Tornado History

A Picture of a Tornado During a Sunset

Tornadoes are a destructive and deadly meteorological phenomenon. All tornadoes have the potential to cause damage and loss of life. In fact, weak tornadoes, such as F0 tornadoes and EF0 tornadoes have killed people. However, throughout history many infamous tornadoes have caused catastrophic damage and killed many people.

The historic tornadoes listed below caused enormous amounts of damage and were responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. Our goal is to educate you on these notorious tornadoes and enhance awareness of how destructive a tornado can be. Below you’ll find a list of tornadoes that live in infamy.

This section of our website is dedicated to anyone whomever lost a loved one to a tornado.

1989 Daulatpur-Saturia Tornado

The Daulatpur-Saturia Tornado is the deadliest tornado in recorded history. It occurred on April 26th, 1989, in the Manikganj District in Bangladesh. It’s estimated this was an F5 tornado. Winds are estimated to have been 200+ mph (322 km/h). 1,300+ people lost their lives to this tornado. The total damaged caused by this tornado is unknown.

1925 Tri-State Tornado

The Tri-State Tornado is the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. It occurred on March 18th, 1925, and affected cities in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. It was an F5 tornado, with the highest achieved wind speed unknown. 695+ people lost their lives to this tornado. The total damaged caused by the Tri-State Tornado is $1.6 billion (2018 USD).

1840 Great Natchez Tornado

The Great Natchez Tornado is the second deadliest tornado in U.S. history. It occurred on May 7th, 1840, and affected cities in Louisiana and Mississippi. This tornado wasn’t rated, and the highest achieved wind speed is unknown. 317+ people lost their lives to this tornado. The total damaged caused by the Great Natchez Tornado is $31.6 million (2018 USD).

1896 St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado

The 1896 St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado is the third deadliest tornado in U.S. history. It occurred on May 27th, 1896, and affected cities in Missouri. The tornado was rated an F5 tornado and the highest achieved wind speed is unknown. 255+ people lost their lives to this tornado. The total damaged caused by the Great Natchez Tornado is $4.3 billion (2015 USD).

2011 Joplin Tornado

The 2011 Joplin Tornado is one of the costliest tornadoes in U.S. history. It occurred on May 22nd, 2011, and affected cities in Missouri. This was an EF5 tornado with winds speed exceeding 200+ mph (322 km/h). 158+ people lost their lives to this tornado. The total damaged caused by the 2011 Joplin Tornado is $3.12 billion (2019 USD).

1999 Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado

The 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado, also called the May 3rd Tornado had the highest wind speeds ever recorded on our planet. It occurred on May 3rd, 1999, and affected cities in Oklahoma. It was an F5 tornado will wind speeds reaching 301 ± 20 miles per hour (484 ± 32 km/h). 36+ people lost their lives to this tornado. The total damaged caused by the 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado is $1.5 billion (2019 USD).