The most expensive tornado on officiall record to date was the EF5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. The cost of damage was $2.8 billion.
Most damage in a tornado is caused by the extremely fast winds.
The greatest amount of damage in a tornado is caused by extremely strong winds. Additional damage is from flying debris.
Most of the damage caused by tornadoes is the result of extremely powerful winds.
The largest tornado even recorded caused about $160 million dollars in damage, but keep in mind this wasn't the most damaging tornado or the strongest. The tornado with the strongest recorded winds caused $1 billion in damage (about $1.3 billion in today's dollars). The most damaging tornado recorded caused the equivalent of $1.7 billion in today's dollars.
The most famous tornado today is most likely the Oklahoma City tornado of May 3, 1999. That tornado caused approximately $1 billion in damage.
The most destructive tornado in Ohio history was the Xenia tornado of April 3, 1974. This F5 tornado killed 34 people and caused $439 million in property damage (in 2011 U.S. dollars).
Most injuries in a tornado are caused by flying debris.
The Joplin tornado of 2011 was a Multiple-vortex tornado. Inside the main circulation were smaller vortices that packed stronger winds than the rest of the tornado. These subvortices are what caused the most severe damage.
That would probably be the city of Joplin, Missouri. On May 22, 2011 the city was struck by an EF5 tornado that caused about $2.8 billion in property damage, making it the most destructive tornado in U.S. history. With a death toll of 159 it was also one of the deadliest. Although there was some damage from this tornado outside of Joplin, it was minor by comparison.
The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 is considered the deadliest tornado in U.S. history, causing significant damage in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. It traveled over 200 miles, reaching estimated winds of 300 mph and causing 695 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries.
The most recent tornado caused severe damage to homes, buildings, and infrastructure in the affected area. It resulted in downed power lines, uprooted trees, and structural damage to properties. Several people were injured and there may have been fatalities as well.