page_title: Tornadoes of 2019
section_title: February 23–24
hierarchical_section_title: Tornadoes of 2019 / February / February 23–24
caption_attribution_description: English: EF3 damage to a grocery store in Columbus, Mississippi. One person was killed at this location.
context_page_description: This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2019. 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, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail.
  There were 1,676 preliminary filtered reports of tornadoes in the United States in 2019, of which at least 1,522 were confirmed. This makes 2019 the fourth most active season on record, behind 2008, 2011, and 2004. Worldwide, 100 tornado-related deaths were confirmed; 42 in the United States, 28 in Nepal, 14 in China, seven in Cuba, two each in South Africa, Turkey, and Indonesia, and one each in Chile, Italy, and Japan.
context_section_description: On the morning of February 23, the Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk of severe weather. This included a 15% hatched risk area for tornadoes. The possibility of a few strong, long-tracked tornadoes was noted. On the evening of February 23, through the early morning hours or February 24, a small tornado outbreak occurred in portions of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. A large, rain-wrapped EF3 tornado touched down and struck the city of Columbus, Mississippi, damaging or destroying numerous homes and businesses in town. A church was largely destroyed, and the top of a cell tower was bent over. A large brick grocery store building was almost entirely leveled, resulting in one fatality, the first of 2019. Nineteen other people were injured by the tornado. An EF2 tornado also caused considerable damage to homes and trees as it clipped the west edge of Burnsville, Mississippi. In addition, an EF1 tornado near Kingville, Alabama downed hundreds of trees and destroyed a manufactured home. 
  Overall, this outbreak produced eight tornadoes, killed one person, and resulted in 19 injuries.
caption: EF3 damage to a grocery store in Columbus, Mississippi. One person was killed at this location.
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