Tornado outbreak of April 22–25, 2010

A complex weather system began to track across the central and southern United States beginning on April 22. Scattered thunderstorms initially developed across the central and eastern Great Plains region late during the afternoon and then moved into the southeast Texas Panhandle and the Osage Plains during the evening and overnight hours. Large hail occurred with the stronger storms, but the most severe storms produced damaging winds and tornadoes. By late evening, new activity developed into a line of storms which swept through the Osage Plains.[2] Many tornadoes were produced in southeastern Colorado, but they occurred over open fields and did not cause a significant amount of damage.[3] However, one tornado in south central Kiowa County destroyed a small (15 foot x 30 foot) barn.[4] In Kansas, numerous tornado-producing storms caused damage across a number of southwest Kansas counties. The public first reported a mile-wide tornado at around 4:40 pm west of Lakin. The storm tracked two miles southwest of Lakin at about 5:10 pm and was spotted again six miles northwest of Deerfield at approximately 5:40 pm. A tornadic storm in Kearny County uprooted trees and caused power outages at residences west of Lakin. No injuries were reported from it. In Finney County, no damage or injuries were reported from tornadic activity that traveled mostly above open farmland. In Scott County, a tornado was spotted four miles south of Scott City at about 7:10 p.m. Grain bins near Scott City were damaged, a barn partially collapsed with part of its roof torn off and some trees and power lines were reported down from it.[5] The strongest tornado in Kansas occurred in Kearny County and was rated EF2.[6] There were numerous tornadoes in the Texas Panhandle and one tornado in the Oklahoma Panhandle,[7] which included one that was rated EF3 in Cottle County, Texas.[8]

Wall cloud west of Troy, Missouri

On April 23, an upper level storm system increased in strength as it moved from the southern Rockies to the southern Great Plains region. A cold front moved across east-central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, and the Missouri River Valley through the night. Moist air ahead of the cold front in the south central states allowed for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop across the Mississippi Valley.[9] A moderate risk of severe weather was issued across the Ark-La-Tex region and lower Mississippi Valley.[10] There were five EF0 tornadoes in east Texas and southwest Arkansas during the late night and into the early morning of April 24.[11] One tornado in Missouri traveled for 22 miles (35 km), but did not cause any significant damage.[12]

Storm Prediction Center risk map for severe thunderstorms on April 24, 2010. The high risk was later expanded northward.

On April 24, an energetic upper level storm system strengthened as it moved from Texas to the southern Great Lakes Region. A cold front moved eastward across the middle and lower Mississippi River Valley before heading into the Ohio River Valley and stretched into the Mid-South portion of the United States. In front of the cold front, a warm, moist and unstable air mass spread northward from the lower Mississippi River Valley and northern Gulf Coast States into the middle Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. There were already thunderstorms that had formed during the morning hours and the conditions would only become more numerous throughout the day. This set the stage for a significant severe weather outbreak with the potential for strong and violent tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds.[13] As a result, the Storm Prediction Center issued a rare high risk of severe weather for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky, the first such issuance since April 26, 2009.[14] Four "particularly dangerous situation" tornado watches were issued that day for areas of Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama.[15][16][17][18] The outbreak of severe weather caused NASCAR to call off the Aaron's 312 race in Talladega, Alabama.[19] In Tennessee, there were three EF1 tornadoes and an EF0 tornado on April 24, and an EF2 early on April 25.[20] The EF2 struck after 2 a.m. and caused damage in three counties. Despite extensive structural damage, there were no injuries.[21]

Alabama was hard hit by tornadoes on this day. An EF4 tornado struck southeastern DeKalb County in the Mount Vernon area. The most serious damage occurred near the intersection of County Roads 80 and 55, where a church and a two-story home were destroyed. Several mobile homes were destroyed and numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted. Five injuries occurred from this tornado.[22] An EF3 tornado touched down in south Albertville. Throughout the event, the tornado skipped and hit other places along its path from Marshall County to Geraldine in DeKalb County. The first damage reports came in at around 10:15 p.m. The storm left the downtown area of Albertville in complete destruction, then downed trees and power lines in DeKalb County.[23] Fifty-nine homes in Albertville were destroyed by the tornado. Another 198 had major damage while 157 had minor damage – a total of 414 homes impacted by the storm.[24] It also caused damage to the middle and high school in Albertville.[25] Another EF3 tornado touched down in Parrish and tracked through Cordova and Corner. Significant damage to buildings occurred in Parrish and Cordova, while Corner and Blount County primarily suffered uprooted or broken trees, with at least one travel trailer overturned and some minor structural damage. Arkadelphia Road near Skyline Road was blocked for a time by fallen trees and debris.[26] A total of 70 to 80 homes and businesses sustained damage from the tornado.[27] A third EF3 tornado in Alabama struck a trailer park in Mentone. The tornado destroyed nine of the 11 manufactured homes in the park. Seven people were injured from it.[28]

The severe weather and tornadoes also wreaked havoc across Mississippi. Near Starkville, an EF2 tornado destroyed an unoccupied mobile home and damaged 20 homes, as well as snapping and uprooting numerous trees, damaging a barn and snapped three power poles.[29] Ten people were killed and 146 others were injured when an EF4 tornado, which started in Louisiana, tore through the state of Mississippi.[30] An EF2 tornado that moved over Jasper and Lauderdale counties caused significant structural damage to a church and destroyed an outbuilding. An EF1 tornado that moved over Lauderdale and Kemper counties damaged or destroyed four barns and destroyed one shed.[31] In all, 319 homes were damaged in Yazoo County; 114 in Choctaw County; 60 in Holmes County; 48 homes and three businesses were damaged in Monroe County; 63 homes damaged in Union County; 42 homes damaged in Warren County; and 35 homes damaged in Attala County.[32]