Clockwise from top: Major damage in Mayfield, Kentucky following a large EF4 tornado on December 10; A radar loop of an EF4 tornado striking Newnan, Georgia on March 25; Damage from a deadly EF3 tornado in Shengze, China on May 14; A multi-vortex tornado near Punkin Center, Colorado on May 22; Major damage caused by an IF4 tornado in Lužice, Czech Republic on June 24. | |
| Timespan | January 1 – December 31 |
|---|---|
| Maximum rated tornado | EF4 tornado
|
| Tornadoes in U.S. | 1,315 |
| Damage (U.S.) | >$7.7 billion |
| Fatalities (U.S.) | 103 |
| Fatalities (worldwide) | 150 |
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This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2021. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail. Worldwide, 150 tornado-related deaths were confirmed with 103 in the United States, 28 in China, six in the Czech Republic, four in Russia, three in Italy, two in India, and one each in Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Turkey.
The year started well below average with the lowest amount of tornado reports through the first two months in the past 16 years and remained below-average for most of the year due to inactivity during April, June, September, and November.[1][2] Despite this, several intense outbreaks occurred in March, May, July, August, and October. The year ended on a destructive note, however, as December was incredibly active, more than doubling the previous record, which pushed 2021 above average. Additionally, 2021 had the most tornado fatalities in the United States since 2011.[3]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "U.S. Tornado Climatology". ncdc.noaa.gov. National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ "Storm Prediction Center WCM Page". spc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ "December 2021 Tornado Outbreak". Center for Disaster Philanthropy. April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.