Tornado History Map

1962 tornadoes

657 tornadoes recorded in the United States in 1962, drawn on the map and coloured by rating.

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Years1962
Rating (F or EF scale)

Shows tornadoes that started in, or crossed, the chosen state. To see how many have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • F0 / EF0 Light damage
  • F1 / EF1 Moderate damage
  • F2 / EF2 Considerable damage
  • F3 / EF3 Severe damage
  • F4 / EF4 Devastating damage
  • F5 / EF5 Incredible damage
  • Unknown Not rated (2007 onwards)

How to read the lines. Each line is one tornado, drawn from where it started to where it ended, coloured and sized by its rating. A dot means the record has no end point. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see how many tornadoes have passed nearby. Weaker tornadoes appear as you zoom in. Ratings use the Fujita (F) scale before 1 February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from then on.

Tornadoes in 1962

The Storm Prediction Center recorded 657 tornadoes in 1962, against an average of 967 a year from 1950 to 2025. They killed 30 people and injured 551. The busiest month was May (200), and the busiest single day was 28 May 1962, with 25.

  • 657tornadoes
  • 30deaths
  • 551injuries
  • 25on the busiest day (28 May 1962)

Tornadoes in 1962 were rated on the Fujita (F) scale. Counts of weak tornadoes in particular depend on how many were spotted and reported, which has changed over the decades, so compare years with care.

How strong were the tornadoes of 1962?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF019129%
F1 / EF126540%
F2 / EF216225%
F3 / EF3335%
F4 / EF46<1%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating00%
Tornadoes by month in 1962
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 200 in May.Jan12Feb25Mar37Apr41May200Jun171Jul78Aug51Sep24Oct11Nov5Dec2
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan12
Feb25
Mar37
Apr41
May200
Jun171
Jul78
Aug51
Sep24
Oct11
Nov5
Dec2

Deadliest tornadoes of 1962

  • Pace, Florida tornado31 March 1962, F3, 17 deaths, 100 injuries, 6.9 miles long
  • Parma, Ohio tornado20 August 1962, F2, 4 deaths, 20 injuries, 0.5 miles long
  • Louisiana tornado28 August 1962, F1, 2 deaths, 30 injuries, 0.5 miles long

Strongest tornadoes of 1962

Many of these tornadoes killed or injured people. The numbers are the official record's, and they may be revised.

Where the 1962 tornadoes started

← 1961 · 1963 → · All years

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