April 2018 North American storm complex
True-color imagery of the extratropical cyclone and its resultant convection on April 13 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 13, 2018 |
| Dissipated | April 15, 2018 |
| Category 4 "Crippling" blizzard | |
| Regional snowfall index: 15.70 (NOAA) | |
| Lowest pressure | 985 mbar (hPa); 29.09 inHg |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | Snow – 33 in (84 cm) near Amherst, Wisconsin Freezing rain – 1 in (2.5 cm) in Lowville, New York |
| Tornado outbreak | |
| Tornadoes | 73 |
| Maximum rating | EF3 tornado |
| Duration | 2 days, 5 hours, and 31 minutes |
| Highest winds | Tornadic – 150 mph (240 km/h) (Elon, Virginia EF3 on April 15) Straight-line – 74 mph (119 km/h) at Columbia Metropolitan Airport |
| Largest hail | 2.75 in (7.0 cm) diameter in Belmont, North Carolina |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 5 total (2 tornadic, 3 non-tornadic) |
| Injuries | 29 |
| Damage | $1.5 billion (2022 USD) |
| Areas affected | Mid-South, Southeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic, Eastern Canada |
Part of the 2017–18 North American winter and tornado outbreaks of 2018 | |
The April 2018 North American storm complex brought a wide swath of severe and winter weather that affected much of Midwest across to the East Coast of the United States. This particular outbreak led to at least 73 confirmed tornadoes over a three-day period, most of which occurred across Arkansas and Louisiana during the evening hours of April 13. The most significant tornadoes were an EF1 tornado that caused a fatality in Red Chute, Louisiana, early on April 14, a high-end EF2 tornado that impacted eastern sections of Greensboro, North Carolina on April 15, causing 17 injuries, and a significant EF3 tornado that impacted areas from Lynchburg to Elon, Virginia, causing severe damage and at least 10 injuries.
The system also resulted in a record-breaking and severe blizzard across the Midwest into the Northeastern United States; killing three additional people and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Snowfall amounts of up to 18–24 inches (46–61 cm), which are rarely seen in the month of April in the region were observed, shattering numerous records.