Deadliest Tornadoes in History
TRI-STATE TORNADO, March 18, 1925
Deadliest Tornadoes in History
FLINT, MICHIGAN, June 8, 1953
The deadliest tornado recorded in U.S. history was the TriState Tornado, which struck Missouri, Illinois and Indiana in
1925. According to the National Weather Service, at least
695 people died, 2,000 people were injured and 15,000
homes were destroyed in a storm that cut across the three
states over three and a half hours.
The tornado that hit Flint, Michigan's Beecher district on June
8, 1953 was considered to be the worst natural disaster to hit
the state in the twentieth century, the National Weather
Service said. It killed 116 people and injured 844 in one of
eight tornadoes that were reported in Michigan that day.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
this tornado which was estimated to have 133 meters per second wind
velocity.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
this tornado which was estimated to have 89 meters per second wind
velocity.
Deadliest Tornadoes in History
May 22, 2011 in Joplin, Missouri
Deadliest Tornadoes in History
May 31, 2013 tornado in El Reno Oklahoma
The tornado in Joplin, Missouri is the most expensive
tornado to this day. Insurance companies paid out around
$2.8 billion dollars, and the total damages are estimated to
be $3.18 billion. This tornado killed over 150 people and
destroyed between 10-20% of the city of Joplin. It damaged
7,000 homes and 2,000 other structures including the local
high school and hospital.
The May 31, 2013 tornado in El Reno Oklahoma with likely
wind speeds of 302 miles per hour was also the widest. It was
estimated to be about 2.6 miles wide. Several storm chasers
including Tim Samaras, Paul Young, and Richard Henderson
died in this behemoth tornado trying to capture this
superlative tornado example. These are the first reported
deaths of storm chasers, ever.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
this tornado which was estimated to have 111 meters per second wind
velocity.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
this tornado which was estimated to have 143 meters per second wind
velocity.
Deadliest Tornadoes in History
In 2011 a “super outbreak” of tornadoes occurred on
April 27 and 28 in 21 US states and part of
southern Canada. On April 27, 216 tornadoes touched
down as part of this outbreak. Overall, the storm system
had 360 tornadoes. While it isn’t the single most
destructive tornado, this storm system as a whole killed
348 people. 324 of the deaths were directly from the
insane amount of tornadoes. This entire event cost
about $10.1 billion in damage.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
the weakest tornado which was estimated to have 63 meters per
second wind velocity.
Deadliest Tornadoes in History
On April 6, 1936, a tornado hit in Gainesville, GA. It killed
203 people and fully destroyed four blocks of buildings. In
total 750 houses were destroyed and another 250 were
severely damaged. Perhaps the most heartbreaking
moment of this disaster was when women and children
working in a clothing factory went into the basement to
take shelter. The building collapsed on them and caught
fire, killing 60 people. Due to the fact that there was no
water or power, the fire could not be put out quickly. It
must have been surreal because those in surrounding
towns didn’t know about the tornado or the damage until
residents of Gainesville went to those towns to find a
working phone.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
this tornado which was estimated to have 179 meters per second wind
velocity.
Deadliest Tornadoes in History
On April 5, 1936, a tornado killed over 200 people in
Tupelo, MS. It damaged highly populated residential areas
and the local hospital, which slowed down medical care
during the disaster. Temporary hospitals were set up until
the trains got back up and running to bring injured people
to hospitals in other cities. The city’s water reservoir was
severely compromised. The city had no water or power in
addition to floods and fires. It took about a week to clear
the roads and allow meaningful aid to get to the town.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
this tornado which was estimated to have 215 meters per second wind
velocity.
Deadliest Tornadoes in History
Hackleburg-Phil Campbell, Alabama – April 27, 2011
This tornado was one of the deadliest to strike the United
States in the past 15 years, but it was also one of the costliest
with well over a billion in damages from this one tornado
alone.
This outbreak remains one of the largest and deadliest,
though it still falls short of the massive Super Outbreak of
April 3–4, 1974 due to the high volume of F4 and F5
tornadoes recorded during that outbreak.
However, this outbreak remains the costliest tornado
outbreak and natural disaster in United States history, even
after inflation.
Use the formula 𝑉 = 6.3 𝐹 + 2 to determine the F-scale rating of
this tornado which was estimated to have 94 meters per second wind
velocity.