[Strategerist]

With some exceptions (The Oklahoma City F5, the Jarrell F5) most really destructive tornadoes are moving quite fast. They end up covering more area with a longer track.

The deadliest Tornado in history, the Tri-State Tornado, was one of the fastest moving tornadoes ever recorded - 70 mph+

[nicmarlo]

Maybe along the coastal areas, quicker storms mean less destruction....and the more inland, the greater destruction.

But I was thinking that a slower storm also allows a tornado to build to a large funnel and, therefore, create greater damage.

(But seeing as how I have never once lived in an area where there are frequent tornadoes (much less seen one), I profess my utter ignorance as to anything about them, except for what I read about them from experts or anecdotal commentary from others.)

[Stonewall Jackson]

My great-uncle Gordon was a young teenager working on a farm in Illinois when the Tri-State Tornado hit. He was picked up by the storm, carried almost a mile, and then set down without a stitch of clothing on his body. A few weeks later his pants were returned to him from a family in Indiana who found them in their yard after the storm. They found his wallet with an ID card of some sort inside and mailed them back to him.

When he first told me this story, I thought he was pulling my leg, but he has a clipping from a newspaper that talks about the return of his pants.