page_title: Tornadoes of 2017
section_title: October 21–23
hierarchical_section_title: Tornadoes of 2017 / October / October 21–23
caption_attribution_description: English: EF2 damage to a metal truss tower and an industrial building in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
context_page_description: This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2017. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Eastern India, but they 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 and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.
  There were 1,522 reports of tornadoes in the United States in 2017, of which 1,418 were confirmed. Worldwide, 36 fatalities have been confirmed in 2017: 35 in the United States and one in Brazil. The tornado season in 2017 started exceptionally early, having the second most active January since records began in 1950, and one of the most active first quarters in recorded history. 2017 also had four high risk outlooks issued by the Storm Prediction Center, making this the most active in the sense of high risk outlooks since 2011, which had a total of five high risk outlooks issued throughout the entire year.
context_section_description: On the night of October 21, several tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma. One of these was a high-end EF1 that impacted the southwestern fringes of Norman in the vicinity of Interstate 35 and Oklahoma State Highway 9. The tornado caused damage to trees and power poles, and damaged or destroyed several metal sheds and outbuildings. The touchdown of the tornado was seen on live television as storm chasers Val and Amy Castor from KWTV-DT were in the immediate vicinity of the tornado when it formed, causing light damage to their vehicle as it passed directly overhead. The tornado also did damage to part of the Riverwind Casino, which at the time was hosting a Beach Boys concert attended by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. Despite the damage, no injuries were reported. Another EF1 tornado struck the town of Seminole, where there was considerable damage to homes, businesses, trees, and a church. Tornado activity on October 22 was limited to a single EF1 that injured one person and caused moderate damage to a large industrial building and some trailers in Pascagoula, Mississippi; the second EF1 tornado to cause damage in Pascagoula in the year 2017. The most significant tornado activity occurred on October 23, as an EF1 tornado downed many trees and damaged several homes in Spartanburg, South Carolina. After the initial Spartanburg tornado dissipated, a second, stronger EF2 tornado caused major damage to industrial buildings, a metal truss tower, trees and power poles, a gas station, and vehicles in the northwestern part of the city, and injured one person. Another EF2 tornado damaged or destroyed multiple homes, destroyed outbuildings, and snapped trees and power poles near Gaffney. In North Carolina, an EF2 tornado destroyed a hangar and several planes at the airport in Hickory. The Hickory tornado also downed hundreds of trees onto structures and vehicles. Overall, this outbreak produced 21 tornadoes and did not result in any fatalities.
caption: EF2 damage to a metal truss tower and an industrial building in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
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