Tri-State Tornado

Tri-State Tornado

Newspaper coverage of the tornado
Date of tornado outbreak:	Wednesday, March 18, 1925
Duration1:	3.5 hours
Maximum rated tornado2:	F5 tornado
Tornadoes caused:	9 known
Damages:
Fatalities:	747+ (695+ from one tornado)
Areas affected:	Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Kansas, possibly other states
1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita Scale

The Tri-State Tornado of Wednesday, March 18, 1925, was the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. With 695 confirmed fatalities,^[1] the tornado killed more than twice as many as the second deadliest, the 1840 Great Natchez Tornado. The continuous ≥219 mile (≥352 km) track left by the tornado was the longest ever recorded in the world: the tornado crossed from southeastern Missouri, through Southern Illinois, then into southwestern Indiana. While not officially rated by NOAA, it is recognized by many as an F5 tornado, the maximal damage rating issued on the Fujita scale.^[2][3]

March 18 Outbreak

The tornado was part of a larger tornado outbreak with several other destructive tornadoes the same day in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana, as well as tornadoes in Alabama and Kansas. Including additional tornadoes that day, at least 747 people were killed and thousands injured, making it the deadliest tornado outbreak and deadliest tornado day in U.S. history.^[4] There were undoubtedly many other smaller tornadoes that have been lost to history.^[2]

Tri-State Tornado

Tri-State Tornado storm track and other tornadoes that day from "Monthly Weather Review" April 1925.^[5] The information about the temperature, pressure, and other tornadoes may not be accurate.

One tornado or a series?

There has been uncertainty as to whether the event was one continuous tornado or a tornado family.^[6] Quality of data because of distance in the past and lack of other tornadoes approaching this path length and duration raised doubts; and theory on tornadoes and supercell morphology suggested such duration was exceedingly improbable. In fact, several other historically very long track tornadoes were subsequently found to be tornado families,^{[citation needed]} although in the past several years some very long track tornadoes and supercells have occurred.

New and continuing research, however, has found no break in the path and also that the tornado touchdown may have occurred approximately 15 miles (24 km) before previously thought, bringing the total path length to around 234 mi (377 km).^[7]

Storm track

Missouri

The vortex was first sighted at around 1:01 p.m., north-north-west of Ellington, Missouri. The tornado sped to the northeast, killing two and causing $500,000 worth of property damage and the near annihilation of Annapolis, then struck the mining town of Leadanna. In Bollinger County, 32 children were injured when two schools were damaged. Redford, Cornwall, Biehle, and Frohna also were hit by the tornado. At least 11 died altogether in Missouri.

Illinois

Ruins of the Longfellow School, Murphysboro, Illinois, where 17 children were killed. The storm hit the school at about 2:30 p.m.

The tornado crossed the Mississippi River into southern Illinois, hitting the town of Gorham, at 2:30 p.m., essentially obliterating the entire town, killing 34. Continuing to the northeast at an average speed of 62 miles per hour (100 km/h) (and up to 73 miles per hour [117 km/h]), the tornado cut a swath almost a mile (1.6 km) wide through Murphysboro, De Soto, Hurst-Bush, and West Frankfort. Also afflicted were Zeigler, Eighteen, and Maunie. The school was hit in the village of Maunie also resulting in the death of one child and the loss of a limb to another. The school was completely destroyed. There are pictures of the aftermath available for view in Maunie Town Hall. Within 40 minutes, 541 lives were lost and 1,423 were seriously injured. The village of Parrish was completely destroyed, killing 22. In Murphysboro, 234 were killed, the most in a single city in U.S. history. The tornado proceeded to decimate rural areas across Hamilton and White Counties, claiming 65 more residents. In Illinois, at least 613 were killed, the most in a single state in U.S. history.^{[citation needed]}

Indiana

Ruins of the town of Griffin, Indiana, where 26 people were killed.

Crossing the Wabash River into Indiana, the tornado struck and nearly totally demolished Griffin, devastated rural areas, impacted Owensville, then roared into Princeton, destroying half the town. The tornado traveled ten more miles (16 km) to the northeast before finally dissipating at about 4:30 p.m. around three miles (5 km) southwest of Petersburg. In Indiana, at least 71 perished.^{[citation needed]}

Total

In all, at least 695^[6] died and 2,027 were injured, mostly in southern Illinois. Total damage was estimated at $16.5 million; adjusted for wealth and inflation the toll is approximately $1.4 billion (1997 USD), surpassed in history only by one extremely destructive tornado in the City of St. Louis.^[8] This one event in terms of destruction, inferred by normalized monetary losses, is by far the most destructive (and expensive) tornado ever in the United States. Over 15,000 homes were destroyed by the Tri-State Tornado.^{[citation needed]}

Track of the Tri-state tornado

Nine schools across three states were destroyed in which 69 students were killed. More schools were destroyed and more students killed (as well as the single school record of 33 deaths in De Soto, Illinois) than in any other tornado in U.S. history.^{[citation needed]}

The unusual appearance (due to its size) of the very fast moving tornado, best described by the witnesses along most of its path as an amorphous rolling fog or boiling clouds on the ground, fooled normally weather wise farm owners (and people in general) who did not sense the danger until the storm was upon them.

The tornado was accompanied by extreme downburst winds generally throughout the entirety of its course; the tornado and accompanying downbursts increased the width of damage from an average of 3/4-mile (1.2 km) (though at times over a mile [1.6 km] wide) to an area three miles (5 km) wide at times.

In addition to the dead and injured, thousands were left without shelter or food. Fires erupted, exacerbating the damage. Looting and theft, notably of the property of the dead, was reported. Recovery was generally slow with the event leaving a lasting blow to the region.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tri-State Tornado

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of tornado-related deaths at schools

References

External links

• The Tri-State Tornado (The Tornado Project)
• 1925 Tri-State Tornado (NWS Paducah, KY)
• The Weather Channel's Storm of the Century list – #7 The Tri-State Tornado
• The Great Tri-State Tornado (RootsWeb Genealogy)
• Newspaper Coverage of the Tri-State Tornado Ravage of Murphysboro (NIU Library)
• Tri-State Tornado: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, March 1925 (Popular Mechanics)
• The 1925 Tornado (Carolyar.com Genealogy)

Books

• The Tri-State Tornado: The Story of America's Greatest Tornado Disaster, by Peter S. Felknor. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1992. 131 pages. ISBN 0-8138-0623-2.
• The Forgotten Storm: The Great Tri-state Tornado of 1925, by Wallace E. Akin. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2002. 173 pages. ISBN 1-58574-607-X.
• "Death Rides the Sky: The Story of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado", by Angela Mason. Rockford, Ill: Black Oak Media, 2011. 349 pages. ISBN 978-1-61876-001-2.