Enigma tornado outbreak

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox weather eventTemplate:Infobox weather event/Tornado outbreak Template:Infobox weather event/Effects Template:Infobox weather event/Footer On February 19–20, 1884, a large tornado outbreak occurred over the Southeastern United States, known as the Enigma tornado outbreak due to the uncertain number of total tornadoes and fatalities. Nonetheless, an inspection of newspaper reports and governmental studies published in the aftermath reveals successive, long-tracked tornado families striking Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, with an estimation of at least 51—and possibly 60 or more—tornadoes striking that Tuesday into Wednesday.

The majority of reported tornado activity was seen across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, which were all struck severely by multiple waves of tornado families. In the Southeast, the outbreak began during the late morning in Mississippi, preceded by severe thunderstorms in Louisiana. Shortly thereafter, the outbreak widened and intensified, progressing from Alabama to Virginia between noon and midnight. The outbreak also produced the deadliest individual tornado in North Carolina history, an F4 which swept through the Rockingham area, killing 23.Template:Efn

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
13	?	1	24	9	4	0	≥ 51*

The following events were also reported:Template:Sfn

• A possible tornado may have occurred on February 19 south of Chester, South Carolina, killing one person.
• Another tornado may have destroyed five homes south of Branchville.

Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.

February 19 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, February 19, 1884

F#Template:Efn	Location	County / Parish	State	Time (UTC)Template:Efn	Path length	WidthTemplate:Efn
F2	Louisville	Winston	MS	17:00–?	Template:Unk
	A mill and a pair of small homes were destroyed.Template:Sfn
F2	NE of Crawford (MS) to NW of Carrollton (AL)	Lowndes (MS), Pickens (AL)	MS, AL	17:30–?
	1+ death – Sharecroppers' cabins were destroyed, and plantations near Columbus heavily damaged. Multiple people may have died in Mississippi. 20 injuries occurred.Template:Sfn
F1+	SW of Clarksville to ENE of Hampton Station	Montgomery	TN	17:45–?	Template:Unk
	Many homes lost their roofs, and trees and fencing were felled. A large, domed warehouse lost its cupola and much of its roofing. Several other warehouses were unroofed, along with a number of businesses. Skylights and windows were shattered as well, a carriage house and carriage destroyed, chimneys knocked down, and a church twisted on its foundation. Half a dozen homes occupied by blacks were leveled, at least one of them a robust, frame structure. Three injuries were reported.
F2	Cumming	Forsyth	GA	18:20–?
	1 death – 20 or more homes were destroyed or damaged. Entire swaths were reportedly leveled. 40 injuries occurred.Template:Sfn
F2	E of Columbus to Geneva	Muscogee, Talbot	GA	18:30–?
	This was probably a family of two tornadoes. Heavy damage occurred in the Columbus area, to mostly industrial property, totaling $85,000. Five injuries occurred. hailstones were reported in Harris County, just north of Columbus.Template:Sfn
F2	N of Tallapoosa	Haralson	GA	18:30–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Many homes were destroyed. Several fatalities may have occurred. Two people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	S of Rockford to E of Goodwater	Coosa	AL	18:30–?		Template:Unk
	Schools and homes were wrecked. 15 injuries occurred, a number of which were by students. Fires erupted in Goodwater after the passing of the storm, damaging several homes.Template:Sfn
F4	S of Cartersville to Mount Oglethorpe	Bartow, Cherokee, Pickens, Dawson	GA	19:00–?
	22 deaths – This large, violent, long-tracked tornado formed from the same storm as the Tallapoosa F2. The tornado and downbursts combined to damage areas. Most of the fatalities occurred near Jasper, Cagle, and Tate, where numerous spacious, well-built homes belonging to "prominent" owners were swept away; a publication by meteorologist Thomas P. Grazulis in 1984 indicated that these homes may have incurred F5 damage. Three of the dead were schoolchildren who had been dismissed early and sheltered in an old home. A stretch of farmland and timberland was obliterated, and some of the dead were found distant. The tornado and downbursts altogether destroyed of woodland. In all, 100 people were injured.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
F4	Oxmoor to SE of Branchville	Jefferson, St. Clair	AL	19:20–?
	13+ deaths – This extremely intense tornado, which formed just south of Birmingham, crossed the Cahaba Valley near Shades Mountain, injuring 15 people and wrecking nine homes at Brock Gap. At Leeds the tornado damaged a newly built industrial area, where 27 homes, mostly constructed of brick, were destroyed, many of which were well built and obliterated, some along with their foundations. All known fatalities occurred in the Leeds area, but additional deaths may have occurred elsewhere, and the total number of dead may have exceeded 18. 30 people were injured along the path.Template:Sfn
F2	N of Lincoln	Talladega, Calhoun	AL	19:45–?
	Several homes were destroyed. 15 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	N of Watkinsville to Sandy Cross	Oconee, Clarke, Oglethorpe	GA	20:00–?		Template:Unk
	This strong tornado damaged several small homes, injuring five people. A well-built barn was shattered and timberland flattened.Template:Sfn
F4	N of Jacksonville (AL) to N of Cave Spring (GA)	Calhoun (AL), Cherokee (AL), Floyd (GA)	AL, GA	20:30–?
	30+ deaths – This violent, long-lived tornado ravaged six or more rural communities in Alabama, causing 26 deaths, 10 of which occurred just north of Piedmont. 14 deaths were reported at Goshen, where a schoolmaster died and 25 pupils were injured; half a dozen of the latter may have died later. Frail housing "literally vanished," and cotton bales were moved . In Georgia the tornado obliterated many large homes, killing four more people. In all, 100 people were injured.Template:Sfn Another F4 tornado, closely following the path of this one, hit the Piedmont–Goshen area and killed 20 people in a single church on March 27, 1994.
F2	Indian Springs to Smithboro	Butts, Jasper, Putnam, Greene	GA	20:30–?
	2+ deaths – This strong, long-tracked tornado wrecked several dozen tenant homes. Several people were severely injured. A third death may have been tornado-related but was not definitively attributable. The path was up to wide at times and passed north of Monticello. 30 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F3	E of Doraville to Hix	Gwinnett, Barrow, Jackson, Madison	GA	20:30–?
	2 deaths – This was probably an intense tornado family, individual members of which left swaths of destruction. Damage may have begun in DeKalb County, where structures were felled. Farmhouses—some of which were reportedly "leveled"—and miles of forest were destroyed. The deaths occurred in a boarding house. 35 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	Franklin to Palmetto	Heard, Coweta, Fulton	GA	20:30–?	≥
	1+ death – Damage occurred northwest of Newnan and in Palmetto. At least three strong tornadoes, occurring in quick succession, affected the same area, each of which was likely of at least F2 status. At least five fatalities may have occurred. 30 injuries were reported.Template:Sfn
F3	NW of Lula to S of Toccoa	Hall, Banks, Habersham, Stephens	GA	20:30–?
	2+ deaths – This intense tornado passed south of Mount Airy, sweeping away a home in Banks County. A third death was unconfirmed. The tornado wrecked 14 or more homes, along with many miles of timberland. 20 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F3	Hillsboro to SE of Eatonton	Jasper, Putnam, Hancock	GA	21:00–?
	8+ deaths – This intense tornado destroyed a plantation, killing seven or more tenants and a woman. Many small homes were leveled on the plantation. 10 or more additional deaths may have taken place among sharecroppers elsewhere, but were never verified. 50 injuries were confirmed. In 1984 Grazulis listed this tornado as an F4, but downgraded it to F3 in his later work.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
F3	Maynard to Blountsville to NW of Milledgeville	Monroe, Jones, Baldwin	GA	21:15–?
	12 deaths – Large homes were swept away in Jones County, along with many smaller homes. Eyewitnesses north of Macon described a multiple-vortex storm, preceded by hail. 50 injuries occurred. In 1984 Grazulis listed this tornado as an F4, but downgraded it to F3 in his later work.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
FU	Marietta	Pickens, Greenville	SC	21:30–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	A church and many small homes destroyed in the Marietta area, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwestern Greenville County. Damage from downbursts or a series of small tornadoes continued into Rutherford County, North Carolina.
FU	Brevard to S of Marion	Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, McDowell	NC	21:30–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	This complex series of small, short-lived tornadoes and/or violent downbursts originated in the upper French Broad valley, before descending the Blue Ridge.
F2	N of Woodruff to Pacolet	Spartanburg, Cherokee	SC	21:30–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Many barns and small homes were wrecked, and a larger home was unroofed. Six people were injured. The tornado passed near Glenn Springs.Template:Sfn
F2	S of Highgrove to E of Fairfield	Nelson, Spencer	KY	21:30–?
	1 death – Six or more homes were destroyed and 30 people injured in the Highgrove area. The sole fatality occurred in a barn.Template:Sfn
F3	N of Sparta to N of Thomson	Hancock, Warren, McDuffie, Columbia	GA	22:00–?
	2+ deaths – This tornado family formed from the same storm as the Hillsboro F3. Farms and small homes were destroyed at multiple locations. A train derailed northwest of Augusta. Substantial hail accumulations were reported in Warren County. At least two additional deaths may have occurred. 15 people were injured. In 1984 Grazulis listed this tornado as an F4, but downgraded it to F3 in his later work.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
F3	S of Anderson	Anderson, Greenville	SC	22:30–?
	2+ deaths – This multiple-vortex tornado or family passed through a mill/village complex, destroying at least 12 small homes, along with several larger homes and a tenant home. One or more additional deaths may have occurred. 20 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	S of Washington to S of Lincolnton	Wilkes, Lincoln	GA	22:30–?
	7+ deaths – Deaths, mainly those of children, occurred on a pair of plantations. Some reports indicated as many as 20 fatalities. 40 people were injured.Template:Sfn
FU	Chester	Chester	SC	23:00–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Severe damage occurred in downtown Chester, with 40 homes damaged or destroyed elsewhere in town. Losses totaled $50,000.
F2	S of Thomson to Harlem	McDuffie, Columbia	GA	23:00–?		Template:Unk
	This tornado hit five plantations, destroying many cotton gins, mills, tenant homes, and small homes. Seven injuries occurred.Template:Sfn
F3	S of Tennille to Davisboro	Washington, Jefferson	GA	23:00–?
	4 deaths – This intense tornado family occurred within a wider complex of downbursts, which combined to create a broad damage swath. The business district of Davisboro was devastated, with every business in downtown destroyed; losses there totaled 30 stores and homes. Debris was carried for . 30 people were injured and losses totaled at least $100,000.Template:Sfn
F2	S of Shelton to Woodward to S of Lancaster	Fairfield, Chester, Lancaster	SC	23:15–?
	3 deaths – A damage swath peaked at wide; eyewitness accounts from Lancaster (the storm passed immediately south of town) would suggest that this was a tornado/downburst complex and likely a family of multiple tornadoes. Its attendant supercell later produced the Polkton F3 in North Carolina, and small tornadoes or downbursts linked the paths of these larger storms. 10 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	Phoenix to Silverstreet	Greenwood, Newberry	SC	23:30–?
	5 deaths – 12 plantations were heavily damaged; a large home was destroyed near Ninety Six, and most buildings in Chappells were damaged or destroyed. Eight train cars were thrown. 30 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	N of Newberry to N of Winnsboro	Newberry, Fairfield	SC	23:45–?
	2 deaths – Several hundred acres of timber were destroyed in eastern Newberry and western Fairfield counties, particularly near the Broad River. Deaths were in tenant homes in the White Oak area. 15 injuries occurred.Template:Sfn
F2	S of Wrightsville to Herndon	Johnson, Emanuel, Jenkins	GA	00:00–?		Template:Unk
	1 death – This was a probable tornado family. Four people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	N of Waynesboro (GA) to Jackson (SC)	Burke (GA), Richmond (GA), Aiken (SC)	GA, SC	00:00–?
	5 deaths – This storm passed south of Augusta, beginning at the McBean railroad depot; most damage occurred near Ellenton, South Carolina, where numerous structures and farms were impacted. The depot at Jackson was leveled, and many other structures were damaged or destroyed in and near town, including tenant homes. 30 people were injured.Template:Sfn
FU	Olin	Iredell	NC	00:30–?		Template:Unk
	Damage occurred to a church and to farm buildings.
F3	SE of Monroe to S of Troy	Union, Anson, Richmond, Montgomery	NC	01:00–?
	4 deaths – See section on this tornado – 50 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	Pioneer Mills to W of Troy	Cabarrus, Stanly, Montgomery	NC	02:00–?		Template:Unk
	1+ death – See section on this tornado – 25 people were injured.Template:Sfn
F4	Morven to Johnsonville	Anson, Richmond, Moore, Harnett	NC	02:30–?
	23+ deaths – See section on this tornado – 100 people were injured.Template:Sfn
FU	Laurinburg	Scotland	NC	03:00–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	"Severe damage" was reported.
F2	Cary	Wake	NC	03:00–?		Template:Unk
	1 death – Template:Citation needed span, and was illuminated by continual lightning and unusual optical phenomena. Several small homes were destroyed in Cary. Five people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	Lillington to W of Smithfield	Harnett, Johnston	NC	04:00–?
	2+ deaths – A swath of damage was reported. Five or more small farmhouses were destroyed in Johnston County, including tenant homes. Four additional fatalities may have occurred. 20 injuries occurred.Template:Sfn
FU	SE of Zebulon to NE of Rocky Mount	Johnston, Nash, Edgecombe	NC	04:30–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Two churches and several homes in Rocky Mount were damaged.
F3	Darlington	Darlington	SC	04:30–?
	6+ deaths – This intense tornado passed very close to downtown Darlington, destroying at least 30 homes, one of whose debris was carried for miles, and unroofing a railroad depot. Five-sixths of the homes were small. Downburst damage continued to Robeson County, North Carolina. Four more people may have died of injuries. 50 people were injured.Template:Sfn
FU	Marion	Perry	AL	Template:Unk	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	1 death – Damage was reported in Marion.
FU	Guntersville	Cullman, Marshall	AL	Template:Unk	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Details are unavailable.Template:Sfn
FU	Caseyville	St. Clair	IL	Template:Unk	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Details are unavailable.
FU	Metropolis	Massac	IL	Template:Unk	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Many homes were destroyed, along with a church.
FU	Paducah	McCracken	KY	Template:Unk	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	A tobacco warehouse and other large buildings were damaged or destroyed.
FU	Franklin	Simpson	KY	Template:Unk	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	A factory was destroyed.

February 20 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, February 20, 1884

F#Template:Efn	Location	County / Parish	State	Time (UTC)Template:Efn	Path length	WidthTemplate:Efn
FU	W of Petersburg	Dinwiddie, Chesterfield	VA	06:00–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	A tornado/downburst complex of unknown magnitude passed near Petersburg, where downburst damage was noted throughout the city.
F2	S of Branchville	Orangeburg	SC	06:00–?	Template:Unk	Template:Unk
	Five homes were destroyed. A dozen people were injured.Template:Sfn
F2	S of Foreston	Clarendon, Williamsburg	SC	07:00–?
	4 deaths – Most of the severest damage was south of Foreston. Six homes were wrecked. 10 people were injured.Template:Sfn

Polkton–Ansonville–Mangum–Pekin, North Carolina

Template:Infobox weather event Template:Infobox weather event/Tornado Template:Infobox weather event/Effects Template:Infobox weather event/Footer This was the first of a number of destructive North Carolina storms. Detailed coverage in a Wadesboro-based newspaper provides an unusually (by 19th-century standards) precise survey of the movement and damage produced by three of those storms in the southern Piedmont of North Carolina. This storm first formed in southeastern Union County, from a supercell that had produced significant damage in South Carolina earlier. Most of the path of this storm was in rural areas, with injuries and major damage along Beaverdam Creek, south of Marshville in Union County, and along Brown Creek in Anson County, northeast of Polkton.

Significant damage also occurred in and around the towns of Polkton and Ansonville, where structures in both towns were widely damaged, with homes and farm buildings destroyed south of Ansonville. A total of four people were killed: a pair in a "'mansion'" that was destroyed, and another pair in one of 28 homes that were wrecked on a plantation. Eyewitnesses in Polkton noted that the storm "crossed the railroad about a mile east of Polkton last night prostrating everything in its course. Could see the storm from Polkton by lightning, looked like a cloud of dense smoke and sounded like thunder. Hail stones measuring long, wide and thick fell."

Homes were also destroyed near Mangum in Richmond County and near Pekin in Montgomery County.

Pioneer Mills, North Carolina

Template:Infobox weather event Template:Infobox weather event/Tornado Template:Infobox weather event/Effects Template:Infobox weather event/Footer This storm was preceded and followed by a wide area of downburst damage – with scattered areas of damage to farms and small structures reported across a wide area of southern Cabarrus County, eastern Mecklenburg County (northeast of Mint Hill) and the Goose Creek area of northwestern Union County.

The first tornado-specific damage occurred in the Pioneer Mills community between Harrisburg and Midland in Cabarrus County, where a mill was destroyed and estimated F2 damage was inflicted upon several residences, including several small and a few larger homes that were wrecked. The storm passed within of Albemarle; little damage was recorded elsewhere in Stanly County. Several poorly constructed buildings were destroyed along the Uwharrie River in Montgomery County, and damage to farms was widespread in the county. One person was killed, but there may have been other deaths. Downburst damage continued to southwest of Asheboro.

Pee Dee–Rockingham–Philadelphia–Manly, North Carolina

Template:Infobox weather event Template:Infobox weather event/Tornado Template:Infobox weather event/Effects Template:Infobox weather event/Footer Spawned late in the outbreak, the storm which swept from Anson to Harnett Counties in North Carolina passed through the Rockingham area, and became the deadliest tornado in recorded North Carolina history. This storm first touched down east of the town of McFarlan, in southeastern Anson County. The storm produced little damage in Anson County, but caused two deaths south of Pee Dee.

Tracking to the northeast, it crossed the Pee Dee River into Richmond County and produced sporadic damage until just southeast of Rockingham. Extreme damage to pine forests was first noted just south of town. Strengthening considerably, the storm swept through the southeast edge of Rockingham, where large homes were destroyed to their foundations, and large hardwood trees were snapped at ground level. The Philadelphia Church community (presently on U.S. Highway 1, northeast of downtown Rockingham) was devastated, with most of the poorly constructed dwellings in the community completely destroyed. 15 or more deaths occurred there. The storm had widened to nearly in width at this point.

Forests and rural homes were flattened in and beyond Philadelphia. The storm then tracked through what is now the town of Hoffman, before entering Moore County. Severe damage was again seen in the communities of Keyser and Manly (presently at the northeast corner of the city of Southern Pines), along the southeast edge of Moore County. The storm then curved slightly to the east, dissipating into a wide area of downburst damage near the community of Johnsonville. A total of at least 23 people were killed, for many of the injured may have died later. Eyewitnesses reported large hail and intense lightning displays preceding the storm.

An unusually detailed accounting of the storm's passage through Richmond County was provided two days later: a local resident undertook an informal, but detailed survey of the damage produced by the storm, and this account was published in an Anson County newspaper. This accounting establishes a steady southwest-to-northeast movement through the county, with a number of buildings—sharecropper cabins, large homes, and a mill—swept away along the path. As the storm passed southeast of downtown Rockingham, it may have peaked in intensity; it was noted that all structures along a segment of the path (beginning at this point) were destroyed. The surveyor noted a path width of , with the most extreme damage (and most deaths) in the Philadelphia Church community. The surveyor noted that:

Trees were taken up by the roots and hurled with fearful rapidity through the air and those not uprooted had all the bark taken off. The scene after the storm, particularly the position of the prostrate trees, indicated a convergence toward the center, as if a vacuum was created there and the wind rushed in from either side to fill it.

A second, detailed survey of the path was made 10 days later by J. A. Holmes; his findings were published in the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society journal for 1884.

Other effects

Elsewhere, wind damage, flash floods and derecho-like effects were also reported in published accounts of the outbreak. Homes were swept away by water in Louisville, Kentucky, New Albany, Indiana, and Jeffersonville, Indiana, as well as in other towns along the Ohio River. Blizzard conditions occurred in the eastern Midwest. In Tennessee the mid-latitude system associated with the outbreak generated severe thunderstorms that produced strong, destructive winds on February 19. These winds caused "great" damage to forestland, fencing, and housing, especially in and near Clarksville.Template:Sfn

Aftermath, recovery, and records

The total impact of the outbreak was never adequately quantified and hence has been considered enigmatic. Individual deaths may have been counted multiple times, leading to an exaggerated death toll, but on the other hand rural Black dead may have been undercounted, many of whom were undocumented sharecroppers. Of thousands reported dead, the names of fewer than 100 could be verified. According to an article appearing in the Statesville (NC) Landmark three days later, the damage tally in Georgia alone was estimated to be $1 million, in 1884 dollars. Tabulations from 1884 estimate a total of $3–4 million in tornado damage (with an unknown amount of flood and other damage), with 10,000 structures destroyed, as many as 800 dead, and up to 2,500 injured. The same reported an estimated 60 tornadoes and called the outbreak the worst in U.S. history to date. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people were reportedly rendered homeless and even said to be "starving". The outbreak produced the largest 24-hour total of killer tornadoes until the 1974 Super Outbreak. The precise number of tornadoes as well as fatalities incurred during the outbreak is unknown, but the death toll was variously estimated to range from 370 to 2,000 at the time. A reliable survey by the Signal Corps in 1889 located 182 fatalities, and a reanalysis by tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis in 1993 counted 178 deaths.

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• April 1924 tornado outbreak – Yielded a devastating F4 tornado in South Carolina
• 1932 Deep South tornado outbreak – Caused hundreds of fatalities in the same area
• 1984 Carolinas tornado outbreak – Produced numerous violent, deadly tornadoes
• 1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak – Generated several intense, long-lived tornadoes in Georgia and the Carolinas