Tornado outbreak of March 3–4, 2030
| No image provided | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 3–4, 2030 |
| Tornado outbreak | |
| Tornadoes | 155 (Record for largest outbreak in March) |
| Maximum rating | EF6 tornado |
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| Highest winds | Tornadic - 270 mph (430 km/h) (Dodge Center, Minnesota EF6 on March 4) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | Unknown |
| Injuries | Unknown |
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| Part of the Tornadoes of 2030 | |
Meteorological synopsis
Confirmed tornadoes
| EFU | EF0 | EF1 | EF2 | EF3 | EF4 | EF5 | EF6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 65 | 39 | 31 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 155 |
Ackerman–Sturgis–Bradley–Longview–Starkville–Tibbee–Waverly, Mississippi
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| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| EF5 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 215 mph (346 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3+ |
| Injuries | 85+ |
A large, long-track, and potentially violent tornado struck the communities of Bradley, Longview, and Starkville in Mississippi directly during the late-night hours of March 3. The tornado would damage or destroy multiple structures in its path. Doppler radar measured a gate-to-gate velocity on this tornado of 245 mph (394 km/h). Starkville was the worst hit, with the tornado directly impacting the downtown district. The tornado would track over 50 miles across northeastern Mississippi and remain on the ground for over an hour.
There have been reports of slabbed homes within the city, but damage surveys are still ongoing. Preliminary surveys indicated this tornado was at least low-end EF4 intensity. Each county affected has yet to post its death/injury totals, as they are still unknown. The latest information shows that over 85 people were injured, according to the public, along with 3 known fatalities.
Freeborn–Ellendale–Bixby–Dodge Center–Mantorville–Genoa–Oronoco–South Troy, Minnesota
| File:2030 Dodge Center MN tornado EF5220DI.png A home in Dodge Center destroyed at EF6 intensity | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 4, 2030, 12:27 a.m. CST (UTC-6:00) |
| Dissipated | March 4, 2030, 1:41 a.m. CST (UTC-6:00) |
| Duration | 1 hour, 14 minutes |
| EF6 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 270 mph (430 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 172+ |
| Injuries | 403+ |
A very large, long-track, and extremely violent tornado struck the city of Dodge Center, Minnesota, in the early morning hours of March 4, 2030. This tornado would travel nearly 75 miles across southeastern Minnesota and remain on the ground for over an hour. 172 fatalities and 403 injuries occurred during this tornado, which made it the deadliest in Minnesota's history.
Shortly after the tornado’s formation, surveyors noted that this tornado underwent extreme intensification early in its life and had already committed significant ground scouring less than 15 seconds after being on the ground. As it approached the city of Dodge Center, it would scour the ground so violently that it dug a 4-foot deep trench in the soil, and shredded all vegetation at the surface.
As the tornado impacted Dodge Center, Meteorologists at the NWS office in Chanhassen, Minnesota, noted a large debris signature within the cell as it entered the city. Radar estimates concluded that debris was launched nearly 80,000 feet into the atmosphere. Citizens who took shelter within the tornado’s path noted that they felt an extreme pressure drop that ruptured root canals, ripped tendons, pulled muscles, and even caused slight dislocations of the shoulders.
After the tornado, the response was immediate. Storm spotters were the first among emergency services to arrive in the devastated city. They would report that the city was completely unrecognizable. One survivor said, “It was like a nuclear bomb went off and erased everything”. Emergency services had trouble locating trapped victims due to the extreme damage. Finding the death toll took nearly 2 weeks due to how shredded and broken the city was. Survivors would note that the city looked like it had suffered a drought, along with demolition crews running through with bombs, cranes, wrecking balls, etc.
National Weather Service Damage Surveyors would rate a structure with a 260 mph damage indicator and a 270 mph damage indicator for ground scouring, which are the highest damage indicators ever assigned in history. They noted foundation dislodging, along with the anchor bolts being pulled from the ground. Parts of the foundation were pulled out of the ground and cracked, along with extreme windrowing of its debris miles downwind. Underground plumbing was also ripped out of the ground and granulated. This is the first-ever tornado to receive an EF6 rating after the scale was updated in late 2029.
Quote from a NWS Surveyor: “It was unlike anything I have ever seen. I’ve had my fair share of rating tornadoes, along with researching the strongest tornadoes to ever exist. This is certainly close, if not overtaking the damage done in Smithville, Mississippi, in 2011, and Jarrell, Texas, in 1997. This damage was, by far, some of the worst I’ve ever seen in my entire life… Either on the screen, or in person.”