12 US Tornados That Redefined Natural Disaster
Tornado. It's a word that draws both curiosity and fear, as evidenced by the many TikTok videos you can find of onlookers trying to document the destructive force.
These are some of the most significant tornadoes in U.S. history, which destroyed homes, took lives, and caused millions of dollars in damage. We'll warn you now: It's a gut-wrenching read.
There are many ways to measure a tornado's size. You can look at the number of fatalities, loss of property, cost of damages, or the length and width of the storm's path. To create this list, we considered all of those factors, putting the most emphasis on loss of life and property.
How Tornados Are Measured
The National Weather Service currently measures tornado strength using the Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF-Scale. This scale provides an overall tornado score ranging from zero to five based on wind speed and overall damage.
The EF-Scale looks at things like the number of fallen trees or motels that are destroyed, but it doesn't consider loss of life or the cost of rebuilding. Occasionally, smaller storms cause greater damage. With this important note under our belt, these are some of the worst tornadoes in US history.
1. Tri-State Tornado
The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 tore a deadly 219-mile path through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. It holds the record for the longest tornado path in U.S. History.
The F5 tornado demolished 19 communities and killed 695 people. Its 300 mph winds injured more than 2,000 others and destroyed 15,000 homes.
2. Tupelo Tornado
On April 5, 1936, a tornado struck Tupelo that residents wouldn't soon forget. The F5 storm took the lives of over 200 people and left a trail of destruction in its wake.
The storm system that launched this tornado actually began in Arkansas and then moved through Tennessee. By the time it reached Tupelo, Mississippi, it was fast and powerful, leveling hundreds of structures alongside its massive death toll.
3. The Gainesville Storm
Just a day after the Tupelo Tornado, a storm system hit Gainesville, Georgia, and nearly destroyed the town. It contained not one but two F4 tornado funnels, which crushed buildings, sparked fires, and caused millions of dollars in damage.
Ultimately, the storm left over 200 residents dead and left another 2,000 people without homes. It was such a devastating event that President Franklin Roosevelt came to tour the damage and comfort survivors.
4. Great Natchez Tornado
Technically, the Great Natchez Tornado never received a Fujita scale rating. Researchers estimate that it was an F4 storm. Though not as strong as some of the other tornados on this list, the Great Natchez Tornado was incredibly destructive.
It ripped through Natchez, Mississippi, on May 7, 1940, taking the lives of over 300 people as it passed. It pulled boats out of the Mississippi River, destroyed businesses along the shore, and almost completely flattened the city of Natchez.
5. St. Louis Tornado of 1896
According to the National Weather Service, the Great St. Louis Tornado of 1896 was particularly memorable because of what it managed to destroy. Just over two decades before the tornado struck, builders completed construction on what was supposed to be a “tornado-proof” bridge in the city.
The bridge relied on true steel and was the first of its kind. Unfortunately, the tornado of 1896 was stronger than anyone realized a tornado could be. The F4 storm destroyed the bridge and took the lives of an estimated 255 people.
6. Joplin Tornado
Many of the biggest tornado disasters occurred several decades, if not a century, ago. However, the Joplin, Missouri tornado is well within living memory.
The EF5 storm struck in 2011 and took 161 lives, though it only traveled a 6-mile path. Its winds reached over 200 miles per hour, flattening 8,000 buildings and homes.
7. The Woodward Tornado
It was the most deadly tornado to ever strike Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service, and it began in Texas. However, communications in 1947 weren't what they are today, and the fast-moving storm hit Woodward without any warning, making it particularly devastating.
The monster funnel caused fires and destruction, creating chaos that resulted in the loss of over 100 lives and 1,000 homes and businesses. The storm also ceased all communication in and out of Woodward for some time, making it difficult for victims to be identified. Some never were.
8. Dixie Tornado Outbreak
The Dixie Tornado Outbreak of 1908 wasn't one or two or even a small handful of tornadoes! Rather, it was a storm system containing a whopping 34 funnels that touched down east of the Mississippi River.
Though some of the tornadoes involved were smaller F2 storms, several received F4 ratings, according to the National Weather Service. Together, the tornados were responsible for at least 320 deaths and over one thousand injuries.
9. The 1899 New Richmond Tornado
The tornado that hit New Richmond, Wisconsin, in 1899 would have been deadly under any circumstance, but a traveling circus that had just settled in made things especially terrible. The circus brought in huge crowds, swelling the town's population.
The National Weather Service notes that this storm wasn't exceptionally bad, but it passed through the exact center of town, damaging or destroying at least 300 buildings. It also took the lives of over 100 people, with six families suffering four or more losses.
10. The Flint-Beecher Tornado
Until the Joplin tornado in 2011, the tornado that struck Flint, Michigan's Bleecher District on June 8, 1953, was the last storm to kill more than 100 people. It was ranked as the worst natural disaster in Michigan in the 20th century.
The F5 storm ripped through the Bleecher District, destroying approximately 340 homes and causing millions of dollars in damage. Things were so bad that the National Guard Armory building in Flint was turned into a temporary morgue.
11. Omaha Tornado of 1913
It was Easter Sunday, and the weather seemed nice as Omaha residents woke and readied themselves for the day's festivities. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse just before dinner time.
At approximately 5:45 pm, a tornado swept through Omaha, Nebraska, destroying 800 homes and taking the lives of over 100 people. There was next to no warning that the storm would hit, as the weather went from relatively balmy to dark and terrifying within seconds.
12. The 1944 Appalachians Outbreak
Only two F4 tornadoes are known to have hit the state of West Virginia, and both occurred on June 23, 1944. Those two were part of a storm system that included at least seven tornadoes, which killed well over 100 people across the Appalachians.
The worst of the funnels struck down in Shinnston, West Virginia, an area not prone to tornado activity. It ripped a 65-mile path through the area, resulting in 100 deaths and over 380 injuries.
