midnight at an altitude of 440m above ground. All four crew members died.
The tornado track image is courtesy of U.S. Army Signal Corps/Weather Bureau Annual Reports of 1879.
April 16th, 1879:
An estimated F3 tornado traveled through the eastern side of Walterboro, or Walterborough, South Carolina. The tornado destroyed 60 homes and severe churches. Seven people died in town, and four were killed in a turpentine plantation outside of town.
April 15-16th, 1921:
A substantial outbreak of 34 significant tornadoes impacted the Southern US. A long-track F4 (likely a complex tornado family) devastated numerous communities in northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas. 90 people were killed, and 676 were injured.
If it helps, the NWS has been involved for the past few months.
April 14, 1939:
A nighttime violent tornado (likely a tornado family) tore through northwest Oklahoma and southern Kansas. The estimated F5 struck Vici and Capron, OK, where numerous businesses and homes were leveled. Seven people were killed and 33 were injured.
April 14th, 1935:
One of the most notable dust storms of the Dust Bowl era impacted the Plains. The massive cloud moved at 50-60 mph, dropping visibility down to a few hundred feet and burying buildings and vehicles in dirt. This event is often known as "Black Sunday."
Here's more from @drjeffmasters.bsky.social on the explosive development of Super Typhoon #Sinlaku, one of the earliest-in-the-year Cat 5 storms ever recorded. @climateconnections.bsky.social
yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/04/cat-...
April 12th, 2022:
A bimodal severe weather outbreak impacted eleven Central & Southern US states. In Texas, a high-end EF3 destroyed homes and churches near Salado. A cyclic supercell in Iowa and Minnesota produced several damaging EF2s. 27 people were injured.
Or thundersnow season?
April 12th, 1861:
The Charleston South Carolina Board of Health weather observation added the comment, "Rain most of the day & Bombardment of Ft. Sumter," as the Civil War began.
April 11th, 1903:
A significant tornado impacted Calhoun County in Iowa. Buildings on four farms were destroyed, and one person was injured. The highly visible elephant trunk finished its life cycle with a "short-lived but spectacular dissipation into a long ribbon."
April 11th, 1965:
Palm Sunday tornado outbreak.
One of the worst tornado outbreaks in US history struck the Great Lakes region. Nearly four dozen tornadoes, 17 of which were rated F4, slammed numerous towns and cities, resulting in ~260 fatalities, and >3500 injuries.
April 10, 2011:
Fifteen tornadoes struck Wisconsin. At the time, this event was the state's largest single-day outbreak on record. Four tornadoes were significant (EF2+), the strongest of which was a devastating EF3 that ripped through Merrill. 2 people were injured.
Today is the 30th anniversary of the strongest wind gust ever reliably recorded on Earth's surface.
A station on Australia's Barrow Island recorded a gust of about 253 mph (408 km/h) as Tropical Cyclone Olivia swept by.
www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weat...
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The most infamous tornado from this event was a massive, multivortex, and violent F4 that carved a path of devastation through Wichita Falls, Texas. It was responsible for 42 fatalities and over $400 million (1979 USD) in damage. Sadly, over half of the deaths were in vehicles.
April 10th, 1979:
The infamous Terrible Tuesday outbreak struck Oklahoma and Texas. Several cyclic supercells produced significant tornadoes that ravaged the Red River Valley. Two of the tornadoes attained F4 intensity. 57 people were killed, and over 1900 were injured.
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🌪️Nouveau ! Découvrez la carte zoomable des trajectoires des 1056 tornades recensées par Keraunos en France à ce jour. Une exclusivité qui permet de découvrir notamment les zones traversées plusieurs fois par des tornades : urlr.me/YADxKf
#weatherpicofday
OTD 15 years ago, April 9, 2011, @JustonStrmRider and I documented several tornadoes between Onawa, Mapleton, and Pocahontas, Iowa from a cyclic tornado machine. So many twisters occurred after dark it's difficult to say how many we saw, at least 6. #IAwx
There might be one in 1945, but radar scope photographs of the storm were not made.
April 9th, 1953:
A long-track F3 (likely a tornado family) tracked 156 miles from Champaign, Illinois, to the north of Muncie, Indiana. Three people were killed and 22 were injured. The tornado is notable for having one of the first hook echo scanned by radar.
April 8th, 1999:
A substantial outbreak of 47 tornadoes impacted the Midwest and Central Plains. Twelve tornadoes were significant (F2+). A pair of massive and long-track F4s destroyed farmsteads southwest of Des Moines, Iowa. Two people were killed.
Two years ago today, my first total solar eclipse. Captured near Ola, Arkansas. That naked eye prominence was just wow.