This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado,which spread through parts of Missouri,Illinois,and Indiana on March 18,1925. It is considered an F5 on the Fujita Scale,holds records for longest path length at 219 miles (352 km) and longest duration at about 3+1⁄2 hours. The 1974 Guin tornado had the highest forward speed ever recorded in a violent tornado,at 75 mph (121 km/h). The deadliest tornado in world history was the Daulatpur–Saturia tornado in Bangladesh on April 26,1989,which killed approximately 1,300 people. In the history of Bangladesh,at least 19 tornadoes killed more than 100 people each,almost half of the total for the world. The most extensive tornado outbreak on record was the 2011 Super Outbreak,which resulted in 367 tornadoes and 324 tornadic fatalities,whereas the 1974 Super Outbreak was the most intense tornado outbreak on tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis's outbreak intensity score with 578,as opposed to the 2011 outbreak's 378.
The 1996 Oakfield tornado outbreak was a severe weather event that occurred on July 18,1996,in Wisconsin,United States,primarily affecting the village of Oakfield. The outbreak produced 12 tornadoes,with the most significant being an F5 tornado which caused severe damage to the village and the surrounding areas. As of the present,this remains the most recent EF/F5 tornado to have occurred in the United States outside the peak months of April and May. No deaths were associated with the outbreak,with 17 injuries in total.
Tornado intensity is the measure of wind speeds and potential risk produced by a tornado. Intensity can be measured by in situ or remote sensing measurements,but since these are impractical for wide-scale use,intensity is usually inferred by proxies,such as damage. The Fujita scale,Enhanced Fujita scale,and the International Fujita scale rate tornadoes by the damage caused. In contrast to other major storms such as hurricanes and typhoons,such classifications are only assigned retroactively. Wind speed alone is not enough to determine the intensity of a tornado. An EF0 tornado may damage trees and peel some shingles off roofs,while an EF5 tornado can rip well-anchored homes off their foundations,leaving them bare—even deforming large skyscrapers. The similar TORRO scale ranges from a T0 for extremely weak tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful known tornadoes. Doppler radar data,photogrammetry,and ground swirl patterns may also be analyzed to determine the intensity and assign a rating.
On on June 7–8,1984,a significant severe weather and tornado event took place across the central United States from North Dakota to Kansas. The tornado outbreak produced several significant tornadoes including an F5 tornado which traveled through Barneveld,Wisconsin,in the early hours of June 8. The entire outbreak killed at least 13 people across three states including 9 in Barneveld alone.
From Sunday to Monday,February 21–22,1971,a devastating tornado outbreak,colloquially known as the Mississippi Delta outbreak,struck portions of the Lower Mississippi and Ohio River valleys in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The outbreak generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The two-day severe weather episode produced at least 19 tornadoes,and probably several more,mostly brief events in rural areas;killed 123 people across three states;and wrecked entire communities in Mississippi. The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an F5 that developed in Louisiana and crossed into Mississippi,killing 48 people,while the deadliest was an F4 that tracked across Mississippi and entered Tennessee,causing 58 fatalities in the former state. The former tornado remains the only F5 on record in Louisiana,while the latter is the deadliest on record in Mississippi since 1950. A deadly F4 also affected other parts of Mississippi,causing 13 more deaths. Other deadly tornadoes included a pair of F3s—one each in Mississippi and North Carolina,respectively—that collectively killed five people.
On June 3–4,1958,a destructive tornado outbreak affected the Upper Midwestern United States. It was the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S. state of Wisconsin since records began in 1950. The outbreak,which initiated in Central Minnesota,killed at least 28 people,all of whom perished in Northwestern Wisconsin. The outbreak generated a long-lived tornado family that produced four intense tornadoes across the Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area,primarily along and near the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers. The deadliest tornado of the outbreak was a destructive F5 that killed 21 people and injured 110 others in and near Colfax,Wisconsin.
Tornadoes are more common in the United States than in any other country or state. The United States receives more than 1,200 tornadoes annually—four times the amount seen in Europe. Violent tornadoes—those rated EF4 or EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale—occur more often in the United States than in any other country.
The March 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak affected portions of the United States Great Plains and Midwest regions from Iowa to Texas from March 11 to March 13,1990. The outbreak produced at least 64 tornadoes across the region,including four violent tornadoes;two tornadoes,which touched down north and west of Wichita,Kansas,were both rated F5,including the tornado that struck Hesston. In Nebraska,several strong tornadoes touched down across the southern and central portion of the state,including an F4 tornado that traveled for 131 miles (211 km) making it the longest tracked tornado in the outbreak. Two people were killed in the outbreak,one each by the two F5 tornadoes in Kansas.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1989,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1990,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1996,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1997,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes,however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1986,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
The 1953 Worcester tornado was an extremely powerful and destructive tornado that struck the city of Worcester,Massachusetts and surrounding areas on Tuesday,June 9,1953,the final day of the Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence. It stayed on the ground for 48 miles (77 km) and 78 minutes. The tornado injured 1,288 people and killed 94,making it one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history and the deadliest tornado to ever strike New England. A total of 4,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed and,per National Weather Service estimates,10,000 people were left homeless. The tornado caused $52.193 million which,at the time,was the costliest tornado ever recorded.
On December 18–20,1957,a significant tornado outbreak sequence affected the southern Midwest and the South of the contiguous United States. The outbreak sequence began on the afternoon of December 18,when a low-pressure area approached the southern portions of Missouri and Illinois. Supercells developed and proceeded eastward at horizontal speeds of 40 to 45 miles per hour,yielding what was considered the most severe tornado outbreak in Illinois on record so late in the calendar year. Total losses in the state were estimated to fall within the range of $8–$10 million.
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1964,primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S.,although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.
During the afternoon of June 16,1992,a violent tornado,commonly known as the Chandler–Lake Wilson tornado,tore through the town of Chandler and city of Lake Wilson in Murray County,Minnesota. The damage in Chandler was extreme enough for the local National Weather Service office to rate the damage F5 on the Fujita scale.
On April 19,1976,a violent tornado struck Brownwood,Texas,United States. The damage caused by the tornado was extreme enough for the National Weather Service to rate the tornado F5 on the Fujita scale. In 1993,meteorologist and tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis disagreed with the National Weather Service's assessment of the tornado,which he assigned a maximum rating of F4 on the Fujita scale.
The history of tornado research spans back centuries,with the earliest documented tornado occurring in 200 and academic studies on them starting in the 18th century. This is a timeline of government or academic research into tornadoes.
