Tornadoes of 1981

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| title = Fatal United States tornadoes in 1981

| titleclass = summary

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| image = {{Location map+|United States|width=450|float=none|relief=yes|border=none|caption=Approximate touchdown location of killer tornadoes in 1981

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{{Location map~|United States|lat=30.8|long=-95.57|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=34.98|long=-79.08|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=36.5|long=-77.07|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=32.25|long=-85.4|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=43.43|long=-88.2|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=1981 West Bend tornado}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=35.95|long=-96|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=36.6|long=-90.42|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=38.18|long=-90.5|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=35.3|long=-97.97|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=40.5|long=-82.9|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=44.82|long=-93.27|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=38.97|long=-95.27|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=38.83|long=-91.13|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

{{Location map~|United States|lat=40.23|long=-90.63|mark=Blue pog.svg|marksize=6|link=}}

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| caption = Summary of tornadoes{{Cite web|date=July 11, 2022|title=Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)|url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/#data|access-date=November 12, 2022|work=Storm Prediction Center|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}{{colbegin|colwidth=16em}}

• February 10 – Texas (1 death)
• February 11 – North Carolina (1 death)
• March 30 – North Carolina, Virginia (1 death)
• April 1 – Alabama (2 deaths)
• April 4 – Wisconsin (3 deaths)
• April 19 – Oklahoma (5 deaths)
• April 22 – Missouri (1 death)
• April 22 – Missouri (1 death)
• April 30 – Oklahoma (1 death)
• June 13 – Ohio (4 deaths)
• June 14 – Minnesota (1 death)
• June 19 – Kansas (1 death)
• June 21 – Missouri (1 death)
• June 21 – Illinois (1 death)

{{colend}}

Total fatalities: 24

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Numbers for 1981 were below average, both in terms of number of tornadoes and number of fatalities.

{{Tornado Chart | Total=782 | F0=283 | F1=320 | F2=149 | F3=23 | F4=7 | F5=0 | Enhanced=no}}

Only two tornadoes touched down in January, both were rated F0 and took place in California.

There were 25 tornadoes confirmed in the U.S. in February, injuring 82 people.

The first fatal tornadoes of the year occurred during a relatively small outbreak between February 10 and 11. Two F2 tornadoes, one in Walker County, Texas and the other in Hoke/Cumberland County, North Carolina, killed one person each.

{{Tornado Chart | Total=2 | F0=0 | F1=0 | F2=2 | F3=0 | F4=0 | F5=0 | Enhanced=no}}

There were 33 tornadoes confirmed in the U.S. in March.

One person was killed by an F2 tornado in Hertford County, North Carolina.

There were 84 tornadoes confirmed in the U.S. in April. Most of the year's fatalities took place during the month, with 13 people perishing.

At approximately 10:55 PM, a tornado—later determined to be an F4—touched down north of Wilson Park in Granite City, Illinois, and began tracking northeast. As it strengthened, it damaged or destroyed 31 homes in northeast Granite before proceeding to Pontoon Beach, where it severely damaged 20 more mobile homes and residences. According to reports, it sheared trees, moved/overturned several vehicles, and reportedly drove a pair of hand-hedge trimmers into a telephone pole.https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10005315

The tornado lifted for a short period before touching back down east of the intersection of Interstate 270 and Illinois Route 157, overturning and damaging two tractor trailers.{{cite news |last= Horrell |first= Steve |date= April 9, 2006 |title= A night to remember — 25 years ago |url= https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/A-night-to-remember-25-years-ago-10453789.php |work= Edwardsville Intelligencer |location= Edwardsville, Illinois |publisher= |access-date= June 9, 2025}}

It briefly lifted again—still moving northeast—before touching back down and striking Edwardsville, Illinois, where it severely damaged or destroyed residences and businesses.https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10005315 Reports described a transformer being blown about 1/2 of a block, boards and limbs being driven/embedded into walls and windshields, as well as pieces of linoleum being driven underneath the molding over the vinyl roof of a car.https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10005315

The strength of the circulation then wavered before dissipating near the northern edge of Edwardsville.

Between Granite City and Edwardsville, the tornado tracked approximately 12 miles northeast, reaching a peak width of 567 yards. There were 32 direct injuries, and 0 fatalities reported. The tornado caused a total of $25M in property damage.https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=10005315

{{see also|1981 West Bend tornado}}

{{Tornado chart small|F0=1|F1=2|F2=1|F4=1}}

A rare anticyclonic tornado struck West Bend, Wisconsin at F4 intensity, killing three people and injuring 53 others. It was part of a small outbreak that produced five tornadoes with 10 additional injuries also taking place.

{{clear}}

Five people were killed in Bixby, Oklahoma by an F3 tornado.

There were 187 tornadoes in the US in May.

{{Main|Tornado outbreak of May 22–23, 1981}}

File:Binger_Oklahoma_Tornado.jpg

{{Tornado chart small| F0 = 15 | F1 = 14 | F2 = 11 | F3 = 2 | F4 = 1 | F5 = 0}}

An outbreak of 43 tornadoes occurred in areas from Western Oklahoma to Central Iowa. A large F4 tornado struck Scott, Oklahoma northeast of Binger. The outbreak injured 12 people, but there were no fatalities.

{{Clear}}

There were 223 tornadoes in the US in June, resulting in eight fatalities.

A small tornado outbreak affected Colorado, including the Denver metro area.{{cite web |title=A look back at the most destructive tornado in Denver metro history: June 3, 1981 Thornton, Colorado {{!}} ThorntonWeather.com |url=https://www.thorntonweather.com/blog/thornton-weather/a-look-back-at-the-most-destructive-tornado-in-denver-metro-history-june-3-1981-thornton-Colorado/ |access-date=25 May 2022}}

An F3 tornado killed four people in Cardington, Ohio.

There were 98 tornadoes in the US in July.

An F3 tornado in North Dakota tracked through Bismarck and Mandan without causing any fatalities or injuries.

There were 64 tornadoes in the US in August.

There were 26 tornadoes in the US in September.

There were 32 tornadoes in the US in October.

Two tornadoes touched down in italy, including one in Ostia Antica that injured 5 people, while causing significant damage to buildings and scattering debris long distances.https://web.archive.org/web/20250201150224/https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi?lang=en_0&lastquery=1514511686

{{Tornado Chart

|Total = 2

|FU = 2

|F0 = 0

|F1 = 0

|F2 = 0

|F3 = 0

|F4 = 0

|F5 = 0

| Enhanced=no

}}

{{Main|NLM CityHopper Flight 431}}

A damaging tornado caused significant damage to buildings in Moerdijk, Netherlands. As the tornado was dissipating, NLM CityHopper Flight 431 flew unknowingly into the tornado and crashed, causing 18 fatalities; all 17 on board were killed as well as one on-ground fatality, caused by a cardiac arrest.https://web.archive.org/web/20250201150224/https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi?lang=en_0&lastquery=1514511686

An F2 tornado struck the towns Rájec-Jestřebí & Karolín in Czech Republic along a 3km path. The next day, An F2 tornado destroyed a barn in Lemvig Municipality in Denmark.https://web.archive.org/web/20250201145207/https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi?lang=en_0&lastquery=1447205429

{{Tornado Chart

|Total = 2

|FU = 0

|F0 = 0

|F1 = 0

|F2 = 2

|F3 = 0

|F4 = 0

|F5 = 0

| Enhanced=no

}}

There were seven tornadoes in the US in November.

An F2 tornado caused heavy damages to a forest in Blizyn.https://web.archive.org/web/20250201150224/https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi?lang=en_0&lastquery=1514511686

{{clear}}

{{Main|1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak}}

A large tornado outbreak occurred across the UK, Denmark and Germany, with a vast majority occurring in the UK, mainly in central England and Wales. About 107 tornadoes were reported to have touched down in what remains the largest tornado outbreak in European history. 104 tornadoes touched down in the United Kingdom during a span of less than 6 hours on November 23.https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/research/library-and-archive/library/publications/historical-weather-factsheets/mosttornadoesinoneday23november1981.pdf On the following day, 3 tornadoes were reported in Denmark and Germany combined.https://web.archive.org/web/20250201145207/https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi?lang=en_0&lastquery=1447205429{{Tornado Chart

|Total = 107

|FU = 22

|F0 = 25

|F1 = 58

|F2 = 2

|F3 = 0

|F4 = 0

|F5 = 0

| Enhanced=no

}}

There was one tornado in the US in December.

• Tornado
• Tornadoes by year
• Tornado records
• Tornado climatology
• Tornado myths
• List of tornado outbreaks
• List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia
• List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of tornadoes striking downtown areas
• Tornado intensity
• Fujita scale
• Enhanced Fujita scale

{{reflist|3}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090521161610/http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/tornado-deaths-monthly-US.html Tornado deaths monthly]

{{Tornadoes by year}}

{{1981 tornado outbreaks}}

Category:1981 meteorology

Category:Tornado-related lists by year

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