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Posted on 03/18/2025 4:46:20 AM PDT by DFG
The worst tornado in U.S. history passes through eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana, killing 695 people, injuring some 13,000 people, and causing $17 million in property damage.
Known as the “Tri-State Tornado,” the deadly twister began its northeast track in Ellington, Missouri, but wreaked its worst damage in southern Illinois. More than 500 of the total 695 people who perished were killed there, including 234 in Murphysboro and 127 in West Frankfort.
A tornado is a dark, funnel-shaped cloud containing violently rotating air that develops in climate conditions that, in the United States, are generally unique to the central and southern plains and the Gulf states. The rotating winds of tornadoes can attain velocities of 300 m.p.h., and its diameter can vary from a few feet to a mile. A tornado generally travels in a northeasterly distance at speeds of 20 to 40 m.p.h. and usually covers anywhere between one and more than 100 miles.
The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 traveled 219 miles, spent more than three hours on the ground, devastated 164 square miles, had a diameter of more than a mile and traveled at speeds in excess of 70 m.p.h.
https://www.weather.gov/pah/Tri-StateTornadoEvent
Global warming. 🤪
If we had a tornado like this today, can you imagine the outrage of the climate cultists?
I recall that this very tornado has an audio recording—the first of a tornado.
Some wonderful hobbiest had the equipment and caught it. I have heard that recording, but it was years ago.
Hopefully it will suck them all up.
A friend is the local Meteorologist in Charge for the National Weather Service forecast office. He was born & raised in one of those towns in southern IL that was hit by this tornado. He has done some historical research on the track and the damage levels, using modern techniques. He was back in his hometown this past weekend for the centennial recognition of the storm & to present his research findings for interested/affected communities. He made an abbreviated presentation of his work for our local storm spotters group a couple of years ago & it was fascinating, if you’re into understanding the powerful forces behind our weather.
BFL
I was not aware that gas guzzling SUVs, the only known cause of such disasters, were so common 100 years ago.
In Dec. 2021, we got darn close, with the “Mayfield” (KY) tornado. That tornado went all the way from Jonesboro, Arkansas, to Central KY, lifting only briefly near the TN border, and carving a mile wide path @ F4 intensity right through the center of Mayfield, KY. At night. If it hadn’t been for the warnings...
https://www.weather.gov/pah/December-10th-11th-2021-Tornado
With my family, I drove through and around Mayfield a couple weeks later. The destruction, esp. of some of the larger, seemingly more substantial buildings, was incredible.
Not to diss the Tri-State tornado! I used to live right on the edge of the path IT carved...
I hunted down the vid of that event, but the audio was so awful that I gave up on it quickly. Very unfortunate - I was really looking forward to watching it.
It’s curious that the two longest track, very violent tornadoes in US (recorded) history, were so close together.
I thought the Super Outbreak on April 3-4, 1974 was the worst
138 confirmed tornadoes over 13 states
Lost my grandmother in that one
Thanks for posting this!
That was a bad one too. Tornadoes can be so incredibly powerful and destructive. The climate cultists would have us believe it’s only because we used fossil fuels that we have tornadoes and hurricanes (some even try to convince us climate change is responsible for earthquakes).
If we had a tornado like this today
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I would do a lot more damage in terms of $, as there are more structures to destroy now.
However, it may cost a lot less lives. The tornado predictions and warnings are a lot better now. People are more educated too.
In terms of the number of tornados, that’d likely qualify. The 1925 event comes out on top (considerably) for fatalities and (estimated) intensity of the primary tornado.
A lot of the fatalities in the Tri-State tornado were caused by masonry construction(s) of schools and such, which buildings might well have mostly survived an F3, but with an F5, those multi-story brick walls collapsed onto sheltering people, and likely many bricks became projectiles too...
Yeah, somewhat related, I was hunting for any new info. on the 1925 tornado last night, on You Tube, and vids of the “Boxing Day” (Indonesia, Thailand) tsunami came up. It was pretty amazing, all over again, watching how people didn’t realize what was happening, or about to. Back in Jr. High School, already being interested in such things after having been in a tornado*, I’d read up on and even did a little paper for a science class, about tsunamis*. But, most people even in danger areas were clueless...
*I suspect that the old “Mighty Mouse” cartoon about Krakatoa and it’s tidal wave also inspired me!
From some of the accounts, even weather wise farmers got caught by surprise by the 1925 tornado. Apparently it didn’t appear to be a violent storm until it was right on top of its victims...
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