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The Tri-State Tornado of 1925
NOAA ^ | Chris Geelhart

Posted on 12/12/2021 8:37:50 AM PST by BenLurkin

America's deadliest tornado occurred on March 18, 1925. Tracking across three states, it killed at least 695 people. The tornado was later considered to be F5 strength, the top of the original Fujita Scale for tornado intensity.

One or Many Tornadoes?

In the era of the Tri-State Tornado, storm survey techniques were more primitive than today. With no aerial surveys and limited ground investigations, tornadoes were often assumed to remain on the ground the entire time. No radars or satellite data were available to help determine the most likely locations of any damage.

The Illinois portion of the track was surveyed by Clarence Root, of the Weather Bureau office in Springfield, IL, and William Barron of the Cairo, IL office; the Indiana portion was surveyed by Albert Brand of the Evansville, IN office. Root and Barron's survey took seven days; in the March 1925 edition of Climatological Data: Illinois Section, they describe staying "as close to the storm track as roads would permit." While going into great detail on the damage along the path, no mention was made of the tornado lifting. In fact, they state: "It can positively be stated that there was only one tornado in Illinois, and that it was continuous from Missouri to beyond Princeton, Indiana."

Analyses of the event using modern meteorological knowledge have suggested potential that at least some of the track may be from different tornadoes. Noted tornado expert Tom Grazulis felt that the first 60 miles of the track were comprised of two or more tornadoes, with a 157 mile segment continuous. A more detailed analysis by Johns, et. al., published in 2013 in the Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology, was not able to conclusively determine if there were any significant gaps in the track, although the portion crossing Illinois was most likely continuous. The segment between Madison County, Missouri, and Pike County, Indiana (174 miles), was strongly suggested to be one continuous tornado, though density of the damage reports focused on at least 151 miles of it most likely being continuous. However, the analysis did uncover some additional damage extending on either side of the original ends of the track, likely caused by separate tornadoes.

What If It Happened Today?

The tornado struck in an era when there were no severe weather watches or warnings. Indeed, the Weather Bureau had a policy not to even use the word "tornado" in any forecast, to avoid inciting panic. The official forecast merely called for "rains and strong shifting winds."

The Paducah, KY, NWS office worked with the Storm Prediction Center to create a hypothetical scenario for this storm:

Outlooks from the Storm Prediction Center would have highlighted the areas of concern. Using a reanalysis of observed weather data from the era, a High Risk for severe weather would likely have been included.

Around noon, a Tornado Watch would likely have been issued for southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, and portions of adjacent Kentucky.

As the severe storms began to follow, local NWS offices in St. Louis and Paducah would issue Tornado Warnings. Given that the tornado was moving from 60-70 mph over much of the path, warnings would have to include multiple counties to get advanced notice. The link above for the scenario includes the text of these hypothetical warnings.


TOPICS: Weather
KEYWORDS: 1925; tornado; tristate

1 posted on 12/12/2021 8:37:50 AM PST by BenLurkin
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To: SunkenCiv

ping


2 posted on 12/12/2021 8:38:21 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

Global warming!!!!!

oh wait..........


3 posted on 12/12/2021 8:44:33 AM PST by janetjanet998
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To: BenLurkin

The first recording of the sound of a tornado came from that tornado.

The recording is available on the Internet.


4 posted on 12/12/2021 8:47:15 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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https://www.britannica.com/event/Tri-State-Tornado-of-1925


5 posted on 12/12/2021 8:48:07 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: janetjanet998

If it happened today, it would be blamed on Trump and/or Global Warming.


6 posted on 12/12/2021 8:50:53 AM PST by ArtDodger
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To: BenLurkin
Indeed, the Weather Bureau had a policy not to even use the word "tornado" in any forecast, to avoid inciting panic.

Government thinking that citizens were better off handling the aftermath of a disaster instead for preparing for it.

7 posted on 12/12/2021 8:54:50 AM PST by skr (May God confound the enemy)
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To: BenLurkin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_tornado_outbreak Circa 1884 with 178+ fatalities

Among largest known outbreaks ever recorded. Produced violent and killer tornadoes across a large portion of the Southeastern United States, killing well over 170 people. Long-track F4 tornado moved through Alabama and Georgia, killing 30 people. Another F4—the deadliest in North Carolina history—hit Rockingham, North Carolina, and killed 23. (≥37 significant, 4 violent, ≥27 killer)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Natchez_Tornado - circa 1840 with 317+ fatalities

The Great Natchez Tornado hit Natchez, Mississippi on Thursday, May 7, 1840. This tornado was the second deadliest tornado in United States history; at least 317 people were killed and at least 109 were injured.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1896_tornado_outbreak_sequence Circa 1896 with 484+ fatalities

The deadliest tornado outbreak sequence in American history. Killer tornadoes touched down from Texas to Pennsylvania. Produced at least three F5 tornadoes and several F4s, including an F4 that killed at least 255 people and injured 1,236 in the St. Louis area. In Sherman Texas on May 15, one of the most intense tornadoes of the 19th century according to Grazulis struck. "Extraordinary" damage occurred to farms and 20 homes that were completely obliterated and swept away. An iron-beam bridge was torn apart and scattered, with one of the beams deeply embedded into the ground. Trees were reduced to debarked stumps, and grass was scoured from lawns in town as well. Several headstones at a cemetery were shattered or thrown up to 250 yards through the air, and a trunk lid from Sherman was found 35 miles away. Reliable reports said that numerous bodies were carried hundreds of yards, and that multiple deaths occurred in 17 different families; seven deaths were in one family alone. In Seneca Kansas on May 17, an opera house was swept away along with some farms. Entire farms were reportedly swept clean of debris, leaving the areas "bare as the prairie. In Ortonville-Oakwood Michigan on May 25th, houses and farms were leveled and swept away, with debris carried up to 12 mi (19 km) away. Trees were completely debarked, with even small twigs stripped bare in some cases. (>38 significant, 3 F5, 9 violent, ≥22 killer)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_tornadoes_and_tornado_outbreaks

Hitting Ctrl+F and searching for December gives you 53 results which are actually 23 separate tornadoes or tornado outbreaks so don't let anyone tell you December is "rare". Plenty for Nov, January, February, March as well.

All of the above were before the Industrial Age.

8 posted on 12/12/2021 8:57:45 AM PST by Pollard (PureBlood -- youtube.com/watch?v=VXm0fkDituE)
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To: Pollard; BenLurkin
Also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-State_tornado_outbreak

9 posted on 12/12/2021 8:58:55 AM PST by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.")
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To: BenLurkin

Comrade Governor Beshear came on TV the other night and ask that we PRAY for the people in that part of the state! But remember, this is the same Comrade Governor who sent the Kentucky State Police out to prevent people from going to church with his early COVID totalitarianism proclamations.


10 posted on 12/12/2021 8:59:11 AM PST by libertylover (Our biggest problem, by far, is that most of the media is hate & agenda driven, not truth driven.)
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To: BenLurkin

interesting


11 posted on 12/12/2021 9:00:23 AM PST by UB355 (Slow Traffic keep right)
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To: Pollard

Same with droughts, wildfires, flooding. Wikipedia has lists for all of them and they’ve all been happening for as long as they’ve been recorded. I’ve been battling lefties on twitter using wikipedia which is run by lefties so they can’t argue with it. Pretty sure I actually changed at least one person’s mind.

I also told one to check out Michael Moore’s “Planet of the Humans” available on youtube. It’s actually a decent documentary and Moore’s not in it. It shows how alt-energy is as bad if not worse than fossil fuels and how all it’s really doing is making people like John Kerry and Bill Gates richer. That’s all the green movement will do is replace oil tycoons with alt-energy tycoons while not doing anything to “save the planet”.

She said she’d look for it. Of course it ends with; Too many people on the planet. Fauxi and the jab is working on that though as is eugenics man Gates.


12 posted on 12/12/2021 9:07:23 AM PST by Pollard (PureBlood -- youtube.com/watch?v=VXm0fkDituE)
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from eye witnesses..the Tri State storm, there was no visible funnel cloud...was described as a boiling mass that looked like a black curtain in the distance..


13 posted on 12/12/2021 9:09:11 AM PST by basalt (exas)
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To: Pollard

Bkmk


14 posted on 12/12/2021 9:57:46 AM PST by kelly4c
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To: BenLurkin

15 posted on 12/12/2021 10:02:39 AM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> --- )
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To: basalt

“from eye witnesses..the Tri State storm, there was no visible funnel cloud...was described as a boiling mass that looked like a black curtain in the distance..”

Exactly the same as the more recent tornado that destroyed Moore, Oklahoma (southern suburb of Oklahoma City). It was God’s own “house chipper.” This storm Friday seems much the same.

Godspeed and comfort to all those involved.


16 posted on 12/12/2021 10:45:36 AM PST by oldplayer
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To: oldplayer

the debris pictures i saw from the Moore, Oklahoma tornado...well, if there’s such a thing as an F-6..that was it...jaw dropping power..


17 posted on 12/12/2021 10:55:44 AM PST by basalt (exas)
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To: basalt

re: “was described as a boiling mass that looked like a black curtain in the distance..”

Reed Timmer would say “wedge”.


18 posted on 12/12/2021 11:14:02 AM PST by _Jim (Save babies)
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To: BenLurkin
In the lower left you will see an X I added to that map.

That is where my farm is! It's where I am right now.

There are family stories about this big old house and what happened during that storm....

I'm in a valley, in the Mark Twain forest...


19 posted on 12/12/2021 12:51:14 PM PST by Bobalu (Figure out what you like, learn enough to be dangerous, and then start fiddling around)
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To: Bobalu

Stay safe, FRiend. Keep an eye out for bad weather.


20 posted on 12/12/2021 3:11:46 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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