With Another Weird Tornado Outbreak Just Ended, 2023 Off To A Very Bad Twister Start

Tornado damage Monday in Norman, Oklahoma. Photo
by Ray Banner, OU Daily 

A two-day outbreak of tornadoes in the U.S. Sunday and Monday continues a fast - and destructive - preview of our annual national spring tornado season.  

Wintertime tornadoes happen virtually every year. But this winter has been much worse than usual. 

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has so far tallied 191 preliminary reports of U.S. tornadoes through this morning.  That number might go up, as local National Weather  Service offices investigating possible tornadoes Sunday and Monday in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. 

For comparison, last year through February we only had 48 tornadoes. 

Unfortunately, we've seen eight confirmed tornado deaths so far in 2023 A ninth death will likely be confirmed soon from one of Sunday's tornadoes in Oklahoma. 

The location of some of the tornadoes has been unusual as well. Oklahoma is known for its tornadoes, but they tend to happen in the Sooner State later in the spring and early summer. On Sunday, nine tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma. The previous record high number of February tornadoes there was six. 

Some of Sunday's Oklahoma tornadoes were quite strong, too. The fatal tornado near Cheyenne, Oklahoma swept a house entirely off its foundation and shredded it into small debris. Another tornado in Norman, Oklahoma injured 12 people and caused extensive damage in parts of the city. 

In a still from a video, debris flies
in front of a motorist in McCordsville,
Indiana from a possible tornado on
Monday. Photo via Twitter from 
Todd Klaassen

Earlier this month, on February, 21, a tornado struck in New Jersey.  It was only the third February tornado on record in that state. It was also the strongest winter tornado to hit New Jersey. 

On Monday, tornadoes were reported as far north as places west of Chicago.  At least one tornado from Monday was confirmed by investigators in Ohio on Tuesday,   making it the second time that state has seen a tornado this February. 

It's interesting that Oklahoma has been so busy with tornadoes this winter. They still see a lot of tornadoes in the spring and early summer, but over the past decades, the trend has been for somewhat fewer tornadoes in the Sooner State and more further east, along and east of the Mississippi River. 

The trouble isn't finished yet.  A potentially significant tornado outbreak appears as if could easily develop in the Gulf Coast states Thursday and Friday. 

It's impossible to tell whether the real tornado season will turn out to be horrible. The number of tornadoes in the U.S. usually begins to ramp up in March, continue to increase in April, then peak in May and early June. 

 I haven't seen a strong trend regarding what happens after a lot of January and February tornadoes. Some tornadic springs follow busy tornado winters. Others do not. It's really not possible to tell for sure in advance what will happen during the business spring severe weather season.