Weather Phenomenon: Five Deadliest Tornadoes in U.s. History
There is no storm more devastating than a hurricane born out of the Atlantic but the tornado, or twister as it’s commonly known, can have a major effect on people’s lives to the point of losing someone they love. The tornado is never more prevalent than in the United States of America’s tornado alley which runs between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains and includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Colorado and Nebraska. Tornadoes are also common in Florida where their intensity can be among the highest.
So with that in mind, here are the top 5 deadliest US tornadoes:
5. Gainesville, Georgia, April 6, 1936: 203 deaths
This devastating tornado was classed as an F4 and caused no less than $13 million dollars worth of damage after two tornadoes formed to make one huge one. The final death toll at first could not be reached because of the amount of collapsed buildings but was finally set at 203 with 40 missing.
4. Tupelo, Mississippi, 1936, April 5, 1936: 216 deaths
Just the day before this tornado was the worst of seventeen that formed on these two days and fortunately this F5 monster missed the business district in Tupelo but went on to destroy many homes.
3. St Louis, Missouri, May 27, 1896: 255 deaths
The most costly tornado in the US to date at $2.9 billion, the 1896 tornado in St Louis formed from a super cell that sparked a number of touch downs over two days. This F4 twister killed 255 and left 1000 injured.
2. Natchez, Mississippi, May 7, 1840: 317 deaths
This tornado is one of only a few to kill more people than it injured when it formed southwest of Natchez and went on to destroy many buildings in the twon of Natchez. Most of the deaths came from flatboats on the Mississippi River, 269. This tornado went unclassified as the Fujita scale by which a tornado is measured by was not invented yet. It is maintained the huge twister was probably an F5.
1. Tri-State Tornado, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, March 18, 1825: 695 deaths
The most deadly tornado in history also followed the longest path of any tornado at 352km crossing three states in the process. The most deaths came in Illinois where 541 died in the space of just 40 minutes. Although not officially categorised, the twister is said to have been an F5.
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7 Responses to “Weather Phenomenon: Five Deadliest Tornadoes in U.s. History”
On September 14, 2009 at 4:59 am
Thanks for sharing this very educational post.
On September 14, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Mother Nature is powerful.
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
On September 14, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Deadliest tornadoes indeed.
On September 15, 2009 at 12:36 am
The power of the wind is shocking. Remind me to film “Twister”
On September 15, 2009 at 6:01 am
Dear me, how scary. I’m really glad I don’t live in Tornado regions. I’d be anticipating them all the time.
On September 19, 2009 at 11:17 pm
We are lucky, they pass all around but I have never been in a tornado. One hit less than a half mile away a few years ago and came high over the house to wind the tops from our trees.
On September 29, 2009 at 9:32 pm
RJ,
I still remember vividly the nightmare of a tornado we went through when I was only 3 years old. We lived in Huntsville, Alabama in 1972 when it destroyed our home and our neighbors home. Tornadoes are strange beasts as it only destroyed our side of the street. thank you for sharing you well written article.
Chris
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