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State of the Climate
Tornadoes
August 2009

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Climatic Data Center

Use the form below to access monthly reports.

« July 2009
Tornadoes Report

Significant SPC Storm Reports

Tonadic Activity Around Memphis
Strong Thunderstorms in the Midwest
Image created using NCDC's Weather and Climate Toolkit

Only 58 preliminary tornadoes occurred during the month of August, well shy of the 3-year average of 85. Also below the 3-year average are deaths, as none occurred for the third straight month. The 3-year average of tornado related fatalities is 91 and the year-to-date total is only 21.



On August 19, nearly half of the months tornado totals occurred in a six state region that included Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio. Dozens of people were injured across the area, but no one was killed. The most powerful of the tornadoes was an EF-2 in Chesterton, Indiana. The small town southeast of Chicago witnessed a four mile long tornado that, at its peak, contained winds of 120 mph and a width of 60 yards.

Questions?

For questions on technical or scientific content of this report, please contact:

Jake Crouch:
Jake.Crouch@noaa.gov

For general climate monitoring questions, please contact:

CMB.Contact@noaa.gov

For climate data orders, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services and Monitoring Division:

NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov

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