Tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 1, 2017
GOES 13 satellite images of the supercells associated with the tornado outbreak at 23:15 UTC on February 28, 2017
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| Type |
Tornado outbreak Extratropical cyclone |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 28, 2017 |
| Dissipated | March 1, 2017 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 72 confirmed |
| Max rating1 | EF4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 23 hours, 19 minutes |
| Highest winds |
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| Largest hail | 4.5 in (11 cm) diameter in Monnie Springs, Arkansas |
| Damage | $1.3 billion |
| Casualties | 4 fatalities, 38 injuries (+30 non-tornadic injuries) |
| Areas affected | Central United States, Ohio Valley, Eastern United States, Southern United States |
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1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado Part of the 2016–17 North American winter and tornado outbreaks of 2017 |
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1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado
The tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 1, 2017 was a widespread and significant outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather that affected the Midwestern United States at the end of February 2017 and beginning of March. Fueled by the combination of ample instability, strong wind shear, and rich low-level moisture, the event led to 72 confirmed tornadoes and thousands of other non-tornadic severe weather reports. The most notable aspect of the outbreak was a long-tracked EF4 tornado—the first violent tornado of 2017 and the first violent tornado during the month of February since the 2013 Hattiesburg, Mississippi tornado—that tracked from Perryville, Missouri to near Christopher, Illinois, killing one person. Three EF3 tornadoes were recorded during the event, including one that caused two fatalities in Ottawa, Illinois, one that caused a fatality near Crossville, and one that heavily damaged or destroyed homes in and around Washburn. In addition to the deaths, 38 people were injured by tornadoes and an additional 30 were injured by non-tornadic impacts, mainly by fallen trees.
The first indications of a severe weather event came on February 24, when the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a threat area across Arkansas and portions of the lower Mississippi Valley valid for February 28. The threat level was maintained for Arkansas and surrounding states in the subsequent outlook, while a new risk area was introduced from northern Louisiana to southwestern Kentucky valid for March 1. Despite significant variance among model guidance, the SPC issued a day 3 Enhanced risk over the Ozark Plateau into southeastern Missouri, encompassed by much broader Slight and Marginal risk areas. The next day, an Enhanced risk was introduced portions of the Mid-South and Ohio River Valley in anticipation of a widespread damaging wind event on March 1. On February 28, the SPC introduced a Moderate risk of severe weather across portions of eastern Missouri, central and southern Illinois, central and southern Indiana, into western and northern Kentucky. The organization warned of supercell thunderstorm development and the potential for "nocturnal significant tornadoes." As the storm system spread east on March 1, a Moderate risk was briefly added across central Kentucky and middle Tennessee into the Cumberland Gap.
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