Tri-State Tornado

The 'Great Tri-State Tornado' of Wednesday, March 18, 1925, crossed from southeastern Missouri, through southern Illinois, then into southwestern Indiana, and was the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. With 695 confirmed fatalities, the tornado killed more than twice as many as the second deadliest, the 1840 Great Natchez Tornado. The continuous 219 mile track left by the tornado was the longest ever recorded in the world. It is rated the maximum F5 on the Fujita Scale.

Image:Herald examiner 1925.JPG

Newspaper coverage of the tornado

The tornado was part of a larger tornado outbreak with several other destructive tornadoes in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. In all, at least 747 were killed and 2298 were injured during this unusually early spring outbreak.

The vortex was first sighted around 1:01 p.m., north-northwest of Ellington, Missouri. The tornado sped to the northeast, killing two and causing $500,000 in the near annihilation at Annapolis, then struck the mining town of Leadanna. In Bollinger County, 32 children were injured when two schools were damaged. Redford, Cornwall, Biehle, and Frohna also were hit by the tornado. At least eleven died altogether in Missouri.

The tornado crossed the Mississippi River into southern Illinois, hitting the town of Gorham, at 2:30 p.m., essentially obliterating the entire town, killing 34. Continuing to the northeast at an average speed of 62 miles per hour (and up to 73 miles per hour), the tornado cut a swath almost a mile wide through Murphysboro, De Soto, Hurst-Bush, and West Frankfort. Also afflicted were Zeigler, Eighteen, and Crossville. Within 40 minutes, 541 lives were lost and 1,423 were seriously injured. The village of Parrish was completely destroyed, killing 22. In Murphysboro, 234 were killed, the most in a single city in U.S. history. The tornado proceeded to decimate rural areas across Hamilton and White Counties, claiming 65 more residents. In Illinois, at least 613 were killed, the most in a single state in US history.

Crossing the Wabash River into Indiana, the tornado struck and nearly totally demolished Griffin, devastated rural areas, impacted Owensville, then roared into Princeton, destroying half the town. The tornado traveled ten more miles to the northeast before finally dissipating at about 4:30 p.m. around three miles southwest of Petersburg. In Indiana, at least 71 perished.

In all, at least 695 died and 2027 were injured, mostly in southern Illinois. Three states, thirteen counties, and more than nineteen communities, four of which essentially effaced (several of these and others never recovered), were in the path of the record 3.5 hour duration tornado. Total damage was estimated at $16.5 million; adjusted for wealth and inflation the toll is approximately $1.4 billion (1997 USD), surpassed in history only by two extremely destructive tornadoes in the City of St. Louis [1]. These three events in terms of destructivity, inferred by normalized monetary losses, are by far the most destructive (and expensive) tornadoes ever in the United States. Over 15,000 homes were destroyed by the Tri-State Tornado.

Nine schools across three states were destroyed in which 69 students were killed, more schools destroyed and more students killed (as well as single school record of 33 in Desoto) than any other tornado in U.S. history; in fact, other than bombings and gas explosions, it is the worst school disaster in U.S. history.

The unusual appearance of the near record fast moving tornado, best described by the witnesses along most of its path as an amorphous rolling fog, killed more normally weather wise farm owners than any other in U.S. history and contributed to the farm owners and people in general not timely sensing the danger. The tornado was accompanied by extreme downburst winds generally throughout the entirity of its course; the tornado and downburst couplet increased the damage width from the tornado width of about an average of 3/4-mile to an area of damage at times three miles wide.

In addition to the dead and injured, thousands were left without shelter or food. Fires erupted, exacerbating the damage. Looting and theft, notably from the dead, was reported. Recovery was generally slow with the event leaving a lasting blow to the region.

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External links

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Books

The Tri-State Tornado: The Story of America's Greatest Tornado Disaster by Peter S. Felknor.
The Forgotten Storm: The Great Tri-state Tornado of 1925 by Wallace E. Akin.