In January 1983, 13 tornadoes were reported in the United States, with two fatalities occurring in Louisiana and a total of $11.325 million (1983 USD) in damage being reported.[1] In February 1983, 41 tornadoes were reported in the United States with one fatality occurring in Florida and a total of $17.833 million (1983 USD) in damage being reported.[2]
Color/symbol key
Color / symbol
Description
†
Data from Grazulis 1990/1993/2001b
¶
Data from a local National Weather Service office
※
Data from the 1983 Storm Data publication
‡
Data from the NCEI database
♯
Maximum width of tornado
±
Tornado was rated below F2 intensity by Grazulis but a specific rating is unavailable.
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 NEXRADDoppler weather radar in 1990–1991.[3][note 1] 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.[7][note 2] 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.
A waterspout moved ashore and demolished 47 mobile homes. The tornado overturned 25 boats, ripped roofs off multiple homes, and downed numerous trees and power lines.[14][15][16]
An F1 tornado wrecked a spacious tin barn, destroying a boat, truck, and camper stored inside. A pump house and a garage received minimal damage. Another barn was destroyed as well. The National Centers for Environmental Information incorrectly list the path as starting north of Spanish Camp, west of Hungerford.[17][18]
An F1 tornado lofted tree limbs and stones, thereby shattering windows in, and damaging roofing and doors of, 51 businesses and homes, 29 of which incurred heavy damage. Fencing and trees were pulled out of the ground as well.[17][19]
An extremely brief but strong tornado struck a 100-unit pair of apartment complexes in Beaumont, destroying or damaging a total of about half the units. A person was injured in one of the apartments. Chimneys and roofing were damaged as well.[20][21][24]
A strong tornado wrecked 15 fishing camps on Millers Lake. Trees, fencing, and a barn were wrecked at Vidrine. The NCEI incorrectly list the parish as East Feliciana.[20][25][27]
1 death — One home was destroyed and a few others negligibly damaged. Three people were injured. At least two other tornadoes struck Kaplan while this event was in progress, but were not rated by the National Weather Service.[20][29][30]
Six homes, power lines, and a few buildings at a shopping center were damaged, mostly by fallen trees. Airborne glass damaged automobiles and caused a minor injury.[36][37]
The concrete base of a 60-foot-tall (18 m) metal television antenna was uplifted and the tower itself felled. Nearby barns and sheds were flattened as well.[38][41]
A 2-tonne (2,000 kg) air compressor was blown off the roof of a condominium, and a fallen tree penetrated the roof of a home. A nearby marina and watercraft were extensively damaged. Trees were felled and mobile homes tipped onto their sides.[48][51]
This tornado impacted a sprawling apartment complex, wrecking eight units and damaging 56 others. Nine people were injured at the complex. Additionally, 15 frame homes were partly or wholly unroofed.[20][48][54]
A small, weak tornado impacted the Live Oak subdivision, which caused severe roof damage to two homes with numerous trees and fences destroyed. This was the second tornado to hit Brusly in just five days.[58][59]
This tornado caused fallen utility poles and trees to land on a house. Billboards were shredded as well, and the tornado also traversed Texas State Highway 156.[63][69]
Possibly multiple-vortex, this tornado produced scattered, mainly light damage, destroying or damaging chicken coops and sheds. It felled trees as well, along with a boathouse. Many other boathouses, boats, and automobiles were damaged, along with 14 homes. Most losses were tied to fallen trees near Lewis Smith Lake.[73][36][80][81]
Buildings sustained damage to their roofs and interiors. An automobile was tossed on top of a pickup truck, and half a dozen vehicles were damaged. A brick church was unroofed and destroyed as well. Unusually for Alabama, the tornado was photographed, along with two others in the state this day.[73][82][83]
15 mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed, along with 17 other structures, four homes, a chicken coop, and a business. Three schools were damaged as well. Most of the damage was to mobile homes. A few people were injured in a trailer.[73][86][87]
^Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information.[4] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[5] Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.[6]
^The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.[8][9] Tornado ratings were retroactively applied to events prior to the formal adoption of the F-scale by the National Weather Service.[10] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[11] Canada used the old scale until April 1, 2013;[12] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[13]
^ abcdefghiAll starting coordinates are based on the NCEI database and may not reflect contemporary analyses
^ abcdefghiThe listed width values are primarily the average/mean width of the tornadoes, with those having known maximum widths denoted by ♯. From 1952 to 1994, reports largely list mean width whereas contemporary years list maximum width.[60] Values provided by Grazulis are the average width, with estimates being rounded down (i.e. 0.5 mi (0.80 km) is rounded down from 880 yards to 800 yards.[61][62]
^ abcdefghiThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Data publication does not list exact damage totals for every event, instead giving damage categories. As such, damage for individual tornadoes is not comprehensive.
^Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
"Storm Data"(PDF). National Climatic Data Center. p. 11. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022. A Waterspout moved onshore at Panama City Beach at about 1015 P.M. local time. Damage was in a 3/4 mile area including 47 mobile homes demolished, 25 boats overturned, roofs ripped off several homes, and trees and power lines blown down.
"Storm Data February 1983"(PDF). National Climatic Data Center. p. 18. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022. A small tornado struck the Live Oak subdivision in the town of Brusly Landing. Severe roof damage occurred to two homes with numerous trees and fences destroyed. No injuries reported.
^"Severe Weather Database Files (1950-2021)". Storm Prediction Center Maps, Graphics, and Data Page. Norman, Oklahoma: Storm Prediction Center. July 11, 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
— (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN1-879362-03-1.
