October 2010 North American storm complex

October 2010 North American storm complex

Satellite image of the storm complex at peak intensity, on October 27, 2010.
Type	Extratropical cyclone, Blizzard, Derecho, Tornado outbreak, Windstorm
Formed	October 23, 2010
Dissipated	November 5, 2010
Lowest pressure
Tornadoes confirmed	69 confirmed (Record for a continuous outbreak in October)
Max rating1	EF2 tornado
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion	9 inches (22.9 cm) St. Louis County, Minnesota
Damage	US$18.5 million (tornado)
Casualties	1 (snow); injuries unknown
Areas affected	Eastern two-thirds of North America and adjacent waters Ireland United Kingdom Western Europe
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale Part of the 2010–11 North American winter storms

The October 2010 North American storm complex is the name given to a historic extratropical cyclone that impacted North America. The massive storm complex caused a wide range of weather events including a major serial derecho stretching from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, a widespread tornado outbreak across the Southeast United States and Midwest and a blizzard across portions of the Canadian Prairies and the Dakotas. The cyclone's lowest minimum pressure of 955.2 mb (28.21 inHg) made it the second most intense non-tropical system recorded in the continental United States (CONUS). The lowest confirmed pressure for a non-tropical system in the continental United States was set by a January 1913 Atlantic coast storm.

Meteorological synopsis

Significant snowfall was reported on the backside of the storm. The heaviest snow fell in parts of Minnesota where 9 inches (22.5 cm) of snow was reported in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions also occurred in North Dakota, southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan.

The non-tropical cyclonic storm generated wind speeds of up to 70 mph, caused by a severe low pressure zone over Nebraska on October 24th.

This animation shows this extratropical cyclone developing, starting late on October 25 and running through October 27, 2010.

Akron, Cleveland, Findlay, Marion, Lorain, Mansfield, Toledo, Wooster and Youngstown, Ohio all witnessed heavy winds on the 24th.

Severe weather battered Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio on the 25th and 26th of October, producing strong winds, rain, hail, and widespread tornadoes. It was the region's second strongest storm on record. The weather station in Bigfork, Minnesota recorded a state record atmospheric pressure of 955.2 millibars (28.21 inches of pressure), typical of a Category 3 hurricane. The National Weather Service reported that a tornado with a maximum speed of 115 mph touched down about four miles east of Peotone in Will County, south of Chicago, that morning and traveled 2.9 miles, causing downed power lines and partially destroying a home. Another tornado was reported to have landed in Racine, Wisconsin.

Heavy damage was reported in the Chicago area, particularly in Kane, Will, Kankakee, and Iroquois Counties in Illinois and in Porter County in Indiana. The winds flipped single engine planes on their sides at DuPage Airport in West Chicago, and flights were delayed by 30 minutes at O'Hare and Midway airports. More than 300 flights were canceled at O'Hare International Airport, and more than 60,000 ComEd customers were without power. Several other less powerful tornadoes also occurred in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Heavy snow also fell in south western Ontario. There were no fatalities with this system.A GOES satellite image on October 26 showed what could be considered the eye of the storm over the Minnesota-Ontario border, with outlying clouds reaching as far as Alberta, southern Nunavut, Newfoundland, eastern Montana, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine and Bermuda.

The storm developed so quickly, that it was declared to be a weather 'bomb', which is an extremely fast developing storm that drops at least one millibar of pressure per hour for 24 hours—a phenomenon more commonly seen over water than land.

On the morning of October 26, a serial derecho caused widespread damage in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio Tuesday. Louisville, Ky; Cincinnati, Cridersville, and Toledo, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee Indianapolis were hit at 9 am CDT, and Detroit was hit during the midday and early afternoon hours. Other cities impacted by the storms included Pittsburgh, Pa., Buffalo, N.Y., and Charleston, W.Va. At one point in the morning a line of tornado warnings stretched from central Michigan down to northern Mississippi. Tornado damage to homes was also reported in and around Peotone, Ill., and Kokomo, Ind., while another tornado reportedly uprooted and downed trees onto homes near Racine, Wis.

On October 28, the storm system left the East Coast. During the next few days, the system moved eastward across the Atlantic, before stalling over the western Mediterranean on November 1. On November 5, the system dissipated over the western Mediterranean region.

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating

EF0	EF1	EF2	EF3	EF4	EF5	Total
35	26	8	0	0	0	69

October 23 event

List of reported tornadoes - Saturday, October 23, 2010
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Texas
EF0	Fort Worth	Tarrant		1755	unknown	Brief tornado with damage to roofs and fences.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 10/23/10 WFAA "Tornadoes touch down south and east of Dallas"

October 24 event

List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, October 24, 2010
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Texas
EF0	N of Daingerfield	Morris		2030	3 miles (4.8 km)	Damage limited to a few trees.
EF2	Rice area	Navarro		2255	7 miles (11 km)	Five houses were destroyed and three others were damaged. A high school was also heavily damaged and a train was derailed. A baseball field was damaged and vehicles were flipped on the interstate. Trees were snapped and uprooted as well. Several people were injured.
EF0	Lone Oak	Hunt		2300	200 yards (180 m)	Brief tornado damaged 10 houses in a residential subdivision.
EF0	N of Mount Vernon	Franklin		2315	0.25 miles (400 m)	Brief tornado with minor tree damage.
EF0	N of Mount Pleasant	Morris		2347	0.75 miles (1.21 km)	Damage limited to a few trees.
Alabama
EF1	Elsanor	Baldwin		0210	1.7 miles (2.7 km)	A mobile home and a metal shed were destroyed and a brick houses sustained minor damage. One person sustained minor injuries.
Michigan
EF0	WNW of Coloma	Berrien		0250	0.1 miles (160 m)	Brief tornado with minor damage to two houses and a roof blown off a barn.
Arkansas
EF0	W of Crystal Valley	Pulaski		unknown	0.77 miles (1.24 km)	A barn lost its roof, and some trees were damaged.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 10/24/10, NWS Fort Worth, NWS Shreveport, NWS Mobile, NWS Little Rock

October 25 event

List of reported tornadoes - Monday, October 25, 2010
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Tennessee
EF1	Pleasant Hill	Moore		0540	1.2 miles (1.9 km)	A hay barn was destroyed and two houses had porch damage. Trees were also knocked down.
Alabama
EF1	S of Haleyville	Winston		0705	10.5 miles (16.9 km)	A large barn and a shed were destroyed and three houses were damaged. Extensive tree damage along the path.
EF0	Arab	Marshall		0923	1 mile (1.6 km)	Minor damage to a house and significant damage to an outbuilding. Numerous trees were snapped.
EF0	NE of Section	Jackson		0952	2.2 miles (3.5 km)	A trailer and a shed were destroyed, a house was damaged, and several trees were downed.
EF2	Ider area	Jackson, DeKalb, Dade (GA)		1002	25.7 miles (41.4 km)	Long track tornado with major damage to several houses and barns, one of the houses was nearly destroyed. Several people were injured.
EF1	Near Rosalie	Jackson, DeKalb		1005	15.7 miles (25.3 km)	A house, two barns, and several other structures were damaged. Numerous trees were downed.
EF1	Mobile	Mobile		1120	1 mile (1.6 km)	Several houses and commercial buildings, including a shopping center, were damaged.
Sources: NWS Mobile, NWS Huntsville, NWS Birmingham, NWS Peachtree City

October 26 event

List of reported tornadoes - Tuesday, October 26, 2010
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Illinois
EF1	ESE of Ashton	Lee		1041	1.1 miles (1.8 km)	Several farm outbuildings were destroyed and a metal silo was punched inward.
EF1	W of Plato Center	Kane		714	1.50 miles (2.41 km)	Straight line wind damage was reported. Also a few barns were destroyed.
EF1	NW of Elburn	Kane		1155	0.75 miles (1.21 km)	Two farm houses were damaged and a grain bin and two barns were destroyed.
EF2	E of Peotone	Will		1240	2.9 miles (4.7 km)	One house was severely damaged with the second level destroyed. Power poles were also damaged.
Wisconsin
EF1	NNE of Kenosha	Racine, Kenosha		1247	6 miles (9.7 km)	Two industrial buildings were heavily damaged and a barn and garage were destroyed. Trees and power poles were also knocked down. Two people were injured.
Indiana
EF0	SE of Malden	Porter		1333	200 yards (180 m)	One outbuilding was damaged by this brief tornado.
EF1	Wanatah	LaPorte		1342	1 mile (1.6 km)	A garage and a shelter were heavily damaged and power poles were knocked down.
EF0	ENE of Kokomo	Howard		1405	unknown	Several houses sustained damage, one of which had significant damage.
EF1	E of Bracken	Huntington		1421	0.6 miles (970 m)	A metal grain barn and several outbuildings were destroyed.
EF0	SW of Oswego	Kosciusko		1431	1 mile (1.6 km)	Numerous houses in a subdivision sustained shingle damage. Corn was flattened and yard items were thrown, and a radio tower and power poles were bent.
EF0	SW of Luther	Huntington, Whitley		1433	2 miles (3.2 km)	One house sustained minor damage. A grain bin and several outbuildings were destroyed.
EF0	Wabash	Wabash		1420	4.8 miles (7.7 km)	Minor damage at a Walmart store and a vocational school.
EF1	NE of Peabody	Whitley		1440	2 miles (3.2 km)	Numerous houses sustained minor damage, and several outbuildings were severely damaged. Numerous trees were also uprooted.
EF1	S of Grabill	Allen		1502	7 miles (11 km)	Numerous houses were damaged and barns destroyed. Trees and power poles were knocked down.
EF1	SW of Cuba	Allen		1504	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Several barns were heavily damaged and a house sustained minor damage. Four train cars were blown off the tracks.
Kentucky
EF0	S of Pembroke	Christian		1352	2 miles (3.2 km)	A barn sustained minor damage and a few trees were snapped.
EF0	N of Trenton	Todd		1358	0.25 miles (400 m)	Brief tornado blew recreational equipment around a yard and damaged a barn.
EF0	NE of Graham	Muhlenberg		1420	200 yards (180 m)	Brief tornado with minor tree damage.
EF0	Hopkinsville area	Christian		1420	2.5 miles (4.0 km)	A Food Lion store sustained roof damage, and a barn and two storage buildings were heavily damaged.
EF0	SW of Mount Washington	Bullitt		1551	150 yards (140 m)	A concrete workshop was heavily damage.
EF1	SE of Bowling Green	Warren		1608	1.3 miles (2.1 km)	Intermittent tornado touchdown heavily damaged a barn and damaged some trees.
EF1	Middlesboro	Bell		2210	0.7 miles (1.1 km)	Several buildings and numerous trees were damaged in town.
Ohio
EF0	NW of Convoy	Van Wert		1502	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	A barn lost its roof, a shed was destroyed and a camper and semi-trailer were blown down.
EF1	NW of Grover Hill	Van Wert, Paulding		1512	9.25 miles (14.89 km)	Numerous houses sustained minor damage. Two barns and a grain bin were destroyed and many trees were uprooted.
EF1	E of Oakwood	Paulding, Putnam		1529	5 miles (8.0 km)	A few houses sustained minor shingle damage and several barns and sheds were destroyed.
EF1	N of Eldorado	Preble, Darke		1540	5.5 miles (8.9 km)	Two houses sustained minor damage and barns and outbuildings sustained major damage. Several trees were uprooted.
EF0	SW of Cridersville	Auglaize		1558	65 yards (60 m)	Very brief tornado damaged a barn and a garage.
EF2	Cridersville area	Auglaize, Allen		1559	2.2 miles (3.5 km)	A house, a barn and a garage were destroyed and numerous other houses were damaged, some heavily. A brick gymnasium was also destroyed.
EF0	SE of Sabina	Clinton, Fayette		1720	4 miles (6.4 km)	Several barns were heavily damaged or destroyed. Two houses sustained minor damage.
EF0	E of Sabina	Fayette		1730	2 miles (3.2 km)	A large storage facility was heavily damaged and several sheds and outbuildings were also damaged.
EF0	SW of Commercial Point	Pickaway		1752	1.5 miles (2.4 km)	Several barns and outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed.
EF0	N of Groveport	Franklin		1805	100 yards (90 m)	Brief tornado destroyed two barns.
EF0	E of Pataskala	Licking		1827	0.5 miles (800 m)	Several houses were damaged and trees were snapped.
Alabama
EF1	Hillsboro	Lawrence		1823	1.1 miles (1.8 km)	Several trees were uprooted.
EF0	Greenbrier	Limestone		2040	500 yards (460 m)	Brief tornado damaged a few small trees.
EF1	W of Geraldine	DeKalb		2303	4.25 miles (6.84 km)	One house sustained significant damage, along with a workshop, a boat and three vehicles. Trees were also snapped.
EF0	McVille	Marshall		2313	0.9 miles (1.4 km)	Minor damage to trees and a barn.
Tennessee
EF0	Harrison	Hamilton		2200	0.1 miles (160 m)	Brief tornado with minor damage to a church and a few trees twisted and snapped.
EF2	Chattanooga	Hamilton		2250	1.2 miles (1.9 km)	Tornado touched down over Chickamauga Dam. An apartment complex lost its roof and a cement plant was destroyed. Two trailers were blown into the water and destroyed as well.
North Carolina
EF2	W of Vale	Lincoln		2310	3 miles (4.8 km)	Several houses were destroyed and many others were damaged, some heavily. Many trees were also snapped or uprooted. 12 people were injured, one seriously.
EF2	Claremont	Catawba		2345	2 miles (3.2 km)	Many trees were uprooted or snapped and grave stones were knocked over. Roof torn of off a furniture distribution center along with lesser roof damage to other homes and businesses. Tractor-trailers were flipped over as well.
EF1	King (1st tornado)	Stokes		0314	2.25 miles (3.62 km)	Numerous trees were snapped and a carport was heavily damaged.
South Carolina
EF0	NW of Tigerville	Greenville		2310	5 miles (8.0 km)	Extensive tree damage with many snapped or uprooted, a few falling on houses. Boats were also damaged on Chinquapin Lake.
Sources: NWS Chicago, NWS Northern Indiana, NWS Milwaukee, NWS Indianapolis, NWS Wilmington, OH, NWS Morristown, NWS Louisville, NWS Paducah, NWS Blacksburg, NWS Jackson, KY, NWS Huntsville, NWS Greenville/Spartanburg

October 27 event

List of reported tornadoes - Wednesday, October 27, 2010
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Virginia
EF0	Aiken Summit area	Henry, Pittsylvania		0414	5.4 miles (8.7 km)	Three houses sustained minor damage and five outbuildings were damaged.
EF2	NW of Virgilina	Halifax		0652	4 miles (6.4 km)	Several houses were damaged and barns and outbuildings were destroyed. Major and extensive tree damage with thousands of trees snapped or uprooted.
EF0	N of Skipwith	Mecklenburg		0714	1.25 miles (2.01 km)	A shed was damaged and numerous trees and power lines were knocked down.
EF1	Richmond area	Richmond (city), Hanover		2100	11.5 miles (18.5 km)	Tornado developed on the north side of Richmond and tracked through the eastern suburbs. Many trees and power poles were knocked down, damaging over 100 houses in the process, a few severely. One person was injured.
North Carolina
EF0	Roxboro Lake	Person		1958	200 yards (180 m)	Damaged limited to a few trees.
EF1	Roxboro	Person		2013	0.5 miles (800 m)	Several mobile homes were damaged, one of them severely. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted.
EF1	Carr	Orange		2130	2.5 miles (4.0 km)	Two houses and a church sustained significant damage. Many trees were damaged.
EF0	E of Berea	Granville		2215	5.25 miles (8.45 km)	Several houses sustained minor damage and sheds and outbuildings were destroyed.
EF0	W of Middleburg	Vance		2250	2.75 miles (4.43 km)	A BP gas station and two houses sustained minor damage. Many trees were snapped and sheds and outbuildings were destroyed.
EF1	King (2nd tornado)	Stokes		2305	0.75 miles (1.21 km)	Second tornado hit King 20 hours after the first one. About 25 houses were damaged, some of which had roofs blown off. Numerous trees were snapped.
Sources: NWS Wakefield #1, #2, NWS Blacksburg, NWS Raleigh

See also

• Tornadoes of 2010
• Carmen (storm)