"Fall 2003 Tornado Outbreak"
10-11 November 2002

A major severe weather outbreak occurred across the Tennessee and Ohio Valley regions on November 10th and 11th, 2002. Storm damage occurred across 13 states from the Gulf Coast to western Pennsylvania. A total of 75 tornados touched down on the 10th, resulting in at least 36 deaths. A tornado rated as an F-4 on the Fujita Scale, struck Van Wert county in Ohio. In Tennessee, the community of Mossy Grove was nearly destroyed by a mile-wide tornado that claimed 12 lives.

This was the worst tornado outbreak in November in a decade. A strong cold front separating cold Canadain air and warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico triggered this extensive area of severe weather.

Case Study 044