Southeast, Central Tornado Outbreak
One of the severe storm disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $4.5 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($3.9 billion at the time) and 93 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 40 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
- $4.5 billion
- Losses at the time
- $3.9 billion
- Deaths
- 93
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 113 | 5 | 42 | $41 million |
| Arkansas | 46 | 2 | 8 | $11 million |
| Missouri | 69 | 4 | 13 | $7.5 million |
| Illinois | 46 | 6 | 2 | $5.1 million |
| Ohio | 23 | 1 | 0 | $539,000 |
| Kentucky | 69 | 77 | 615 | $430,000 |
| Alabama | 58 | 0 | 0 | $308,000 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 0 | 0 | $139,000 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 0 | 0 | $65,000 |
| Indiana | 13 | 0 | 0 | $22,000 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 0 | 0 | $15,000 |
| Virginia | 6 | 0 | 0 | $13,000 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Georgia | 6 | 0 | 0 | $6,000 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| New York | 32 | 0 | 0 | |
| Texas | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, December 9, 2021As high pressure slid off to the northeast of the area, southeast flow through the column strengthened. This resulted in moisture surging northward out of the Gulf of Mexico and across the local area as a weak warm front.
- Flash Flood in Alabama, December 10, 2021A slow moving warm front combined with several upper level disturbances generated clusters of showers and thunderstorms that produced locally heavy rain and flooding.
- Tornado in Alabama, December 10, 2021A warm front lift northward across central Alabama and produced just enough instability and shear for the development of a weak tornado in Elmore County.
- Hail in Texas, December 10, 2021A severe storm in Collin County produced quarter-sized hail.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, December 10, 2021The Ozarks were on the western edge of a severe thunderstorm and tornado outbreak that occurred from the evening of the 10th to the early morning of the 11th.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, December 10, 2021Numerous severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front during the late afternoon and evening of Friday December 10th, 2021. Large hail, damaging winds and five tornadoes occurred across central and eastern Missouri as well as south central Illinois.
- Tornadoes in Arkansas, December 10, 2021As December 10 approached, chances of severe weather began to increase from Arkansas northeastward across the Ohio Valley. As the day progressed, numerous thunderstorms developed and intensified from Arkansas into Missouri and points to the east.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, December 10, 2021A strong upper trough advanced east out of the Rockies and into the Central and Southern Plains during the afternoon and evening of December 10th, which reinforced a strong cold front southeast into the Ozarks and Southern Plains.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, December 10 to 11, 2021December 10, 2021, was unseasonably warm over the region. Temperatures broke several long-standing records. Memphis hit 80 F which broke a 103-year-old high-temperature record.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, December 10, 2021Numerous severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front during the late afternoon and evening of Friday December 10th, 2021. Large hail, damaging winds and five tornadoes occurred across central and eastern Missouri as well as south central Illinois.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, December 10 to 11, 2021A strong upper trough advanced east out of the Rockies and into the Central and Southern Plains during the afternoon and evening of December 10th, which reinforced a strong cold front southeast into the Ozarks and Southern Plains.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, December 10 to 11, 2021A powerful storm system developed and moved across the central Plains into the Mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday into Friday night. This storm complex brought a cold front through the state.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Illinois, December 10, 2021A deepening area of low pressure tracked from near Kansas City during the afternoon of December 10th to southern Lake Michigan by the pre-dawn hours of December 11th.
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, December 10, 2021Strong to severe thunderstorms developed across portions of eastern Oklahoma during the evening of the 10th, ahead of a cold front that moved through the region. The strongest storms produced damaging wind gusts.
- Tornadoes in Missouri, December 10, 2021December 10, 2021, was unseasonably warm over the region. Temperatures broke several long-standing records. Memphis hit 80 F which broke a 103-year-old high-temperature record.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Tennessee, December 10 to 11, 2021December 10, 2021, was unseasonably warm over the region. Temperatures broke several long-standing records. Memphis hit 80 F which broke a 103-year-old high-temperature record.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, December 10 to 11, 2021On the evening of Friday, December 10, 2021, a potent storm system moving across the central United States resulted in significant long-track tornadoes.
- Damaging Wind in Arkansas, December 10, 2021Strong to severe thunderstorms developed across eastern Oklahoma during the evening of the 10th, ahead of a cold front that moved through the region. The thunderstorms moved east and northeast across portions of northwestern Arkansas.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, December 10 to 11, 2021December 10, 2021, was unseasonably warm over the region. Temperatures broke several long-standing records. Memphis hit 80 F which broke a 103-year-old high-temperature record.
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, December 10, 2021Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of east central Illinois during the evening of December 10th producing localized wind damage.
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, December 10, 2021An isolated severe thunderstorm wind gust or two occurred in association with a storm system that was a prolific tornado producer in Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, December 10 to 11, 2021Strong southern winds brought warm temperatures and plenty of moisture into an environment of strong wind shear ahead of an advancing cold front.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Indiana, December 10, 2021Severe thunderstorms moved across portions of northwest Indiana during the late evening of December 10th, producing wind damage and one tornado.
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, December 10, 2021An isolated severe thunderstorm wind gust or two occurred in association with a storm system that was a prolific tornado producer in Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, December 10 to 11, 2021One of the worst tornado outbreaks ever recorded in the United States struck the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Tennessee Valley from the evening hours on December 10 into the morning hours on December 11, 2021.
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, December 11, 2021Showers and thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours ahead of an approaching cold front.
- Damaging Winds in Louisiana, December 11, 2021A strong upper trough advanced east out of the Rockies and into the Central and Southern Plains during the afternoon and evening of December 10th, which reinforced a strong cold front southeast into the Ozarks and Southern Plains.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Ohio, December 11, 2021Showers and thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours ahead of an approaching cold front.
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, December 11, 2021A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) moved east across north Alabama during the predawn into the mid-morning hours.
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, December 11, 2021Following the devastating tornado outbreak across Kentucky and neighboring areas, a line of strong to severe storms moved through the Tennessee Valley region Saturday morning into the early afternoon.
- Damaging Wind and High Wind in Ohio, December 11, 2021A strong area of low pressure was located over southern Lake Michigan during the early morning hours of December 11th. This low moved quickly northeast to north of Lake Ontario by mid-afternoon, deepening at a rate of almost 1 mb per hour.
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, December 11, 2021A quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) moved east across southern middle Tennessee during the predawn into the mid-morning hours.
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, December 11, 2021Following the devastating tornado outbreak across Kentucky and neighboring areas, a line of strong to severe storms moved through the Tennessee Valley region Saturday morning into the early afternoon. The main impact across the region was damaging winds.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, December 11, 2021An unseasonably warm airmass ahead of a cold front sparked scattered showers and thunderstorms across north and central Georgia during the day, 11 December 2021.
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, December 11, 2021Showers with damaging winds developed in advance of a potent cold front. A strengthening low level jet combined with minimal instability helped generate these damaging winds caused localized tree damage across portions of Wythe, Giles, and Smyth counties.
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, December 11, 2021A narrow line of heavy rain showers and embedded isolated thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front. The line produced gusty winds over upstate South Carolina, with an area of brief, but notable damaging winds reported in Spartanburg County.
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, December 11, 2021A line of strong to severe storms moved across central North Carolina in advance of a strong cold front in an environment characterized by high shear and low CAPE. Several of the storms became strong enough to produce severe wind gusts across portions of the northwest Piedmont.
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, December 11, 2021A narrow line of heavy rain showers and embedded isolated thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front. The line produced gusty winds, with an area of brief damaging winds reported in Rowan County.
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, December 11, 2021Showers with gusty winds developed in advance of a potent cold front. A few of these showers produced damaging winds thanks to a strengthening low level jet combined with minimal instability.
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in New York, December 11 to 12, 2021A strong cold front pushed across eastern New York during the late afternoon and evening hours on December 11, 2021.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2021Tornadoes in 2021
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.