Southeast and Eastern Tornado Outbreak
One of the severe storm disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $4.2 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($3.4 billion at the time) and 35 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 76 most significant severe storm episodes filed in these dates, colored by kind.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Losses, 2024 dollars
- $4.2 billion
- Losses at the time
- $3.4 billion
- Deaths
- 35
The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.
By state, as filed
| State | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 48 | 0 | 1 | $252 million |
| Mississippi | 110 | 14 | 107 | $106 million |
| South Carolina | 130 | 9 | 87 | $101 million |
| Georgia | 255 | 9 | 35 | $16 million |
| Texas | 112 | 1 | 2 | $12 million |
| North Carolina | 168 | 1 | 4 | $8.0 million |
| Virginia | 87 | 0 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| Maryland | 37 | 0 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| New York | 44 | 0 | 0 | $84,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 25 | 0 | 0 | $80,000 |
| Arkansas | 26 | 0 | 0 | $75,000 |
| Tennessee | 31 | 4 | 24 | $45,000 |
| Alabama | 197 | 0 | 9 | $38,000 |
| Florida | 26 | 0 | 0 | $20,000 |
| Idaho | 10 | 0 | 0 | $17,000 |
| Oklahoma | 34 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Ohio | 1 | 0 | 0 | $4,000 |
| West Virginia | 6 | 0 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Kansas | 46 | 0 | 0 | |
| Missouri | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| Delaware | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| New Jersey | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Illinois | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nebraska | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Iowa | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nevada | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Hail in Texas, April 10, 2020Several severe thunderstorms developed across the Permian Basin on the afternoon of the 10th. A few of these storms raced northeastward into the southeast South Plains and western Rolling Plains before falling apart.
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, April 11 to 12, 2020The combination of a dryline, cold front and an upper level low pressure system produced multiple rounds of thunderstorms across North and Central Texas on Easter weekend.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 11 to 12, 2020A strong upper level disturbance interacted with an increasingly unstable airmass to produce supercell thunderstorms. These supercell thunderstorms resulted in many reports of large hail and damaging winds on April 11.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, April 11, 2020Thunderstorms produced numerous severe hail reports over western and southern Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening of the 11th.
- Hail in Texas, April 11, 2020Scattered thunderstorms developed in the south-central Texas Panhandle and central South Plains on the afternoon of the 11th along a diffuse dryline aided by an upper level disturbance.
- Hail in Missouri, April 11, 2020A few strong storms moved through northeast Missouri the afternoon of April 11, 2020. Nickel size hail was reported with these storms.
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Idaho, April 11, 2020Severe thunderstorms were reported with damage in both Jefferson and Bonneville Counties.
- Hail in Texas, April 11, 2020Scattered thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon in a moist and unstable airmass along and east of a stalled northeast-to-southwest-oriented dryline. Severe hail was reported from one thunderstorm in the southeast Texas Panhandle.
- Hail in Kansas, April 11, 2020A few scattered storms brought severe hail to portions of central KS. A few reports over 2 inches in diameter were noted.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Kansas, April 11 to 12, 2020Thunderstorms developed on the evening of the April 11th and continued into the overnight period, producing large hail across parts of northeast Kansas. The largest hail size reported was tennis ball hail in Pottawatomie County.
- Hail in Illinois, April 11, 2020An approaching warm front triggered a band of showers and thunderstorms across central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of April 11th.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 11 to 12, 2020An upper level shortwave trough moved around a low over the southwestern US and enhanced lift over the mountains in northern Mexico and a dryline in West Texas. These features interacted with a warm, moist airmass over South Central Texas to generate thunderstorms.
- Hail in Missouri, April 11, 2020Scattered thunderstorms formed on April 11, and moved northeastward away from the KC metro, into rural areas. While some of these storms may have produced very large hail, the office received reports of mostly quarter to golf ball sized hail stones.
- Hail in Kansas, April 11, 2020Scattered thunderstorms formed on April 11, and moved northeastward away from the KC metro, into rural areas. While some of these storms may have produced very large hail, the office received reports of mostly quarter to golf ball sized hail stones.
- Hail in Iowa, April 11, 2020Warm air advection lifting across the Missouri River Valley and into Iowa was enough to induce scattered thunderstorms across southern Iowa in the afternoon. While instability was rather weak, stronger shear values helped to organize convection.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, April 12 to 14, 2020A strong cold front extending from a complex surface low pressure system, brought intense thunderstorms which produced damaging winds and very heavy rain on April 12-13. The heavy rains resulted from a deep plume of tropical moisture lifted northward ahead of the cold front.
- Hail in Texas, April 11 to 12, 2020An upper level trough was centered over southern Arizona. A dryline developed across West Texas. Very moist and unstable air was present to the east of the dryline as well as high wind shear. Upper lift increased as the upper trough moved closer to the region.
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, April 12, 2020Low pressure tracked from the Southern Plains into the Lower Mississippi Valley on April 12, 2020. A warm front pushed north through the Mid-South earlier in the day with heavy rain and some flash flooding along with a few severe storms.
- Hail in Nebraska, April 12, 2020Early morning severe storms dropped large amounts of 1-2 inch hail in southeast Nebraska.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in North Carolina, April 12 to 13, 2020A strong cold front extending from a complex surface low pressure system, |brought intense thunderstorms which produced damaging winds and very heavy rain on April 12-13. The heavy rains resulted from a deep plume of tropical moisture lifted northward ahead of the cold front.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, April 12, 2020Warm, moist, and unstable air surged north into East Texas, North Louisiana, and Southern Arkansas during the evening through the early morning hours of April 11th-12th, along a warm front that lifted north across much of East Texas into North Louisiana.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, April 12, 2020Warm, moist, and unstable air surged north into East Texas, North Louisiana, and Southern Arkansas during the evening through the early morning hours of April 11th-12th, along a warm front that lifted north across much of East Texas into North Louisiana.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 12, 2020Warm, moist, and unstable air surged north into East Texas, North Louisiana, and Southern Arkansas during the evening through the early morning hours of April 11th-12th, along a warm front that lifted north across much of East Texas into North Louisiana.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, April 12, 2020Low pressure tracked from the Southern Plains into the Lower Mississippi Valley on April 12, 2020. A warm front pushed north through the Mid-South earlier in the day with heavy rain and some flash flooding along with a few severe storms.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, April 12, 2020An outbreak of severe weather occurred on Easter Sunday, 2020. This was a multifaceted event with a few different waves of activity, each of which brought their own unique hazardous weather to the residents of the region.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, April 12 to 13, 2020Heavy rainfall occurred across the entire NWS Huntsville County Warning area, as well as damage from thunderstorm winds and a few tornadoes.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, April 12, 2020An outbreak of severe weather occurred on Easter Sunday, 2020. This was a multifaceted event with a few different waves of activity, each of which brought their own unique hazardous weather to the residents of the region.
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 12, 2020Thunderstorms across southern Oklahoma produced isolated reports of severe hail during the afternoon of the 12th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Alabama, April 12 to 13, 2020An upper-level low over the southwest United States evolved into a negatively-tilted shortwave trough as it moved over the southeastern United States. A warm front steadily moved northward during the morning and afternoon hours on Sunday, April 12.
- Tornado in Mississippi, April 12, 2020On April 12th 2020, a very potent storm system delivered widespread severe weather across the southeast, as a strong cold front met unstable, moist Gulf air causing severe storms across Mississippi.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, April 12, 2020Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over eastern Oklahoma during the early afternoon of the 12th, as a cold front moved into the region, and a strong upper level disturbance approached from the southwest.
- Hail in Nevada, April 12, 2020A cold front moving through the Mojave Desert helped lift an unstable air mass, producing scattered thunderstorms. Isolated severe weather occurred.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 12, 2020Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over eastern Oklahoma during the early afternoon of the 12th, as a cold front moved into the region, and a strong upper level disturbance approached from the southwest.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Georgia, April 12 to 13, 2020A powerful Spring storm system resulted in a Severe Weather / Tornado outbreak across much of the Southeast region, including north and central Georgia, beginning on Easter Sunday (April 12th) and lingering into the morning hours of April 13th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, April 12 to 13, 2020A prolonged convective event with deep moist southerly flow in an unstable environment with strong wind shear generated supercell thunderstorms across Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina.
- Flash Flood in Arizona, April 12, 2020A cold front moving through the Mojave Desert helped lift an unstable air mass, producing scattered thunderstorms. Isolated flash flooding occurred.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 12, 2020On April 12th 2020, a very potent storm system delivered widespread severe weather across the southeast, as a strong cold front met unstable, moist Gulf air causing severe storms across Louisiana.
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, April 12, 2020A strong spring storm system moved across the eastern states. A very warm and moist air mass moved in ahead of the approaching cold front. The very unstable air mass combined with plenty of wind shear lead to a severe weather outbreak across the southeast states.
- Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 12, 2020An outbreak of severe weather occurred on Easter Sunday, 2020. This was a multifaceted event with a few different waves of activity, each of which brought their own unique hazardous weather to the residents of the region.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Alabama, April 12, 2020A strong spring storm system moved across the eastern states. A very warm and moist air mass moved in ahead of the approaching cold front. The very unstable air mass combined with plenty of wind shear lead to a severe weather outbreak across the southeast states.
- Damaging Winds in Arkansas, April 12, 2020Low pressure tracked from the Southern Plains into the Lower Mississippi Valley on April 12, 2020. A warm front pushed north through the Mid-South earlier in the day with heavy rain and some flash flooding along with a few severe storms.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in North Carolina, April 12 to 13, 2020A strong storm system impacted the Southeast, resulting in an area of widespread heavy rain and embedded strong to severe thunderstorms that moved across western North Carolina during the late night and early morning hours.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 12 to 13, 2020A prolonged convective event with deep moist southerly flow in an unstable environment with strong wind shear generated supercell thunderstorms across Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina.
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, April 12 to 13, 2020A strong area of low pressure with sufficient instability and a very strong low level jet affected the tri-state area. A severe squall line crossed the area with numerous reports of wind damage. A couple of tornadoes occurred in south-central Georgia.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 13, 2020A strong area of low pressure with sufficient instability and a very strong low level jet affected the tri-state area. A severe squall line crossed the area with numerous reports of wind damage. A couple of tornadoes occurred in south-central Georgia.
- Damaging Winds in Florida, April 13, 2020A strong spring storm system moved across the eastern states. A very warm and moist air mass moved in ahead of the approaching cold front. The very unstable air mass combined with plenty of wind shear lead to a severe weather outbreak across the southeast states.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 13, 2020A strong storm system impacted the Southeast, resulting in a line of strong to severe thunderstorms that moved across northeast Georgia during the early morning hours of the 13th. This resulted in severe weather, including a couple of tornadoes.
- Damaging Winds in Florida, April 13 to 14, 2020A strong area of low pressure with sufficient instability and a very strong low level jet affected the tri-state area. A severe squall line crossed the area with numerous reports of wind damage. A couple of tornadoes occurred in south-central Georgia.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 13, 2020A strong storm system impacted the Southeast, resulting in a line of strong to severe thunderstorms that moved across upstate South Carolina during the early morning hours of the 13th.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 13, 2020A squall line rolled through the region during the early morning hours of April 13, 2020. Strong instability and shear led to numerous severe thunderstorm wind gusts along with several tornadoes. Across East Central GA, one EF-2 tornado occurred.
- Damaging Wind in Maryland, April 13, 2020Phasing upper level low pressure moved from the southern High Plains to the Great Lakes on April 13th.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 13, 2020Multiple clusters of strong to severe storms moved across central North Carolina in advance of a strong cold front during the morning hours. The storms caused numerous reports of wind damages, including multiple measured wind gusts in excess of 58 miles per hour.
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, April 13, 2020A prolonged convective event with deep moist southerly flow in an unstable environment with strong wind shear generated supercell thunderstorms across Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 13, 2020A squall line rolled through the region during the early morning hours of April 13, 2020. Strong instability and shear led to numerous severe thunderstorm wind gusts along with several tornadoes.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 13, 2020A severe quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) moved through southeast Georgia during the early morning hours of April 13, 2020 ahead of an approaching cold front.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 13, 2020A severe quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) moved through southeast South Carolina during the early morning hours of April 13, 2020 ahead of an approaching cold front.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 13, 2020A pre-frontal squall line with embedded supercells will moved across interior southeast Georgia during the early morning hours and reached the Suwannee Valley just before daybreak.
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, April 13, 2020Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds across portions of central and eastern Virginia.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 13, 2020A strong cold front produced a squall line and numerous tornadoes.
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in New York, April 13, 2020A strong storm system impacted the region throughout the day on Monday, April 13th, 2020. This resulted in severe thunderstorms and strong to damaging winds across the eastern New York, with several reports of trees and power lines downed.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 13, 2020A strong cold front produced a squall line and numerous tornadoes.
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, April 13, 2020Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front which crossed east through the region.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 13, 2020A line of strong to severe thunderstorms with embedded tornadoes swept through Eastern North Carolina during the morning hours between sunrise and noon. Widespread reports of wind damage, including tornadoes, were observed. Six total tornadoes occurred, 5 EF0's, and 1 EF1.
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 13, 2020Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds across portions of northeast North Carolina.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Florida, April 13, 2020A pre-frontal squall line with embedded supercells will moved across interior southeast Georgia during the early morning hours and reached the Suwannee Valley just before daybreak.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, April 13, 2020A strong cold front crossed central Pennsylvania during the late morning and afternoon of April 13, 2020, generating two distinct lines of convection, along with a handful of cells ahead of these lines.
- Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 13, 2020A very strong cold front passed through the area while a potent upper-level trough was positioned just to our west. Strong winds aloft were able to mix down in heavier showers and thunderstorms due to an unstable atmosphere.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, April 13, 2020A very strong cold front passed through the area while a potent upper-level trough was positioned just to our west. Strong winds aloft were able to mix down in heavier showers and thunderstorms due to an unstable atmosphere.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, April 13, 2020A very strong cold front passed through the area while a potent upper-level trough was positioned just to our west. Strong winds aloft were able to mix down in heavier showers and thunderstorms due to an unstable atmosphere.
- Tornado in Maryland, April 13, 2020A strong cold front passed through the area on the 13th of April. Strong upward motion led to showers and some thunderstorms, and with very strong winds aloft some of those storms produced damaging winds at the surface. An isolated tornado also occurred as well.
- Damaging Winds in New York, April 13, 2020A line of showers and thunderstorms developed across Central New York during the afternoon of the 13th ahead of an approaching strong cold front. Some of these storms became severe and caused mainly tree and power line damage.
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, April 13, 2020A line of showers and thunderstorms developed across Northeast Pennsylvania during the afternoon of the 13th ahead of an approaching strong cold front. Some of these storms became severe and caused mainly tree and power line damage.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Maryland, April 13, 2020A highly anomalous weather system affected much of the eastern United States on April 13.
- Damaging Winds in Delaware, April 13, 2020A highly anomalous weather system affected much of the eastern United States on April 13.
- Damaging Winds in New Jersey, April 13, 2020A highly anomalous weather system affected much of the eastern United States on April 13.
- Damaging Winds in Florida, April 14, 2020A lingering surface warm front lifted north from near the I-10 corridor toward SE GA into the evening as upper short wave energy moved over the boundary.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2020Tornadoes in 2020
Sources
NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.