It depends on how you define most severe.

The deadliest tornado on record was the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado of April 26, 1989. It struck portions of Bangladesh, killing over 1,300 people.

The costliest tornado in terms of property damage was the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011 with damage costing $2.8 billion.

The strongest tornado on record is impossible to determine with any certainty, as most F5 and EF5 tornadoes produce similar damage, making it hard to determine if one was stronger than another. Here are to potential candidates: Other tornadoes may also qualify, but in many cases the ncessary information is not available, especially for older tornadoes.

• The highest wind speed on record was measured on the Oklahoma City ornado of May 3, 1999 at 302 mph. But other tornadoes may have been stronger as wind speed measurements from tornadoes are rare.

• The most intense damage to be photographed was after the Jarrell, Texas tornado of May 27, 1997 where an entire subdivision was erased, leaving behind nothing but mud and concrete slabs. Some attribute the severity of this damage to the tornado's slow movement allowing it to tear away at the same spot for a long time.