The tornado outbreak of March 2, 2012

70 tornadoesKentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and 8 more states

70 tornadoes touched down across 11 states between 9:10 AM and 11:47 PM CST, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger, and 41 people were killed. The 26th-most tornadoes of any day since 1950.

Watch the day unfold

Tornado outbreak · March 2, 2012

How the day unfolded

Every tornado recorded that day, at its logged touchdown time and along its path, with the counties it crossed.

About this replay

Central time—Historical replay — logged touchdown times

Tornadoes—of 70 that day

Strongest so far—

Killed—in tornadoes so far

The day’s milestones

Tornado pathsWider and brighter with the rating; EF3 and stronger glow

On the groundEach grows from its logged touchdown time

Counties crossedLit as a tornado reaches them, brighter for EF3 or stronger

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database (touchdown times, ratings, start and end points) and Storm Events Database (segment paths and times for the notable tornadoes that have record pages). SPC logs the touchdown time only; other paths are drawn at a typical forward speed of 35 mph. Times are Central Standard Time.

The day in numbers

Tornadoes: 70; 26th of 12,998 tornado days since 1950
EF3 or stronger: 10; 2 rated EF4 or EF5
Killed: 41; 22nd-deadliest tornado day since 1950
Injured: 304; Along all the paths
Path miles: 645; All the paths end to end
First and last: 9:10 AM to 11:47 PM; Touchdowns, Central Standard Time

Hour by hour

Tornadoes touching down in each hour, Central Standard Time.

Every tornado

In order of touchdown. 4 have a record page, linked from the rating.

Tornadoes of March 2, 2012

9:10 AM	EF3	Limestone County, Madison County AL	34.0	250	0	0
10:06 AM	EF2	Madison County AL	7.3	220	0	0
10:08 AM	EF1	Jackson County, Franklin County AL, TN	0.9	100	0	0
10:11 AM	EF0	Clinton County IL	0.7	50	0	0
11:15 AM	EF1	Marion County TN	0.5	100	0	0
11:41 AM	EF3	Hamilton County, Bradley County and 2 more TN	41.0	400	0	44
12:28 PM	EF0	White County IL	2.6	100	0	0
12:37 PM	EF2	Posey County IN	6.1	140	0	0
12:47 PM	EF2	Monroe County TN	14.3	400	0	3
1:00 PM	EF0	Vanderburgh County IN	2.0	50	0	0
1:38 PM	EF2	Union County KY	6.6	200	0	1
1:50 PM	EF4	Washington County, Clark County and 3 more IN, KY	46.6	800	11	0
1:52 PM	EF0	Swain County NC	0.1	40	0	0
1:55 PM	EF0	Limestone County AL	2.7	50	0	0
1:55 PM	EF0	Henderson County KY	3.8	100	0	0
2:06 PM	EF0	Webster County KY	0.8	50	0	0
2:22 PM	EF0	Daviess County KY	0.2	50	0	0
2:30 PM	EF1	Clark County IN	6.6	60	0	0
2:38 PM	EF2	Hancock County, Breckinridge County KY	16.5	200	0	0
2:41 PM	EF3	Trimble County KY	3.3	75	0	0
2:44 PM	EF1	Carroll County KY	2.4	150	0	0
2:45 PM	EF0	Lincoln County TN	0.6	50	0	0
2:52 PM	EF3	Ripley County IN	8.7	350	3	5
3:01 PM	EF0	Trimble County KY	2.7	100	0	0
3:02 PM	EF0	Meade County KY	0.7	30	0	0
3:12 PM	EF1	Henry County KY	0.2	40	0	0
3:23 PM	EF4	Grant County, Kenton County KY	9.8	880	4	8
3:24 PM	EF2	Owen County KY	5.4	150	0	3
3:26 PM	EF0	Limestone County AL	5.0	75	0	0
3:39 PM	EF1	Limestone County AL	2.6	150	0	0
3:39 PM	EF3	Campbell County, Pendleton County and 2 more KY, OH	20.4	440	3	13
3:48 PM	EF1	Cheatham County TN	0.6	100	0	0
4:02 PM	EF0	Bracken County KY	0.1	50	0	0
4:05 PM	EF1	Warren County KY	0.5	60	0	0
4:25 PM	EF1	Adams County OH	2.9	400	0	0
4:30 PM	EF0	Adams County OH	0.1	25	0	0
4:33 PM	EF2	Adams County OH	11.1	330	1	2
4:39 PM	EF3	Menifee County, Morgan County and 4 more KY, WV	85.0	1,580	10	118
4:46 PM	EF0	Scioto County, Pike County OH	4.1	200	0	0
4:46 PM	EF0	Scioto County OH	2.0	100	0	0
4:52 PM	EF0	Rhea County TN	2.7	75	0	0
4:53 PM	EF0	Pike County OH	2.8	100	0	0
5:01 PM	EF0	Coffee County AL	0.5	25	0	0
5:08 PM	EF1	Bath County KY	7.4	250	0	0
5:10 PM	EF1	Marion County TN	0.2	100	0	0
5:26 PM	EF2	Jackson County TN	3.7	880	0	20
5:31 PM	EF1	Putnam County TN	1.6	500	0	0
5:33 PM	EF2	Overton County TN	6.9	400	0	0
5:50 PM	EF3	Wolfe County, Magoffin County and 3 more KY, WV	49.0	1,320	2	37
5:53 PM	EF1	Lowndes County AL	17.6	400	0	0
5:56 PM	EF0	Fentress County TN	6.4	300	0	0
6:04 PM	EF2	Laurel County KY	7.2	310	6	40
6:17 PM	EF0	Geneva County AL	0.1	25	0	0
6:23 PM	EF1	Lamar County MS	11.9	300	0	0
6:32 PM	EF1	Lincoln County WV	16.0	300	0	0
6:42 PM	EF1	Forrest County MS	3.0	300	0	0
6:44 PM	EF2	Cherokee County NC	21.5	400	0	0
7:09 PM	EF3	Haralson County, Paulding County GA	29.0	200	0	1
7:26 PM	EF2	Claiborne County TN	2.6	250	0	4
7:45 PM	EF1	Claiborne County TN	2.5	200	0	0
7:50 PM	EF1	Lee County VA	2.5	200	0	1
8:03 PM	EF0	Jackson County NC	1.8	100	0	0
8:10 PM	EF1	Lee County VA	0.8	100	0	0
8:14 PM	EF1	Cobb County GA	1.4	150	0	0
8:33 PM	EF0	Knox County TN	0.3	70	0	0
9:00 PM	EF0	Knox County TN	2.1	100	0	0
9:15 PM	EF1	Perry County, Dallas County and 1 more AL	18.9	700	0	0
10:01 PM	EF2	Chilton County, Coosa County AL	28.2	700	0	0
10:40 PM	EF2	Tallapoosa County, Chambers County AL	34.0	1,000	1	4
11:47 PM	EF0	Jefferson Davis County MS	0.3	50	0	0

By state

Tornadoes by state, March 2, 2012

Kentucky	19	5	25
Tennessee	15	1	0
Alabama	12	1	1
Ohio	6	0	1
Indiana	5	2	14
Mississippi	3	0	0
North Carolina	3	0	0
Georgia	2	1	0
Illinois	2	0	0
Virginia	2	0	0
West Virginia	1	0	0

Tornadoes in 2012 · On this date in other years · The biggest outbreak days

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025. A day is SPC’s calendar date in Central Standard Time; an outbreak day here has 40 or more tornadoes, or 6 or more rated F3/EF3 or stronger.