Hurricane Katrina Tornado Outbreak

The Hurricane Katrina tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak across the eastern United States from August 29 to August 31, 2005, spawned mostly by the outer bands of Hurricane Katrina (or the remnants thereof). One person was killed and numerous communities suffered damage of varying degrees from central Mississippi to Pennsylvania, with Georgia the hardest hit. A number of tornadoes associated with Katrina formed, which caused generally minor damages in several regions. In total, 53 tornadoes formed in six states as a result of Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina began on August 23, 2005 when it originated as Tropical Depression Twelve near the Bahamas. The next day, the tropical depression strengthened to a tropical storm, and was named Katrina; it proceeded to make landfall on the southern tip of the U.S. state of Florida as a minimal hurricane. In passing across Florida, Katrina weakened to a tropical storm; however, the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico allowed it to rapidly intensify to the sixth strongest North Atlantic tropical cyclone in recorded history. Afterward, Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, and once more near the Mississippi–Louisiana border. Katrina progressed northward through the central United States and finally dissipated near the Great Lakes, when it was absorbed by a cold front.