According to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center, preliminary data shows that 517 tornadoes have occurred in the United States through April 2023. Tornadoes with ratings from EFU (Enhanced Fujita Scale Unknown) to EF-4 have affected 20 states, including the rare touchdown of an EF-1 tornado in a city just southeast of Los Angeles, California. Peak winds of that Montebello, CA event reached an estimated 110 mph and is the strongest tornado to hit Los Angeles County since 1983.
2023 is on pace to be record-making with tornadoes regularly exceeding average distances upon touchdown and responsible for over 60 fatalities thus far. On March 24, an EF-4 tornado wreaked havoc along 170 miles in Mississippi, killing at least 21 people and leaving communities in states of catastrophe.
Date of event: January 12, 2023- April 2023
Impact:
- At least 63 deaths nationwide to date
- Mississippi Forestry Commission estimated over $8 million in potential economic impact to private forested acres.
- FEMA has approved over $5 million in assistance to Georgia
- Thousands of buildings and homes were damaged and destroyed across Southeast And Central states
Related Resources:
- Tornadoes: Background and Forecasting [Updated November 29, 2022]
- Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 3817, TORNADO Act
- Extreme Weather and Lifeline Infrastructure Resilience: Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) [February 4, 2022]
- Preparing for Tornado Season
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