Tornado outbreak sequence of April 5–8, 1954

From April 5–8, 1954, a tornado outbreak sequence affected portions of the Central and Southern United States, primarily the Upper Midwest. The U.S. states of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin were hardest hit by tornadoes. The first day of the severe weather event featured three intense (F3 or stronger) tornadoes along the Missouri–Iowa border, including a long-tracked F4 that obliterated rural farmsteads. The deadliest tornado of the sequence, retroactively rated F3, struck Illinois a few days later, killing one person and injuring 13 others. Other strong tornadoes hit Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, and Georgia during the sequence. In all, the event resulted in 22 injuries.

Confirmed tornadoes
Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991. 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments. Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.