When and where were the most dangerous tornadoes?

Answer 1

Some of the most dangerous tornadoes on record include:

• The Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925. This tornado combined several factors that made it extremely dangerous. It was an F5, the strongest ranking of tornado on the Fujita scale and was very large. It traveled very quickly, at times over 70 mph, giving little time to prepare. The low cloud based made it look more like a low hanging cloud than a tornado, and even then it was obscured by rain at times. In the time before there were tornado warnings this storm caught many towns off guard. In all 695 people were killed in parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, making this the deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
• The Hackleburg, Alabama tornado of April 27, 2011. In a number of ways this event, which was part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, was similar to the Tri-State tornado. I was a large, fast-moving long-tracked EF5 tornado that was at times difficult to see. It hit multiple towns in northern Alabama including Hackleburg, Phil Campbell, Tanner, and Harvest. It killed 72 people despite warnings, making it the deadliest tornado in Alabama history, the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1955 as well as, at the time, the deadliest tornado in the era of modern forecasting only to be dethroned less than a month later.
• The Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011. This tornado touched down just west of Joplin and very rapidly intensified as it entered the city, reaching EF5 intensity in under 7 minutes and soon becoming shrouded in rain that made it difficult to see. Although it moved at about average speed for a tornado its extreme intensity, rapid formation, and low visibility contributed to its death toll of 158. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1947 and the 7th deadliest in U.S. history.
• The Smithville, Mississippi tornado of April 27, 2011. Also part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, this tornado was probably more intense than either the Hackleburg or the Joplin tornadoes. This tornado intensified extremely rapidly, reaching EF5 intensity less than 2 minutes after touching down. An quickly move through Smithville Similar to the Hackleburg tornado, this storm carved a narrow swath of extreme damage within a large area of less severe damage. The tornado killed 16 people in Smithville and then struck Shottsville, Alabama at EF3 intensity, killing 7 more. The tornado's lower death toll was due largely to its shorted duration.
• The Jarrell, Texas tornado of May 27, 1997. This was a rather strange event, forming without a hook echo or apparent wall cloud. While most tornadoes travel northeast, this one traveled slowly southwest. A large portion of the Double Creek Estates subdivision in the small town of Jarrell was completely obliterated. The tornado blew away everything in the area. Houses essentially vanished, leaving behind bare slabs of concrete. Trees and telephone poles were sheared off a few inches above the ground. Streets, driveways, and grass were completely scoured away. At some spots, up to 18 inches of topsoil was removed. In this area of worst damage, there were no survivors. In all, the tornado kill 27 people. The destruction at Jarrell remains the most intense tornado damage ever documented.