| Tornado outbreak of April 8, 1957 | |
| Type: | Tornado outbreak |
| Active: | April 8, 1957 |
| Tornadoes: | 18 confirmed |
| Fujitascale: | F4 |
| Tornado Duration: | 21 hours |
| Fatalities: | 7 fatalities, 203 injuries |
| Damages: | ≥ $4.108 million (1957 USD) $ (USD) |
| Enhanced: | no |
| Partof: | the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1957 |
On Monday, April 8, 1957, a widespread tornado outbreak struck the Southeastern United States, particularly the Carolinas, and was responsible for seven deaths and 203 injuries across the region. Most of the activity occurred on either side of the Piedmont, including portions of the Cumberland Plateau. At least 18 tornadoes occurred, including several long-tracked tornado families, one of which included a violent tornado that was retrospectively rated F4 on the Fujita scale. Besides tornadoes, the outbreak also generated other severe weather phenomena such as large hail.
| Region | Locale | Deaths | Injuries | Damages | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Alabama | 2 | 95 | [2] | ||
| Arkansas | 0 | 0 | [3] | |||
| Georgia | 1 | 26 | [4] | |||
| Mississippi | 0 | 0 | ≥ | [5] | ||
| North Carolina | 4 | 64 | [6] | |||
| South Carolina | 0 | 16 | [7] | |||
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | [8] | |||
| Virginia | 0 | 2 | [9] | |||
| Total | 7 | 203 | ≥ | |||
| Location | County / Parish | State | Start | Time (UTC) | Path length | width | Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Elm Park | Scott | AR | 05:05–? | 4.7miles | 300yd | Tornado, attended by minor hail, damaged roofing and three barns. Losses totaled $2,500. Tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Northeastern Red Bay | Franklin | AL | 05:35–? | 0.1miles | 33yd | Low-end F2 tornado may have begun in Mississippi before entering Red Bay, Alabama, unroofing a home, tearing porches off other homes, and destroying garages and barns. Losses totaled $25,000. Grazulis listed total damages as $12,000. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Old Union to S of Verona | Lee | MS | 09:10–? | 9miles | 200yd | Tornado passed through the agricultural experiment station—now the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center—south of Verona, destroying, unroofing, or otherwise damaging several homes and other structures. Losses totaled $250,000. Grazulis listed total damages as $100,000. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | NNE of Plateau to NE of Isoline | Cumberland | TN | 12:00–? | 2.7miles | 10yd | Tornado downed several trees and damaged a number of outbuildings. Five houses and three barns were damaged as well. Losses totaled $2,500. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | ESE of Banner | Calhoun | MS | 14:00–? | 0.1miles | 100yd | Tornado severely damaged or destroyed a few homes. Losses were unknown. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | Southern Hamilton to NNW of Piney Grove | Marion, Winston, Lawrence | AL | 15:46–? | 51.4miles | 100yd | Long-tracked tornado family leveled a few small houses near the end of its path. Trees were damaged along a 1adj=midNaNadj=mid swath, and a car was lofted and rolled NaNmiles. Five people were injured and losses totaled $250,000, $150,000 of which were to timberland, mainly in the William B. Bankhead National Forest. Tornado family consisted of two segments with intermittent damage in between, passing south of Ashridge and Grayson. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | ENE of Battleground to NNE of Cottonville | Morgan, Marshall | AL | 16:15−? | 38.8miles | 200yd | 2 deaths – Long-tracked tornado hit between Florette and Oleander, destroying or damaging more than 150 homes in the small, rural communities of Rock Creek, Lawrence Cove, Briddle Mountain, and Cotaco Valley—all in southern Morgan County. At least 90—perhaps as many as 125—people were injured and losses totaled $500. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | S of Hulaco to SE of Union Grove | Cullman, Morgan, Marshall | AL | 16:30–? | 16.3miles | 33yd | Tornado, roughly paralleling the previous event, destroyed several barns and small homes. Losses totaled $250,000. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2. NCEI lists the path as extending to near Warrenton and Mount Carmel. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SSE of Reeves to Southern Calhoun to NNE of Crane Eater | Gordon | GA | 19:00–? | 10.3miles | 200yd | Yellowish-appearing tornado destroyed or damaged 70 structures, including mobile homes in a trailer park. 20 people were injured and losses totaled $250,000. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Cross Keys to SSE of Santuc | Union | SC | 21:00–21:30 | 15.2miles | 100yd | Tornado destroyed or damaged approximately 60–63 homes and 67 other structures. Two people were injured and losses totaled $25,000. Climatological Data National Summary and Grazulis listed a 20adj=midNaNadj=mid path length. Tornado may have begun as far west as Cross Anchor. Damage at Santuc and nearby Carlisle may have been downburst-related. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SE of Chula to Eastern Douglas | Tift, Irwin, Coffee | GA | 21:00–22:00 | 41.3miles | 90yd | Intermittent, long-tracked tornado unroofed a large home and shifted other homes on their foundations. A lumber mill and a barn were destroyed as well. Damage occurred near Harding, Riverbend, Gladys, and Lax. Losses totaled $250,000. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | China Hill to NW of Stave's Landing | Telfair | GA | 21:30–? | 14.7miles | 400yd | 1 death – Intense tornado hurled a truck 100yd, the two occupants of which it killed and injured, respectively. A church and a pair of small homes were destroyed as well, and a large refrigerator was moved 250yd. Four other people were injured and losses totaled $25,000. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SSW of Bowmantown to WNW of Fairview | Washington | TN | 21:30–21:40 | 3miles | 440yd | Short-tracked tornado unroofed a silo and felled approximately 20 large trees. A barn was shifted 3feet off its foundation, and flying debris damaged a home. Losses totaled $2,500. Grazulis did not list the tornado as an F2 or stronger. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F4 | NNW of Pleasant Plain, SC to Eastern Roseboro, NC | Lancaster (SC), Chesterfield (SC), Marlboro (SC), Scotland (NC), Robeson (NC), Cumberland (NC), Sampson (NC) | SC, NC | 22:00–? | 121.4miles | 150yd | 4 deaths – See section on this tornado – 80 people were injured and losses totaled $1 million. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Northern Norfolk | Norfolk | VA | 22:20–? | 1miles | 33yd | Brief tornado passed between Naval Station Norfolk and Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk, southwest of Ocean View, wrecking signage, damaging a warehouse being built, shattering windows, unroofing structures, and splintering utility poles. Two people were injured and losses totaled $250,000. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | ESE of Benevolence to SSW of Weston | Randolph | GA | 23:30–? | 5.2miles | 200yd | Tornado destroyed or damaged a school, a church, a few barns, and three homes. One person was injured and losses totaled $25,000. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F4 | Downtown Pembroke | Robeson | NC | 01:00–? | 0.8miles | 150yd | Brief but violent tornado damaged approximately 100 structures, of which it reportedly destroyed 25. Many small homes were leveled as well. 21 people were injured and losses totaled $250,000. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F3. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | NE of Brices Crossroads | Duplin | NC | 02:00–? | 8miles | 150yd | Intense tornado leveled nine homes and damaged a dozen others near Rose Hill and Magnolia, scattering debris over many acres and tearing apart a concrete foundation. 29 people were injured and losses totaled $250,000. |
| Flat Creek–Jefferson–Cheraw–Wallace–McColl, South Carolina/Johns–Maxton–Roseboro–Parkersburg, North Carolina | |
| Fujitascale: | F4 |
| Fatalities: | 4 fatalities, 80 injuries |
| Damages: | $1 million (1957 USD) $ (USD) |
| Enhanced: | no |
This was a long-lived tornado family containing at least two separate tornadoes, both of which may have been tornado families themselves. The first member of the tornado family touched down near Flat Creek and moved into the town of Jefferson, tearing apart 23 of 25 buildings on Main Street and destroying or damaging 141 homes and 156 other structures. Near-continuous damage of F2 and F3 intensity extended from Jefferson to near Cheraw and Wallace. The tornado destroyed or damaged 25 homes in Wallace. Parts of a cotton gin were found 10miles distant. 16 injuries occurred in South Carolina, all in Chesterfield County, and losses statewide totaled $750,000 (Grazulis listed damages as $1 million). The second member of the tornado family touched down near McColl and crossed into North Carolina near Johns and east of Maxton. In this area the tornado destroyed several barns, a gas station, and small homes, but was not of violent intensity. The tornado later tracked near St. Pauls en route to Roseboro. The only confirmable F4 damage occurred in a pair of small communities between Roseboro and Parkersburg, where four people died and approximately 20 homes were destroyed. More than 387 homes, businesses, and other structures were damaged or destroyed along the path, including more than 100 in Sampson County alone. In all, 80 people were injured and losses totaled $1 million.[10]
Severe thunderstorm winds gusted to 75mi/h at Bristol, Virginia. Additionally, 4adj=midNaNadj=mid hail was recorded in Anderson County, South Carolina.