Top 5 Terrifying Twisters
We’re not in Kansas anymore – literally! In fact, the top 5 deadliest tornadoes don’t even set foot inside the state of Kansas, the majority of them occurred from the Midwest to the southeast. We all know how much destruction they bring in such a short amount of time, and also how communities are barely ever given sufficient time to brace for one that is looming upon them. However, if they were given more time, what could they do to prepare anyway? Below are the top 5 deadliest tornadoes to ever occur in the United States.(Tri-State Tornado - Credit: ularmechanics.com)
It’s a shame tornadoes aren't named like hurricanes, because if they were the name of this tornado would bring up horrific memories for those who experienced it. The number one deadliest tornado has been given a sort of title called the “Tri-State” tornado. It terrorized Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925, killing 695 people and injuring 2,027. The storm path was 219 miles long and lasted 3.5 hours beginning in southern Missouri and ending in Southwest Indiana. The vicious twister was over ¾ miles wide averaging a moving speed of 62 mph with winds of 300 mph. The total damage cost these states roughly $1.46 billion.(Natchez, Mississippi - Credit: www.totallytopfive.com)
The second deadliest tornado was located in Natchez, Mississippi. This monster crept up the Mississippi river and ambushed shipyard workers on May 7, 1840, killing 317. Most of the victims killed worked on flatboats along the Mississippi river. The boats were overturned and the occupants drowned in the river. They didn't stand a chance with this EF5 storm and winds exceeding 300 MPH. As it is common for the south to experience torrential rainfalls, it wasn't much of a worry as most people assume that it was another thunderstorm. It is said along the river were about 60 boats before the storm. After the storm there were only six still standing. While this tornado historically claims to have taken 317 lives, it is possible for the death toll to be significantly higher because back then slaves weren't accounted for. Natchez also ranks number 22 as the deadliest tornado to hit when a twister hit in 1908, killing 91 residents.(St. Louis, Missouri - Credit: usgennet.org)
The third deadliest tornado was found in the St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois areas on May 27, 1896, killing 255 and injuring 1000. Even though this EF4 was deemed to be the costliest in U.S. history, it takes the number three spot for deadliest as well. Total destruction estimates are said to be $2.56 billion in today’s currency. Hail was as large as a baseball, up to 3” in diameter. The tornado began west of Eads Bridge in St. Louis and reached its max intensity as it crossed the Mississippi River over to East St. Louis still destroying buildings and freight yards.(Tupelo, Mississippi - Credit: Stu Beitler)
Tupelo, Mississippi decided to take this whirlwind on a 2-day journey putting it at number four and five. Late at night on April 5, 1936, the storm began and devastated most of the Gum Pond area. It is said that this area was hit the worst considering most of the bodies were found in the pond. It is estimated that 216 died and more than 1,000 were injured. Again, this death toll could be considerably larger due to the fact that the dead and injured blacks were not documented due to the racial discrimination still present in this area during the time. This EF5 storm gained winds of 261 mph and reported that winds were so high that pine needles were discovered to be embedded tree trunks. The twister formed west of the Water Valley-Coffeville area and moved southwest to Tupelo. Fun Fact: Elvis Presley was one year old when it hit his home town.
(Gainesville, Georgia - Credit: Lee Wiley and Tommie Tompkins)
The number five spot goes to Gainesville, Georgia where the tornado struck this small town on April 6, 1936, killing 203 people and injuring 1600. This EF4 tornado was exactly one day after the Tupelo tornado, which brought the same stream line of storms to this neck of the woods creating more twisters. The storm caused a building for the Cooper Pants factory to collapse which killed 70 employees during the wake of the tornado. Twenty more were killed in a nearby department store. The April 5-6 storms were extremely devastating to these two southern states. Two airline pilots, Lee Wiley and Tommie Tompkins, took aerial shots of the devastation. These calamitous vortexes of swirling terror can occur anywhere, especially in areas that are prone to destructive thunderstorms and inclement weather. As we can see from these top five most destructive tornadoes, they aren't choosy about where they land or where they tread. So keep your fingers crossed that you don’t witness the next generation of deadliest tornadoes.
