Tornado outbreak of December 23–25, 2015

Tornado outbreak of December 23–25, 2015
GOES 13 satellite image of thunderstorms across the Eastern United States on December 23
TypeTornado outbreak
Extratropical cyclone
DurationDecember 23, 2015 (2015-12-23) – December 25, 2015 (2015-12-25)
Highest winds
Tornadoes
confirmed
38
Max. rating1EF4 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2
2 days, 14 hours, 32 minutes
Largest hail2.75 in (70 mm) 
Fatalities13 fatalities (+5 non-tornadic), 77 injuries
Damage$1 billion (2015 USD)
Areas affectedMississippi, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Alabama

1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

On December 23, 2015, an outbreak of supercell thunderstorms produced tornadoes across northern Mississippi and middle Tennessee, resulting in 13 tornado-related deaths and numerous injuries. Other tornadoes occurred as far north as Indiana and Michigan. Scattered tornado activity continued over the next two days before the outbreak ended. This was the first of two deadly tornado outbreaks to impact the southern United States during December 2015 with the other occurring just a day after this one ended.