February 21 was the fourth-deadliest day for tornadoes in Mississippi on record. The outbreak is known as the “Enigma Outbreak”, so called because the true death toll is an enigma. The 1884 Enigma outbreak is thought to be among the largest and most widespread tornado outbreaks in American history, striking on February 19–20, 1884. About 2:30 p.m., what was likely an F4 tornado roared from the sky near Jacksonville in East Alabama. One of the deadliest tornadoes of the outbreak killed at least fifteen people around the community of Philadelphia, North Carolina. February 19, 1884 - Enigma Outbreak - Tornadoes Across Ten States On the morning of February 19, 1884, a bitter cold front from the Arctic met a warm, humid air mass over the southeastern United States, triggering a historic tornado outbreak. The entire outbreak is the second deadliest ever in February, behind only the Enigma tornado outbreak in 1884 and ahead of the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. Enigma tornado outbreak – Wikipedia. [2] The enigma, however, begins with the final number of tornadoes — although the official number ranges from 47 to 60, the Enigma Outbreak may actually have been among the largest in history. As the precise number of tornadoes as well as fatalities incurred during the outbreak are unknown, the nickname "Enigma outbreak" has come to be associated with the storm. The outbreak is known as the “Enigma Outbreak”, so called because the true death toll is an enigma. A tornado outbreak is an event in which a series of tornadoes forms from a single storm system within a given period of time and in a given geographic region. The Carolinas Outbreak of March 28, 1984 was one of the deadliest, most destructive tornado outbreaks in the history of the two Carolinas. The weather situation that produced this outbreak has strong parallels to the 1925 Tri-State Tornado Outbreak in that the tornadoes tracked along with the center of a strong low pressure system. The rampage would continue into the Carolinas during the late afternoon and evening hours. There was flooding from Southern California to the Ohio Valley, and tornadoes from Illinois to Alabama and Texas. The storms created by the unstable air triggered at least fifty tornadoes across ten states. The extent of tornado-related damage is uncertain, but is suspected to have been several million dollars, the equivalent of perhaps $100 million today.

This week in 1884, one of the worst tornado outbreaks, snowstorms and floods on record hit the US. The tornado was deadliest there, killing thirteen people and sweeping away many homes. 20 Feb 1884, 7 – St. Louis Globe-Democrat at Newspapers.com