This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1952, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
Events
Although fewer tornadoes were confirmed than the previous year, 1952 had an exceptionally high number of F4 tornadoes. There was 18 tornadoes that had this rating, mostly due to an unusually intense Mid-March outbreak that produced 11 of them along with 11 F3 tornadoes. This outbreak is also what drove the death toll to well over 200 that year. Despite this, no tornadoes were rated F5, leaving the US without an official F5 tornado until the next year.
United States yearly total
January
There were 12 tornadoes confirmed in the US in January.
February
There were 27 tornadoes confirmed in the US in February.
February 13
An intense outbreak of 15 tornadoes struck the Southeast. An F3 tornado moved through Northern New Lexington, Alabama as well as rural areas southwest of Berry, killing one and injuring 14. Another F3 tornado near Adamsville, Alabama killed one and injured 26. The worst event involved a violent F4 tornado in Tennessee that obliterated Beech Hill and heavily damaged Decherd, killing three and injuring 44. Overall, the outbreak killed five and injured 102.
February 19–20
F2 tornadoes caused injuries and destruction on back-to-back days. The one on February 19 occurred southwest of Shreveport, Louisiana; it destroyed two homes and damaged three others along with three outbuildings, resulting in five injuries. The one that occurred the next day struck Millville, Florida, destroying a home while damaging 12 others along with six other buildings, injuring four others.
February 29
A second February outbreak of tornadoes in the Southeast struck on Leap Day. Eight tornadoes touched down with seven of them being significant. However, the weakest tornado was actually the deadliest in this outbreak. The F1 tornado moved right through the tiny town of Belfast, Tennessee, killing three and injuring 166, the most injuries ever recorded in an F1/EF1 tornado. (although sources vary on the casualty count as the injuries may have been the F4 tornado listed below) The second worst tornado came next: a violent F4 tornado struck Downtown Fayetteville, Tennessee, killing two and injuring 150. A destructive F3 tornado also caused considerable damage on the north side of Fort Payne, Alabama while injuring 12 people. Overall, the outbreak killed five and injured 336.
March
There were 43 confirmed tornadoes in the US in March.
March 21–22
An extremely violent and deadly tornado outbreak struck the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Tennessee and Arkansas took the brunt of the outbreak, with two of the F4 tornadoes killing 50 and 29 people in Arkansas respectively while another F4 tornado in Tennessee killed 38. 27 of the 31 tornadoes, 202 of the 209 fatalities, and 1,133 of the 1,212 injuries occurred on March 21 alone. In all, the outbreak produced 11 F4 tornadoes, which remains the fourth-highest amount of violent tornadoes in one outbreak as of 2022.
April
There were 37 tornadoes confirmed in the US in April.
April 3–5
An outbreak of 17 tornadoes hit areas from the Southern Plains to the Northeast. On April 4, a long-track F3 tornado struck Ardoin's Cove, Louisiana, destroying all but two of the 20 houses in the town. It also caused lesser damage in Roanoke and Church Point. There were 10 injuries from this tornado. Later, a fatal F2 tornado caused major damage Bristol, Arnaudville, and Bayou Portage, killing four and injuring 33. The next day, 10 tornadoes touched down in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. The strongest was an F3 tornado, which was embedded within a much larger area of straight line winds, that damaged or destroyed numerous structures in York, Pennsylvania, injuring four. An F2 tornado touched down near Lititz, Pennsylvania causing roof and wall damage to a farm house north of the town. Other homes were damaged, including a 420-foot high tower that was blown down. The tornado carried a man 65 feet. Tons of trees were blown down, other buildings were damaged, and a garage was destroyed. In all, the outbreak killed four people and injured 69.