Saturday, October 9th, 2004 — Tornadoes spawned by hurricanes set records in August and September. The U.S. National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said Thursday that 173 tornadoes were reported in August and 247 in September. The national average for September is 47.
Based on tornado records going back to 1950, this significantly tops the previous September record of 139 tornadoes set in 1967. Other high numbers for September include 104 in 1998, 101 in 1996, and 84 in 2001.
"The extremely active tropical storm season can be partially blamed for the high number of tornado reports," said Dan McCarthy of the Center. Hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne hit the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states during September.
Tornadoes frequently occur in the northeast quadrant of northward advancing tropical systems or their remnants.