winter-spring 1998 were well over $1 billion (mainly due to tornadoes, with some damage due to flooding), and the death toll was 132.
January 1999
The weather pattern took on a spring-like flavor during late January 1999 as milder temperatures returned to the lower half of the country. This trend in combination with fast moving storms coming in from the Pacific spawned a record number of January tornadoes. Three significant tornado outbreaks occurred, resulting in 18 deaths. The first outbreak occurred on January 2 in southeast Texas and along the western Gulf coast; the second outbreak occurred on January 17 in Tennessee (including one F4); and the third on January 21–22, again mostly in and near Arkansas and Tennessee. Overall damages for these events exceeded $1 billion.
Final figures show January 1999 with 212 reported tornadoes—1325% of the normal for the month, which is 16 based on the 1953–1998 period. This is the highest number of tornadoes ever reported in the month of January; the second highest January total was 52 back in 1975. Systematic recording and reporting of tornadoes by the National Weather Service (NWS) began in 1916. However, it is impractical to make a comparison of recent tornado data with the early historical records due to population growth, increased alertness to and general interest in these storms, and advances in monitoring and observational techniques.
May 1999
Devastating tornadoes hit portions of Oklahoma and Kansas on Monday evening May 3, 1999. The death toll was 50, with 44 storm-related fatalities in Oklahoma and six in the Wichita, KS area. Additionally, the same storm system resulted in one death in Texas and four deaths in Tennessee, bringing its total to 55. The largest tornado (F-5) on the Fujita-Pearson Tornado Scale formed about 30 miles southwest of Oklahoma City and cut a path at least a half-mile wide as it moved north and east across the Oklahoma City area, staying on the ground for 1 hour and 22 minutes. Additionally, this system produced four F4 tornadoes, for an amazing total of five in the F4–F5 range. An estimated 76 tornadoes occurred during the event across the southern plains states. Oklahoma officials estimate that 8093 homes or businesses were damaged or destroyed; while Kansas estimates 1109 homes or businesses were destroyed. A track map (Figure 9), courtesy of the NWS Office in Norman, OK, shows the approximate damage paths and highest Fujita scale ratings for tornadoes occurring in Central Oklahoma on May 3, 1999. Overall damages exceeded $1 billion.
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