Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021

Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021

Map of tornado warnings and confirmed tornadoes from the outbreak

Meteorological history
Duration: December 10–11, 2021
Tornado outbreak
Tornadoes: 71
Maximum rating: EF4 tornado
Duration: 24 hours, 11 minutes
Highest winds: Tornadic – 190 mph (310 km/h), (Western Kentucky EF4 tornado)
Non-tornadic – 85 mph (137 km/h) (Tremont, Illinois, straight-line winds on December 10)
Winter storm
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion: 3 ft (0.91 m)
Extratropical cyclone
Lowest pressure: 974 hPa (mbar); 28.76 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities: 89 confirmed (+6 non-tornadic)
Injuries: 676
Damage: $3.9 billion (2021 USD)
Areas affected: Central, Southern, and Midwestern United States
Power outages: 740,000

A deadly late-season tornado outbreak, the deadliest on record in December, produced catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across portions of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley from the evening of December 10 to the early morning of December 11, 2021. The event developed as a trough progressed eastward across the United States, interacting with an unseasonably moist and unstable environment across the Mississippi Valley. Tornado activity began in northeastern Arkansas, before progressing into Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

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Animation of Tornado outbreak from December 11, 1:20 to 7:00 UTC

The most extreme impacts resulted from two long-track supercell thunderstorms that produced families of strong tornadoes. The first of these supercells produced tornadoes spanning four Mid-South states. The first notable tornado of the event began in northeastern Arkansas, near Jonesboro, causing major damage in and near towns such as Monette and Leachville, Arkansas, at EF4 intensity. It crossed the Missouri Bootheel, causing additional damage and fatalities near Braggadocio and Hayti. After crossing the Mississippi River into northwestern West Tennessee, that tornado dissipated, and a high-end EF4 tornado formed and moved through Western Kentucky, where the towns of Cayce, Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs, and Bremen suffered severe to catastrophic damage.

Early estimates suggested that the tornado family—identified by some media outlets as a "Quad-State tornado", due to the storm's long track and similarity to the 219-mile (352 km) Tri-State tornado of 1925—might have cut a path of up to 250 miles (400 km) across the affected areas, making it the longest-tracked tornado in history. However, storm surveys found that the majority of the storm's path consisted of two distinct EF4 tornadoes, with three short-lived and weak tornadoes in between them in northwestern Obion County, Tennessee. The parent supercell that produced the two EF4 tornadoes, and eleven tornadoes in total, later became known as the "Quad-State supercell". Other tornadic thunderstorms affected portions of eastern Missouri, Southern Illinois, West and Middle Tennessee, and western to central Kentucky during the late evening into the overnight hours of December 11, including four intense tornadoes that hit Bowling Green, Kentucky; Dresden, Tennessee; Edwardsville, Illinois; and Defiance, Missouri. This included a second supercell and tornado family, which produced an EF3 tornado tracking nearly 123 miles (198 km) in Tennessee and southern Kentucky, as well as numerous tornadoes, including three more rated EF3, throughout southern and central Kentucky.

The death toll from the outbreak was 89 (with six additional non-tornadic fatalities), surpassing the Tornado outbreak sequence of December 1–6, 1953, which caused 49 fatalities, as the deadliest December tornado event ever recorded in the United States. In Kentucky alone, 74 people were killed by three separate tornadoes. In addition, at least 672 people were injured. The tornado outbreak caused at least $3.9 billion (2022 USD) in damages. The outbreak set a new record for confirmed tornadoes in the month of December, with 71, a record that only stood until December 15, when a larger outbreak produced 120 tornadoes across the Midwest.

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Confirmed tornadoes

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Edwardsville, Illinois

EF3 damage to an Amazon warehouse building and high-tension power lines between Pontoon Beach and Edwardsville, Illinois.

Meteorological history
Formed: December 10, 8:27 p.m. CST (UTC–06:00)
Dissipated: December 10, 8:35 p.m. CST (UTC–06:00)
Duration: 8 minutes
EF3 tornado
on the Enhanced Fujita scale
Highest winds: 150 mph (240 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities: 6
Injuries: 1

A tornado touched down northeast of Pontoon Beach in Madison County, Illinois, on the northwest side of the intersection of I-255 and I-270, at 8:27 p.m. CST (02:27 UTC) on the evening of December 10. The tornado was initially weak, with damage at the beginning of the path being limited to downed highway signs, a bent light pole, and some orange construction barrels that were tossed around. Damage in this area was rated EF0 to EF1. Rapidly strengthening and growing to a width of 300 yards (270 m), the tornado reached EF3 strength as it tracked northeast towards Edwardsville. It struck an Amazon warehouse along Chain Of Rocks Road, where night workers were beginning their shifts and several employees were attending a Christmas party being held as the tornado approached the facility. Six people were killed when the roof was lifted off the building, and the west-facing walls of the structure collapsed inward, causing a progressive structural failure that resulted in total destruction of most of the warehouse. Employees were told to shelter in bathrooms.

Between 50 and 100 people were trapped in the collapsed remnants of the warehouse, and about 30 survivors were brought to the Pontoon Beach police station in a bus after being extracted from the rubble. One person was air-flown via helicopter to a hospital. Debris from the structure was strewn downwind, cars were thrown from the parking lot, and multiple power poles and metal truss transmission towers were downed nearby. The tornado weakened to high-end EF1 intensity as it crossed Sand Road, snapping trees and completely destroying some outbuildings and an unanchored mobile home. As it entered the southwest side of Edwardsville, the tornado moved through the Sunset Hills Golf and Country Club, causing EF1 damage as trees and power lines were downed, homes sustained roof damage, and sheds were damaged or destroyed. EF0 damage occurred in neighborhoods just beyond this point, with minor tree and roof damage noted. The tornado dissipated near the corner of Doral Court and Butler Boulevard at 8:35 p.m. CST (08:35 UTC) after being on the ground for 4.22 miles (6.79 km). In addition to the six fatalities, one other person was injured.

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Monday, December 13, 2021

10:00 AM
Official Schedule
The President receives the President’s Daily Brief
Oval Office Closed Press

10:00 AM
Press Briefing
The President receives the President’s Daily Brief
Oval Office Closed Press

10:30 AM
Pool Call Time
In-Town Pool Call Time
The White House In-Town Pool

11:00 AM
Official Schedule
The President receives a briefing from Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall on the Federal response to the tornadoes and extreme weather that impacted multiple states Friday night
Full Text and Analysis
Oval Office In-House Pool Spray at the Top

12:30 PM
Press Briefing
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room In-Town Pool

1:15 PM
Official Schedule
The President signs an executive order on delivering the Government services and experience the American people expect and deserve
Full Text and Analysis
Oval Office In-House Pool Spray