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F5s can...but with the sirens and the storm shelters we have less deaths now.

Hundreds of tornadoes are recorded every year in the US and by luck; most of them do not cause major damage or death. Unfortunately, there have been several tornadoes that have wiped out towns and cities. Most of them were rated as F5 and F4 on the Fujita scale. The following is a list of the top five tornadoes recorded in the United States:

Number One: The Tri-State Tornado on March 18, 1925

Missouri, Illinois and Indiana were all affected by the Tri-State tornado. The funnel first touched ground in Ellington Missouri and headed eastward through Annapolis, Leadanna, Lixville, Biehle and Frohna. As the tornado left the Ozarks, it began to pick up speed. Illinois was hit the worst and suffered high death tolls in Gorham, Murphysboro, Desoto, Parrish and West Frankfort. The tornado continued through Indiana and struck the towns of Griffin and Princeton. Finally the tornado dissipated northeast of Princeton.

Death toll: 695
Injuries: 2027
Number Two: The Natchez Tornado on May 7, 1840

The Natchez Tornado first touched down in Concordia Parish, Louisiana then followed the Mississippi River for 7 miles before hitting Natchez Mississippi. Most of the deaths occurred on water because many the river was busy with steamboat and barge traffic. The death toll is believed to be underestimated because this tornado occurred before the Civil War and slave deaths were not counted.

Death toll: 317
Injuries: 109
Number Three: The St. Louis/East St. Louis Tornado on May 27, 1896

The St Louis tornado struck the southwest end of the city of St Louis Missouri creating a path of destruction through the urban area. The twister then crossed the Mississippi River and hit East St. Louis in Illinois. With a large transient population living on boats on the river, the death toll may be inaccurate due the bodies washed down the river.

Death Toll: 255
Injuries: 1000
Number Four: The Tupelo Tornado on April 5, 1936

The Tupelo tornado first touched down near Coffeeville and skirted the center of Tupelo but destroyed residential sections of the city. This tornado spawned the deadly Gainesville tornado. The death toll may be inaccurate because African-Americans were not counted in the newspaper records.

Death Toll: 233
Injuries: 700
Number Five: The Gainesville Tornado on April 6, 1936

The Gainesville tornado was actually a pair of funnels with the smaller one hitting north of the city and the larger one heading for downtown. They funnels converged in the city center and caused extensive damage to factories and businesses. A tornado touched down in Tupelo the previous day.

Death Toll: 203
Injuries: 1600
With more accurate forecasting methods and better education of the public, it is hoped that future tornadoes will produce lower death tolls.

Sources:
National Weather Service
Live Science
Epic Disasters
Tornado Project

Read more at Suite101: Top Five Deadliest US Tornadoes: The Worst Twisters Ever Recorded in the United States http://tornadoeshurricanes.suite101.com/article.cfm/most_deadly_us_tornadoes#ixzz0glD4P4V8