Tornadoes of 1966

The only confirmed tornado of the month, a brief, nighttime F3 tornado, struck near New Orleans, Louisiana. No injuries or fatalities were reported.[3]

A localized outbreak occurred in Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. An F3 tornado struck areas near Edna, Texas. There were no fatalities or injuries from the outbreak.[4]

On March 3, a supercell produced an extremely violent, exceptionally long-tracked F5 tornado that devastated parts of Jackson, Mississippi and Alabama. The tornado, dubbed the Candlestick Park Tornado (after the shopping center it leveled) killed 58 people and injured over 500 along its 202.5 mile long track. The same supercell that produced the Candlestick Park Tornado also spawned two short lived F1 tornadoes with an additional F1 tornado occurring the next day.[6]

Two long-track tornadoes touched down in Florida, and traveled across the whole state. One tornado touched down near Largo and tore through Northern Tampa at around 8:00 in the morning. This tornado devastated several communities across Florida, receiving an F4 rating. That tornado killed 11 people, and injured over 500. The second tornado, an F2, did not cause as much damage as the first tornado, as the funnel remained aloft for most of its life span.[8]

Two F3 tornadoes occurred, one in Washington County, Kansas, and the other in Shawnee County, both were reported to be skipping along their tracks. Many other tornadoes were reported.[10]

An F1 tornado injured 11 people when it tracked through Columbus, Georgia. It was one of seven tornadoes to touch down that day.[9]

A photograph of the F5 Topeka, Kansas tornado.

A violent F5 tornado tracked through Topeka, Kansas on June 8, killing 16 people and injuring 450. This tornado disproved several myths, as Burnett’s Mound, a local hill, was believed to protect the city from tornadoes. However, the F5 tornado traveled directly over the mound and into Topeka, where it killed 16 people. The tornado directly impacted Washburn University, and rows of homes were absolutely clean from their foundations. Elsewhere, an F4 tornado struck Leavenworth, Kansas, killing one and injuring two. In total, the outbreak produced 59 tornadoes, killed 18 people, and injured 543.[12]

Multiple tornadoes were reported, including an F3 that traveled around 25 miles through McIntosh County, North Dakota, and McPherson County, South Dakota.[14]

Isolated tornadoes touched down in multiple regions of the U.S.. The strongest one was an unusual F1 tornado that injured 9 people near Globe, Arizona.[15]

An isolated, but strong 60–yard wide F3 tornado tracked 4.5 miles through southeastern Cleveland, Ohio, injuring 20 people, but killing no one.[16]

A tornado outbreak occurred across the Midwest. The outbreak produced a violent F5 tornado that devastated Belmond, Iowa, killing six and injuring 172, although the F5 rating is disputed. In all, 23 tornadoes touched down across four states, killing six people and injuring 225 others.[18]

An unusual series of strong tornadoes occurred in Southern California, affecting Los Angeles. Two of the three F2 tornadoes touched down in Los Angeles, injuring 10 people but killing no one.[20][21]