On This Day in 2007: Major Tornado Outbreak of Mid-October | WeatherBug
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On This Day in 2007: Major Tornado Outbreak of Mid-October

October 16, 2021
By Weatherbug Meteorologist, Mark Ellinwood
The multi-day outbreak hit much of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee Valleys, with dozens of tornadoes from Michigan to Florida.

Storms began to erupt over the central Plains on the morning of October 17, 2007 as a low pressure system quickly developed and strengthened over the region. This system moved quickly across the Plains, becoming a large and mature disturbance over the Mississippi Valley by the 18th. The cold front swept through the Midwest and South, reaching the Appalachians on the 19th.

Between the morning of the 17th and the early morning hours of the 19th, 63 tornadoes touched down, with the strongest being an EF-3 in Nappanee, Indiana.

The Ohio and Tennessee valleys were hit the hardest, which is where the Storm Prediction Center had placed a Moderate Risk for severe weather. In addition to the tornadoes, there were nearly 500 wind damage reports and 150 hail reports.

The outbreak resulted in five deaths, with two in Missouri and three in Michigan. An estimated $54.2 million in damages (2007 USD) was caused during the outbreak.

Sources: SPC, NWS
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Story Image: EF-3 damage in Nappanee, Indiana, on October 18, 2007. Via NWS Northern Indiana