| Tornadoes of 2002 | |
| Timespan: | January 2 – December 30, 2002 |
| Max F: | F4 |
| Max Location: | Ellsinore, Missouri |
| Max Date: | April 24 |
| Tornadoes Usa: | 934[1] |
| Total Damages Usa: | $802.053 million[2] |
| Total Fatalities Usa: | 55[3] |
| Total Fatalities World: | >55 |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Max Location2: | La Plata, Maryland |
| Max Date2: | April 28 |
| Max Location3: | Barnard, South Dakota |
| Max Date3: | June 23 |
| Max Location4: | Medina, North Dakota |
| Max Date4: | August 11 |
| Max Location5: | Van Wert, Ohio |
| Max Date5: | November 10 |
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2002, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. The year had several large outbreaks that included the Veterans Day Weekend tornado outbreak and the Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak.
| Bodyclass: | vevent |
| Fatal United States tornadoes in 2002 | |
| Titleclass: | summary |
| Align: | center |
| Float: | center |
| Relief: | yes |
| Width: | 300 |
The Tornado Season of 2002 was a below average season with only 934 tornadoes touching down, However, this season had its two largest outbreaks occurring early in the year and late in the year because of cold fronts being able to create favorable conditions for tornadic activity in the United States.
There were three tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.
There were two tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.
There were 47 tornadoes confirmed in the US in March.
A rare 30 yard wide F0 tornado formed in Hawaii at 6:55 PM, doing $60,000 in damage.
There were 117 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.
An F4 tornado touched down in Missouri, killing nobody.
See main article: Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002 and 2002 La Plata tornado. This fairly large tornado outbreak killed 6 people and inflicted ≥$224 million (2002 USD) of damage to the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. It caused some hail damage to crops and houses as well.
There were 204 tornadoes confirmed in the US in May.
34 tornadoes touchdown in US, including 19 in Texas. Three tornadoes were rated F2, including a dust filled wedge tornado that struck Happy, Texas and a killer tornado.[4]
21 tornadoes were reported, including 17 in Kansas, with three of the tornadoes reached F3 intensity. A long-tracked F2 tornado also prompted a tornado emergency in Pratt, Kansas, but there were no fatalities.[5] [6]
A weak tornado struck Hong Kong International Airport.[7]
There were 97 tornadoes confirmed in the US in June.
See main article: Tornado outbreak of June 23, 2002. A localized outbreak of eight tornadoes struck the Dakotas over a period of only 93 minutes. One supercell thunderstorm spawned six tornadoes in Brown County, South Dakota. One was an F3 tornado that destroyed at least one home. Another was an F4 tornado that occurred four miles east of Barnard, South Dakota and destroyed a pheasant farm. There were no deaths or significant injuries with the storm. The storm was documented by at least one storm chasing team, and was featured on an episode of The Weather Channel's "Storm Stories."[8]
There were 68 tornadoes confirmed in the US in July.
A brief F1 tornado impacted Mottville, New York, which caused $2 million (2002 USD) in damage.[9]
There were 86 tornadoes confirmed in the US in August.
During the first day of August, four tornadoes were confirmed across lower Michigan, including two F1 tornadoes, the first one traveled a mile from the lakeshore in Boyne City, causing significant damage to The Landings Condos and uprooting trees across the town.[10] The final one was half a mile wide and traveled 6 and a half miles, hitting Tustin in the early evening hours of August 1.[11]
An F4 tornado touched down in North Dakota, injuring or killing nobody.
There were 61 tornadoes confirmed in the US in September.
At approximately 4:20 PM CDT, an F3 tornado tore through the town of Ladysmith, Wisconsin, causing $25 million in damage. 27 people were injured but nobody was killed. The twister had a path of 16 miles, and was one of six to touchdown in Wisconsin that day.
September 8
An F2 tornado struck Manti, Utah; a small town located 8.5 miles from the geographical center of the state, and at 5,600 feet of elevation. The tornado touched down outside of town at about 1:49pm, and within 2 minutes it had entered the southwest corner of town. On a northeasterly path, it traversed the southern half of town and exited on the east. After crossing an empty field, it was met by the east mountain which rises 4,000 feet above the valley floor. It continued approximately halfway up the face of the mountain, before becoming disorganized and roping out. It caused significant damage to several houses, destroying one completely. Other damages include; a lumber store; uprooted trees, some of which were large; camping trailers, a semi-trailer; and downed power poles. Resulting in damages of $2,000,000. No one was killed, or injured.
An F3 tornado in Indiana became one of the longest tracked tornadoes in the state's history after it formed along a squall line and tracked 112 miles from near Ellettsville in Monroe County to northeast of Hartford City in Blackford County. A tornado emergency was issued for Marion County as the tornado passed very close to Indianapolis. The tornado injured 127 people, but none were killed.[12]
There were 58 tornadoes confirmed in the US in October.
There were 96 tornadoes confirmed in the US in November.
See main article: 2002 Veterans Day weekend tornado outbreak and 2002 Van Wert–Roselms tornado. The Veterans Day outbreak was an unseasonably strong and destructive severe weather event that spawned 83 tornadoes in 36 hours across a widespread swath in the Central and Eastern United States. It was the second largest tornado outbreak on record in November and also among the deadliest, killing 36 people.
There were 99 tornadoes confirmed in the US in December.
A severe weather event spawned 48 tornadoes across a widespread swath in the Central and southern United States. On December 17, a long-track F2 tornado killed 2 people and also badly damaged the Lucky Lady Trailer Park near Springfield, MO.[13] Tornadic activity peaked on December 18 when 39 tornadoes occurred, including an F3 tornado that passed near the town of Hamlet and destroyed several permanent and mobile homes, resulting in a fatality.[14] Tornadic activity concluded on the 19th with 6 tornadoes, including an F2 tornado in Mississippi which resulted in no casualties.[15]
An unseasonably strong severe weather event spawned 48 weak tornadoes in 43 hours across a widespread swath in the Southern United States.
A line of storms spawned 13 tornadoes.
