| Date of tornado outbreak: | August 29 - 30, 2017 |
| Duration1: | 1 day |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | EF2 tornado |
| Tornadoes caused: | 39 |
| Total Damages: | $205 million (2017 USD) |
| Total Fatalities: | 6 |
|
1Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The 2017 Hurricane Irma tornado outbreak (Layten) was a destructive tornado outbreak that occurred as a result of Hurricane Irma moving into the Gulf Coast and interacting with a frontal zone to its north over the Great Lakes, producing 39 tornadoes in the process, most of them weak. Several injuries, and 12 deaths were recorded due to the outbreak, and $205 million was done in damages by the event.
Synopsis[]
| Confirmed Total |
Confirmed EF0 |
Confirmed EF1 |
Confirmed EF2 |
Confirmed EF3 |
Confirmed EF4 |
Confirmed EF5 |
| 39 | 24 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Hurricane Irma developed off the Cape Verde islands nearly 2 weeks before the outbreak happened, and had reached a peak intensity as a category 4 hurricane about a week earlier. As the hurricane moved into the Gulf of Mexico, it began to interact with the outflow from a frontal system that was forming in the Gulf off Florida. The next day as the system made landfall, supercells began developing in the storms eyewall, allowing for several tornadoes to touch down as a result. Among these were 3 EF2's, which all occurred over Mississippi and Alabama, where the storm initially crossed the shore, and all were recorded within a few hours of the landfall at category 2 intensity, whilst the supercells had most strength. Continuing to move northeast, the storm was eventually absorbed into the frontal zone, triggering September 3 - 4, 2017 tornado outbreak in the process. Once Irma had degraded to a remnant low, the tornadoes stopped, and a few hours later, the severe thunderstorms dissipated, having no favourable conditions to feed off.
List of tornadoes[]
August 29[]
| EF# | State | Times (UTC) | Width | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1035 - 1039 | 35 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1105 - 1108 | 42 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Mississippi | 1135 - 1140 | 80 meters | Brief tornado that destroyed several outhouses. |
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1147 - 1150 | 45 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1157 - 1205 | 105 meters | Significant tornado that tossed cars off the road and damaged several hundred trees. |
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1205 - 1210 | 50 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Mississippi | 1217 - 1221 | 60 meters | Brief tornado that did significant roof damage. |
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1235 - 1240 | 80 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF2 | Mississippi | 1035 - 1039 | 35 meters | See section below - A significant tornado struck parts of George and Lucedale. 4 fatalities. |
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1305 - 1310 | 90 meters | Brief tornado with some significant tree damages reported. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 1345 - 1349 | 38 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF2 | Alabama | 1402 - 1410 | 105 meters | See section below - a significant tornado hit parts of Semes. 1 death. |
| EF2 | Mississippi | 1439 - 1444 | 35 meters | See section below - A brief, but significant tornado struck Latimer. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 1455 - 1500 | 90 meters | Brief tornado that caused minor roof damage, and knocked over a few trees. |
| EF0 | Mississippi | 1525 - 1529 | 54 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Alabama | 1645 - 1652 | 100 meters | Significant tornado that pushed cars off highways. 1 fatality when a car was pushed into a lamppost. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 1710 - 1714 | 75 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 1735 - 1740 | 65 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Alabama | 1805 - 1810 | 135 meters | Brief tornado that caused major tree damage. |
| EF1 | Alabama | 1835 - 1842 | 50 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 1905 - 1909 | 45 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Alabama | 1955 - 1959 | 90 meters | Brief tornado with significant roof damages. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 2027 - 2030 | 30 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Georgia | 2140 - 2144 | 60 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Georgia | 2230 - 2237 | 93 meters | Brief tornado with moderate damage. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 2305 - 2309 | 70 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
August 30[]
| EF# | State | Times (UTC) | Width | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF0 | Georgia | 0035 - 0038 | 42 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Georgia | 0110 - 0115 | 85 meters | Brief tornado that caused some roof damage. |
| EF0 | Tennessee | 0205 - 0207 | 25 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Alabama | 0255 - 0305 | 42 meters | Significant, long lasting tornado that snapped or uprooted several trees, and caused significant roof damages. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 0345 - 0348 | 49 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Georgia | 0421 - 0427 | 102 meters | Significant, damaging tornado that badly compromised the roofs of some buildings. 3 injuries. |
| EF0 | Tennessee | 0435 - 0438 | 50 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Georgia | 0501 - 0505 | 40 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Alabama | 0550 - 0553 | 65 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF0 | Tennessee | 0612 - 0616 | 42 meters | Brief tornado with little known impact. |
| EF1 | Georgia | 0652 - 0658 | 96 meters | Significant tree damage reported. |
| EF1 | Georgia | 0714 - 0718 | 67 meters | Brief tornado with some severe roof damage. |
| EF0 | Tennessee | 0729 - 0730 | Unknown | Brief tornado touchdown reported. |
Notable tornadoes[]
George - Lucedale, Mississippi[]
| EF2 (strong) tornado | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 1245 – 1305 | ||
| Intensity | 195 km/h (120 mph) (1-min) | ||
This tornado touched down near the initial landfall location shortly before the eye made landfall. It first touched down on the outer edge of George, before heading out towards Lucedale, tearing hundreds of roofs off of buildings, ripping trees from the ground, tossing cars off roads, and shredding power lines in the process. 4 people were killed during this tornado, one in a car which was later found mangled against a brick wall 100 feet from where it was when it was tossed, and the other 3 as a result of a live power line being torn up and tossed onto a home, having gone through the window. $65 million in damage was done by this tornado in total.
Semes, Alabama[]
| EF2 (strong) tornado | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 1402 – 1410 | ||
| Intensity | 185 km/h (115 mph) (1-min) | ||
This brief tornado touched down not long after the eye made landfall, and destroyed a mobile home park in the process. Numerous homes also had their roofs either badly damaged, or torn off completely by the force of the tornado. 1 person died in the tornado, with damages totaling to $105 million from the event in total.
Latimer, Mississippi[]
| EF2 (strong) tornado | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Duration | 1439 – 1444 | ||
| Intensity | 205 km/h (130 mph) (1-min) | ||
This tornado was the final of the strong events following the landfall of Hurricane Irma. The tornado lasted 5 minutes, and tore wooden buildings apart, as well badly compromising the roofs of well built structures, as well as moving heavy vehicles. Rating disputed, and this event was considered EF3 by some survey teams. Officially rated high end EF2.