page_title: Tornadoes of 2011
section_title: May 21–26
hierarchical_section_title: Tornadoes of 2011 / May / May 21–26
caption_attribution_description: English: A de-barked tree cluttered with tornado debris at its base. This picture was taken north of El Reno, Oklahoma just minutes after the passage of an EF5 tornado which killed nine people.
context_page_description: This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2011. Extremely destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, Brazil and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also appear regularly in neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season, and somewhat regularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
  There were 1,703 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in 2011. It was the second most active year on record, with only 2004 having more confirmed tornadoes. 2011 was an exceptionally destructive and deadly year for tornadoes; worldwide, at least 571 people perished due to tornadoes: 12 in Bangladesh, two in South Africa, one each in New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia and Canada, and 553 in the United States. Due mostly to several extremely large tornado outbreaks in the middle and end of April and in late May, the year finished well above average in almost every category, with six EF5 tornadoes and nearly enough total tornado reports to eclipse the mark of 1,817 tornadoes recorded in 2004, the current record year for total number of tornadoes.
context_section_description: On May 21, a small system of thunderstorms began to develop in Brown County, Kansas. At the same time, another system formed to the southeast of Emporia, Kansas. The Brown county system developed into a tornado over Shawnee County, Kansas and touched down over Topeka, Kansas for several seconds causing minor damage nearby. Meanwhile, the Emporia system continued to move to the northeast, where an EF3 tornado heavily damaged the town of Reading, Kansas. One person was killed there, several others were injured and at least 20 houses were destroyed. After hitting Topeka it hit several towns including Oskaloosa, Kansas, doing extensive damage to that community. Several other tornadoes touched down in the region that evening.
  A moderate risk of severe weather was issued for much of the Midwest south to Oklahoma for May 22. The first tornadic supercell that day developed in the mid-afternoon hours over the western Twin Cities with a swath of damage, especially in and around Minneapolis, Minnesota. An intense tornado also tracked towards Harmony, Minnesota that afternoon and a tornado emergency was issued. Late that afternoon, at about 5:15 pm CDT (2215 UTC), a very large and intense multiple-vortex tornado resulted in catastrophic damage in Joplin, Missouri. Many houses and businesses were flattened and some even were blown away in Joplin, the main hospital was heavily damaged and many people were reported to have been trapped in destroyed houses. The Weather Channel video showed entire communities flattened. Early reports suggest there were at least 125 fatalities, but as of May 2012, the death toll was confirmed at exactly 158, and another 1,000+ injured. This tornado was given a rating of EF5.
  Late in the afternoon on May 24, supercells began forming over western Kansas and Oklahoma, as the National Weather Service predicted a dangerous tornado outbreak. As a line of powerful cells began to take shape, trained spotters reported large tornadoes near El Reno, Oklahoma and in rural Grady County, Oklahoma. One of these swept from Binger to Guthrie, destroying many homes and causing at least nine fatalities. This tornado was rated an EF5, the sixth of the year and second of the outbreak sequence. Three other EF4 tornadoes developed among the many other tornadoes that day.
  At around 10:00 pm EDT on May 25, an EF3 tornado hit the city of Bedford, Indiana. U.S. Route 50 was temporarily closed due to heavy debris. Also, a tornado had reportedly touched down in Keyser, WV and tracked as far as Berkeley Springs. On May 26, strong thunderstorms travelled through the Cumberland Valley in South Central Pennsylvania with reports of EF1 tornadoes near Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, and Hershey. Tornadoes also destroyed the setup for the Harrisburg ArtsFest scheduled to take place the following weekend.
caption: A debarked tree just north El Reno with various debris, including a car, piled at its base. Note the severe ground scouring in the foreground.
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