Tri-State Tornado

Infobox tornado outbreak|name=Tri-State Tornado Outbreak
date=Wednesday, March 18, 1925
image location=Herald examiner 1925.jpg


duration=3.5 hours
fujitascale=F5
tornadoes=9 known
total damages (USD)=$1.4 billion (2000 USD)
total fatalities=747+ (695+ from one tornado)
areas affected=Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Kansas

The Great Tri-State Tornado of Wednesday, March 18, 1925, crossed from southeastern Missouri, through southern Illinois, then into southwestern Indiana, and was the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. With 695 confirmed fatalities, 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. It is recognized as an F5 tornado, the maximal damage rating issued on the Fujita scale.cite book |last = Grazulis |first = Thomas P. |authorlink = Thomas P. Grazulis |title = Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |publisher = The Tornado Project of Environmental Films |month = July | year = 1993 |location = St. Johnsbury, VT |isbn = 1879362031 ] cite book |last = Grazulis |first = Thomas P. |authorlink = Thomas P. Grazulis |title = F5/F6 Tornadoes |publisher = The Tornado Project of Environmental Films |year = 2001 |location = St. Johnsbury, VT ]

Outbreak

The tornado was part of a larger tornado outbreak with several other destructive tornadoes in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana, as well as tornadoes in Alabama and Kansas. Including additional tornadoes that day, at least 747 were killed and 2,298 were injured during this unusually intense and early spring outbreak. There were undoubtedly many other smaller tornadoes that have been lost to history.

Tri-State Tornado

One tornado or a series?

There has long been discussion as to whether the event was a single continuous tornado or a tornado family. 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, although in the last several years some very long track tornadoes and supercells have occurred. Thorough new and continuing research, however, has found no break in the path and also that the tornado touchdown occurred approximately 15 miles (24 km) before previously thought, bringing the total path length to around 234 mi (377 km).cite web |last = Doswell |first = Charles A., III |authorlink = Charles A. Doswell, III |coauthors = C. Crisp, R.A. Maddox, J. Hart, R.H. Johns, M.S. Gilmore, D.W. Burgess, Steve Piltz |title = The Tri-State Tornado of 18 March 1925 Reanalysis Project: Preliminary Results |url = http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/ams/AMS%20VP/Storm%20Conference/NESC%20Presentations/32ndNESC_Presentation/Banquet/Doswell.ppt |format = Powerpoint Presentation |accessdate = 2008-03-08 ]

Missouri

The vortex was first sighted 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 eleven died altogether in Missouri.

Illinois

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 Crossville. 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.

Indiana

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.

Toll

In all, at least 695 died and 2027 were injured, mostly in southern Illinois. Three states, thirteen counties, and more than nineteen communities, four of which were essentially effaced (several of these and others never recovered), were in the path of the record 3.5 hour duration tornado. 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 two extremely destructive tornadoes in the City of St. Louis.cite journal |last = Brooks |first = Harold E. |authorlink = Harold E. Brooks |coauthors = C.A. Doswell |title = Normalized Damage from Major Tornadoes in the United States: 1890–1999 |journal = Weather and Forecasting |volume = 16 |issue = 1 |pages = 168–76 |publisher = American Meteorological Society |month = February | url = http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1175%2F1520-0434(2001)016%3C0168%3ANDFMTI%3E2.0.CO%3B2 |doi = 10.1175/1520-0434(2001)016<0168:NDFMTI>2.0.CO;2 |year = 2001 ] These three events in terms of destruction, inferred by normalized monetary losses, are by far the most destructive (and expensive) tornadoes ever in the United States. Over 15,000 homes were destroyed by the Tri-State Tornado.

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

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

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

References

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

* [http://www.tornadoproject.com/toptens/1.htm The Tri-State Tornado] (The Tornado Project)
* [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/1925/ 1925 Tri-State Tornado] (NWS Paducah, KY)
* [http://www.weather.com/newscenter/specialreports/sotc/storm7/page1.html The Weather Channel's "Storm of the Century" list - #7 The Tri-State Tornado]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilfrankl/subjects/tornado.htm The Great Tri-State Tornado] (RootsWeb Genealogy)
* [http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/2001/ihy011210.html Newspaper Coverage of the Tri-State Tornado Ravage of Murphysboro] (NIU Library)
* [http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/worst_case_scenarios/4219866.html?series=31 Tri-State Tornado: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, March 1925] (Popular Mechanics)
* [http://www.carolyar.com/Illinois/Misc/Tornado.htm The 1925 Tornado] (Carolyar.com Genealogy)
* [http://utvols.8m.com/1925.html 1925 Monster Tornado Killed Hundreds Led to Development of Warning System]

;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.