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Center for Weather Research, Forecasting & Education
Center for Weather Research, Forecasting & Education

Storms of The Century

The United States gets about 1,000 recorded tornadoes every year. Today, only a few are killers, but that has not always been so. The following is a list of some of the biggest killer tornadoes during the past 100 years.

In spite of an ever-burgeoning population, death figures continue to go down as improved forecasting, detection, communications and public awareness increase.

THE TRI-STATE TORNADO
March 18, 1925
States:
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana
Dead:
695
Injured:
2027
At about 1:01 p.m., trees began to snap north-northwest of Ellington, Missouri, and for the next three and a half hours more people would die, more schools would be destroyed, more students and farmers would be killed from a tornado than anytime since. By the time it was over, 695 people were dead. The largest death toll was in the town of Murphysboro, where 234 people perished, 25 of them schoolchildren.
THE TUPELO TORNADO
April 5, 1936
State:
Mississippi
Dead:
216
Injured:
700
This tornado leveled more than 200 homes. Entire families were killed up to 13 in a single home. A movie theater was turned into a temporary hospital, with the popcorn machine used to sterilize instruments.
THE GAINESVILLE TORNADO
April 6, 1936
State:
Georgia
Dead:
203
Injured:
1600
A massive pair of tornadoes moved east-northeast through downtown Gainesville at the start of the workday. This event consisted of two large funnel clouds, which struck the city of Gainesville after a smaller tornado hit north of town. The course of one of the funnels led into the city from the southwest, just west of the Atlanta highway. The other came in from the west along the Dawsonville highway. About 70 people died in the Cooper Pants Factory, making it a record death toll for a single building.
THE WOODWARD TORNADO
April 9, 1947
States:
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas
Dead:
181
Injured:
970
A family of tornadoes swept through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Many newspapers reported that two people who were together in the town of Glazier were found three miles apart from each other. Rain immediately followed the tornado in some areas, which served to put out fires.
THE AMITE/PINE/PURVIS TORNADO
April 24, 1908
States:
Louisiana, Mississippi
Dead:
143
Injured:
770
This major tornadic event touched down near "Weiss" in northwest Livingston Parish, and moved east-northeast. Four people were killed when a railroad work crew hid from the approaching storm in boxcars. The box cars were thrown 150 feet and torn apart. Seven people died in each of two families, southwest of Richton.
THE FLINT TORNADO
June 8, 1953
State:
Mississippi
Dead:
115
Injured:
844
The tornado virtually obliterated all homes on both sides of Coldwater Road for about a mile. IT was there that the damage swath was over a half mile wide, and most of the deaths occurred.
THE WACO TORNADO
May 11, 1953
State:
Texas
Dead:
115
Injured:
597
This massive tornado leveled a home near Lorena, passed near Hewitt, moved north-northeast, devastating downtown Waco, then lifted east of Axtell. The most publicized damage was to large brick buildings in the downtown area, especially the collapse of a six-story furniture store. Survivors were buried for up to 14 hours.
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