Three Things to Know about the March 21-22 Tornado Outbreak

More than 20 confirmed tornadoes occurred over the two-day period

• On Monday, March 21, 2022, several tornadoes touched down in portions of Texas including the Austin, TX area, north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and near Longview, TX in eastern TX.
• This same storm system was associated with several tornadoes across Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana on March 22, 2022, including one in New Orleans’ 9th Lower Ninth Ward.
• More than 20 tornadoes were reported over the two-day period and the Jacksboro, TX tornado was the highest rated (EF-3; as of March 23, 2022).
• One notable tornado formed near Round Rock, TX (10 miles NE of Austin, TX), producing an approximately 8-mile-long damage path of likely EF-2 damage.

Most of the tornadoes occurred in sparsely populated regions

• Most of the tornadoes occurred away from the most-populated regions, so the overall economic impact was low considering the number of tornadoes. However, there was still significant damage associated with the Round Rock and Jacksboro, TX, and New Orleans, LA tornadoes.
• Destructive tornadoes can trigger great losses to insurers, most poignantly to smaller and regional insurers that have concentrations of risk in small areas. Modern risk analytics can guide insurers in their financial planning to ensure that they can meet their sudden financial needs to pay their obligations to insurers.
• This outbreak was associated with at least two fatalities (as of March 23, 2022).

Texas is one of the states in “Tornado Alley”

• Each year, typically between February and May, this region is prone to severe weather hazards including hail, tornadoes, and wind.
• The number of severe events (according to the Storm Prediction Center)is behind the pace of the last 5 years, but ahead of last year’s pace.
• The Austin Disaster Relief Network has a relief fund to help those affected by the tornadoes.