1913 жылғы наурыздағы апатты дауылдар мен құйындар

Severe windstorms in the central and southern United States

The tornado outbreak sequence of March 1913 was a devastating series of tornado outbreaks that affected the northern Great Plains, the Southern United States, and sections of the upper Midwest over a two day long period between March 21–23, 1913. Composed of two outbreaks, the sequence first began with a tornado outbreak that commenced in Mississippi early on March 21. Several significant tornadoes occurred, one of which killed seven people in one family and another destroyed much of Lower Peach Tree, Alabama, with 27 deaths all in that town. The tornado at Lower Peach Tree is estimated to have been equivalent to a violent F4 tornado on the Fujita scale, based upon damage accounts. The tornadoes occurred between 0630 and 1030 UTC, or pre dawn local time, perhaps accounting for the high number of fatalities—a common trend in tornadoes in the Dixie Alley. In all, tornadoes in Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama killed 48 people, perhaps more, that day and injured at least 150 people. March 23, Easter Sunday, was the most violent tornado outbreak to affect the northern Great Plains on so early a date in the year—a record that still stands as of 2020. That day, four F4 tornadoes affected portions of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, killing at least 168 people. The deadliest tornado of the day was a potent F4 tornado that grew to 0.25 mile (0 km) in width as it passed through northern Omaha, Nebraska, killing at least 94 people in the city proper and three in rural areas. Damage in Omaha reached at least F4, possibly even F5, intensity, though confirmation of F5 damage could not be determined from available evidence. The tornado is the 13th deadliest ever to affect the United States and the deadliest to hit the U. S. state of Nebraska as of 2014. No other violent tornado would affect Omaha for another 62 years. Outside the Great Plains, the outbreak of March 23 also produced two other F4 tornadoes, one each in Missouri and Indiana, including a devastating path more than .5 mile (1 km) through southern Terre Haute, Indiana, killing 21 people and injuring 250. In all, the two consecutive outbreaks killed at least 241 people and caused at least 19 tornadoes, though only significant events were recorded and other, weaker tornadoes may have gone undetected. The outbreak sequence also produced seven violent tornadoes, nearly half the documented total of tornadoes for the sequence. Tornadoes struck Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, and Indiana. At least $9.68 million in damages were reported.

A series of potent storm systems traversed the US during March 1913, described by the US Weather Bureau as " the most extraordinary situation in regards to the weather since the creation of the bureau." Anomalously high moisture had gathered near the US Gulf Coast, as an intense upper level storm system moved in from the west. According to retrospective numerical modeling of this event, a strong cap aloft was in place over the central Plains, as is common as the elevated mixed layer advects eastward from the Rockies. Observations taken at 13Z 23 March 1913 showed that surface low pressure was located in Colorado, and a warm front stretched due eastward from there into Illinois. Morning temperatures near this front were in the 30s. South of the front warmer and moister air was present, but dewpoints in the upper 50s were confined to southern Oklahoma and Arkansas, far away from where the tornadoes were to later occur in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. As the day progressed, the surface low ejected through Nebraska, with a dry line and trailing cold front. South winds blowing 40 50 knots at times brought the moister air rapidly northward. One of the worst dust storms on record occurred behind the dry line in western Kansas, but in the warm sector the day remained dry until mid afternoon when light showers began to form in central Nebraska. A cooperative observer in Osceola noted that the wind shifted from S to NW at 2230Z (4:30 PM local). Professors at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln noted that the relative humidity there jumped from 53% at 2150Z to 78% at 2230Z, indicating much higher dewpoints had rapidly arrived in Lincoln since the cold front was still to the west near Osceola. They also noted that the surface low passed just to the north of Omaha and was in western Iowa at 01Z 24 March 1913. With all of this observed information, it is likely that the quality moisture required to produce convection strong enough for tornadoes arrived just an hour or two before the strong forcing associated with the surface low pressure and attendant frontal systems. At the time of the tornadoes it is estimated that surface temperatures were in the upper 60s, dewpoints were in the upper 50s, and surface winds were southerly around 25 30 knots. Numerical modeling estimates that 500 hPa flow was around 80 knots from the WSW and that CAPE was from 1000 to 2000 J/kg. These conditions are similar to those found in other tornado outbreaks. Tornadic storms developed from 5:00 6:00 PM local time and while storm motions were to the NE, the prevalence of tornadic storms moved southward with the dryline/cold front intersection, lasting until 8:00 PM local in NW Missouri. A serial derecho then formed and moved across Iowa and Illinois through the nighttime hours, hitting Chicago in the early morning.

F#LocationCountyTime (UTC)Path lengthDamageGeorgia F2S of Madison to near BuckheadMorgan06008 mile (13 km)1 death — Tornado hit five plantations and destroyed 30 buildings. Mississippi F2Near RulevilleSunflower0610unknown3 deaths — Tornado completely destroyed homes. F2Louisville to N of MaconWinston, Noxubee063030 mile (48 km)9 deaths — Family of tornadoes destroyed or damaged roughly 25 homes near Louisville, killing two people and injuring 15. Five people in one family were killed as the tornadoes passed north of Macon. Paths of individual tornadoes could not be identified. F2Rienzi to CorinthPrentiss, Alcorn06305 mile (8 km)2 deaths — Tornado killed two people as it reportedly leveled the entire town of Rienzi. Was not rated higher due to poor building standards in the rural South at that time. Alabama F2Near FlorenceLauderdale0700unknown3 deaths — Tornado destroyed seven barns and 20 homes, killing three children. F2W of Decatur to near MeridianvilleMorgan, Limestone, Madison073040 mile (64 km)3 deaths — Tornado destroyed numerous sharecroppers' tenant homes, other homes, and an Episcopal church. Probably a tornado family. Two of the deceased were children. F2E of Talladega to HeflinTalladega, Clay, Cleburne090035 mile (56 km)Tornado destroyed 12 rural homes near Talladega. May have been a tornado family as two tornadoes were observed 1 mile (2 km) apart and the path was not continuous. F4E of Fulton to Lower Peach TreeClarke, Wilcox103013 mile (21 km)27 deaths — Tornado began at Scyrene and destroyed 100 homes at Lower Peach Tree, with F4 damage to about 20 well built homes. All deaths at Lower Peach Tree. Tornado damage $100,000 with major flood damage after the tornado. Total losses from tornado and flood at least $200,000. Path .25 mile (0 km) wide. F2E of CamdenWilcox110012 mile (19 km)1 death— Tornado began from the same supercell thunderstorm that produced the Lower Peach Tree tornado. Sources: Grazulis 1993

F#LocationCountyTime (UTC)Path lengthDamageNebraska F3W of Craig to NW of Blencoe, IowaBurt (NE), Monona (IA)230015 mile (24 km)Tornado hit rural areas; 12 farms damaged and 11 homes destroyed in Nebraska. Also caused damage in Iowa. F4SE of Mead to W of Logan, IowaSaunders, Douglas, Washington (NE), Harrison (IA)233055 mile (89 km)22 deaths— Tornado destroyed southern side of Yutan, Nebraska, killing 17 people, half of them children. Destroyed 40 homes plus four churches in Nebraska; losses nearly $100,000 in the state. Two deaths in Iowa. F3Near Havelock, Lincoln, to E of GreenwoodLancaster, Cass233015 mile (24 km)Tornado destroyed homes along its path as it hit Prairie Home and passed east of Greenwood. Parent thunderstorm later spawned the F4 Omaha tornado. F4Ralston to SE of Beebeetown, IowaSarpy, Douglas (NE), Pottawattamie (IA), Harrison, Shelby234540 mile (64 km)103 deaths — See section on this tornado. Photographs indicated possible F5 damage at Omaha but may have reflected clean up efforts, so only F4 rating was assigned. F4Bellevue to SE of Harlan, IowaSarpy (NE), Pottawattamie (IA), Harrison, Shelby001548 mile (77 km)25 deaths — Likely tornado family hit southern section of Council Bluffs, causing 17 deaths in small homes. Other deaths at Gilliat (two), east of Weston (two), and near Neola (three), all in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. One final death southeast of Harlan. Final 15 mile (24 km) in the track probably a separate tornado. Losses $400,000. F4S of Douglas to near Macedonia, IowaOtoe, Cass (NE), Mills (IA), Pottawattamie001560 mile (97 km)18 deaths — Longest lived, continuous tornado of the outbreak; caused F4 damage to many farms northwest of Syracuse, Nebraska, along with major damage to Otoe, then called Berlin, and 12 deaths there; losses $250,000 at Otoe. Entered Iowa after passing through Rock Bluff, Nebraska. More F4 damage to farms in Mills County, Iowa, with three deaths north of Bartlett and two more southeast of Glenwood. F2BurchardPawnee01005 mile (8 km)Tornado unroofed and destroyed a school and four homes. Louisiana F2NW of SalineBienville01006 mile (10 km)1 death — Tornado hit and destroyed tenant homes along with a large estate. Another deadly tornado may have hit Bossier Parish. Indiana F4N of Prairieton to Terre HauteVigo, Clay023022 mile (35 km)21 deaths — Tornado destroyed or damaged 300 homes and produced F4 damage to a five block swath in southern Terre Haute. All 21 deaths in Terre Haute with downburst damage in nearby communities. Major floods followed the tornado, causing 12 more deaths at Terre Haute and 260 in other areas. Total damage $1,000,000. Missouri F4SW of Savannah to E of AlbanyAndrew, Gentry, Harrison023045 mile (72 km)2 deaths — Tornado killed two people as it passed just southeast of Flag Springs. F4 level damage north of King City and south of Darlington, with damage to 30 farms in Gentry County. Occurred at the same time as the F4 Terre Haute tornado. Sources: Grazulis 1993

The same storm system that struck Nebraska created a dust storm in Kansas and hit Missouri with hail and heavy rain. The Omaha tornado marked the beginning of the destruction from storms associated with the Great Flood of 1913. On Monday and Tuesday, March 24 and 25, the storms brought heavy rains to the Midwest and upstate New York, causing widespread flooding.

Remarkably, operators from the Webster Telephone Exchange Building in Omaha did not leave their stations either during or after the tornado. The building was used as an infirmary for the wounded and dying, with physicians and nurses coming from area hospitals. US Army troops from Fort Omaha set up headquarters in the building, as soldiers patrolled the area for looters and to offer assistance. Initially, James Dahlman, the longtime mayor of Omaha, refused assistance from any outside sources, including the federal government. However, he relented after seeing the extent of the damage throughout the city. The federal government poured in assistance soon after. The massive damage caused by the tornado inspired new engineering techniques aimed at creating a tornado proof edifice. The first such building was the First National Bank of Omaha building, built in 1916 at 1603 Farnam Street. The 14 story building was built in a "U" shape.