The Worst and Biggest Tornadoes in U.S. History
The El Reno tornado, Joplin tornado and Tri-State tornado are among the biggest and most damaging twisters in U.S. history.
Tornadoes can be more than a mile wide and have wind speeds greater than 300 mph.
America sees more tornadoes than any other nation, with around 1,200 twisters each year. Many are small, but some larger ones do significant damage.
On this page
- Biggest tornado: The El Reno tornado
- Most damaging tornado: The Joplin tornado
- Fastest tornado: The Bridge Creek-Moore tornado
- Deadliest tornado: The Tri-State tornado
- Deadliest tornado series: The Tri-State tornado outbreak
- Biggest tornado series: 2011 tornado outbreak
- Insuring your home against tornadoes
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Biggest tornado: The El Reno tornado
The El Reno tornado in 2013 was the widest tornado ever recorded, at 2.6 miles. Damaging winds coming off the twister extended for at least another mile.
The twister's huge base meant its path was hard to predict. The storm killed eight people, including three professional storm researchers. It also had the second-fastest tornado winds ever recorded, at 295 mph.
Because the twister missed nearby Oklahoma City, the death toll and total damage costs were much smaller than they could have been.
Fastest tornado: The Bridge Creek-Moore tornado
The fastest tornado winds ever recorded were over 300 mph in 1999 during Oklahoma’s Bridge Creek-Moore tornado.
Experts have argued over the exact speed. One measurement near the town of Bridge Creek reached 318 mph.
This twister killed 46 people, injured 800 and damaged about 8,000 buildings, most of them homes. It was part of a 78-tornado outbreak across Oklahoma and Kansas that caused more than $1.5 billion in damage.
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Most damaging tornado: The Joplin tornado
The Joplin Tornado destroyed nearly a third of Joplin, Mo., causing $2.8 billion in damage.
It was part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, which had 1,691 tornadoes in one season.
Most twisters are on the ground for ten minutes or less. The Joplin tornado touched down for 38 minutes. Photos of the aftermath show miles of damage: 8,000 buildings and 15,000 vehicles were destroyed. The tornado’s path could be seen by satellite five years later.
The most expensive single rebuild was Mercy Hospital, at $465 million. The new building has windows designed to withstand tornado winds up to 250 mph.
The current standards for shelters and warning systems were put in place because of this disaster.
Deadliest tornado: The Tri-State Tornado
The 1925 Tri-State Tornado killed nearly 700 people and injured more than 2,000 across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
Because it was moving quickly, at 60 to 70 mph, most of the fatalities, 541 people, were killed within 40 minutes as the tornado made a mile-wide path through four towns in southern Illinois.
The Tri-State Tornado also holds the record for the longest path of destruction. While there are some different measurements, it traveled for at least 219 miles.
Second-deadliest US tornado: The Great Natchez tornado
Named for the Mississippi port town where its damage centered, the Great Natchez tornado killed at least 317 people in 1840. Around 200 people drowned as the tornado followed the Mississippi River, destroying boats in its path. The death toll was likely higher because the deaths of enslaved people at nearby plantations were not reported.
Deadliest tornado series: The Tri-State Tornado outbreak
In total, 747 people died in the natural disaster, making it the deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history.
The same weather system that caused the Tri-State Tornado also produced several other twisters that killed an additional 52 people in four other states. The storm also caused a great deal of damage.
The rebuilding cost was $17 million in 1925 or $312 million in today’s money.
Second-deadliest series: The 1936 Tupelo-Gainesville outbreak
The second-most deadly tornado series was in 1936, when an estimated 12 tornadoes killed more than 450 people across seven states.
The most lethal twister in this weather system struck Tupelo, Miss. Around 42 city blocks were leveled, killing an estimated 216 people. The next day, the same weather caused two tornadoes to merge in downtown Gainesville, Ga., birthing a third twister and killing about 203 people.
One-year-old Elvis Presley was living in Tupelo at the time and was unhurt.
Biggest tornado series: 2011 tornado outbreak
In the spring of 2011, the U.S. saw 1,691 tornadoes, about 41% more than normal.
On April 27, 2011, alone, there were four twisters with wind speeds above 200 mph. A single tornado this strong is rare. One of the four was the Joplin tornado.
In addition, there were 12 twisters that the National Weather Service classified as “devastating,” with wind speeds greater than 166 mph, and 21 classified as “severe,” with wind speeds greater than 136 mph.
Towns from Texas to Canada experienced the tornadoes, with 321 people killed in the tragedy. The total cost of resulting damage, in today’s money, was more than $12 billion.
If your insurance claim is ever denied, you should review your policy, talk with your agent and get an independent appraisal.
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Second-biggest tornado series
The 1974 super outbreak had fewer tornadoes than the outbreak in 2011, but they were some of the strongest ever. Seven twisters with wind speeds over 260 mph occurred in one day. About 148 twisters touched down in 13 states and one in Ontario. While most hit largely unpopulated areas, the twisters killed 335 people and caused $5.3 billion in damages in today’s money.
Insuring your home against tornado threats
Thanks to new technology and safety systems, tornado deaths have drastically fallen in the last decade. But damage costs have increased considerably.
If you own your home, your homeowners insurance likely covers tornado damage. If you rent, you don’t need to insure the building you live in, but you can still get protection for your things. Renter’s insurance covers any tornado damage done to your personal things inside your car, apartment or rented house.
Sources
Information is compiled from sources that include the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of Memphis, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NASA, the Northeast Georgia History Center, National Centers for Environmental Information, Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County, and the Digital Library of Georgia.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.
