Tornadoes of 1971
| Timespan | January - December 1971 |
|---|---|
| Maximum rated tornado |
F5 tornado
|
| Tornadoes in U.S. | 889 |
| Damage (U.S.) | >$1 billion |
| Fatalities (U.S.) | 159 |
| Fatalities (worldwide) | >159 |
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1971, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
Numbers for 1971 were above average for the 1950–1970 period, having a total of 889 confirmed tornadoes. Several very deadly tornadoes occurred, bringing the death total up to 159 people for the yearly total. Over 2700 people were injured by the end of 1971.
19 tornadoes were reported in the United States in January.
A tornado killed one person outside of Americus, Georgia.
Two tornadoes touched down in Hawaii. One of which was an F2 tornado that struck several buildings north of Kailua-Kona, injuring four. The other tornado, an F1, struck Wahiawa, damaging few buildings.
83 tornadoes were reported in the United States in February.
A deadly tornado outbreak struck portions of the Lower Mississippi River Valley and the Southeastern United States on February 21–22, 1971. The two-day outbreak produced at least 19 tornadoes, and probably several more, mostly brief events in rural areas; killed 123 people across three states; and "virtually leveled" entire communities in the state of Mississippi. Three violent, long-lived tornadoes—two of which may have been tornado families—in western Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana caused most of the deaths along 300 miles (483 km) of path. One of the tornadoes attained F5 intensity in Louisiana, the only such event on record in the state. The outbreak also generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The entire outbreak is the second deadliest ever in February, behind only the Enigma tornado outbreak in 1884 and ahead of the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. February 21 was the fourth-deadliest day for tornadoes in Mississippi on record. At one point, the National Weather Service WSR-57radar in Jackson, Mississippi, reported four hook echoes, often indicative of tornado-producing supercells, simultaneously.
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