American Tornado History

Typically shaped like a funnel with the small end on the ground, a tornado is a violently spinning column of air that comes in contact with both cumulus clouds and the surface of the earth. Storms all over the world spawn tornadoes, but they are most famous for forming in the broad area of the central and southern United States known as Tornado Alley. The US reports more tornadoes per year than any other country in the world, although in relation to land area, the Netherlands is more tornado-prone.

The first tornado on record in the United States occurred in 1671 in Rehobeth, Massachusetts. Very little is known about the aftermath of that tornado. However, in the last 325 years the US has seen thousands of tornadoes tear across every part of the country, with every state experiencing at least one tornado. According to the National Weather Service, in an average year, tornadoes are responsible for 80 deaths and for injuring more than 1,500 people.

There have been many killer tornadoes in American history, but the Tri-State Tornado that tore through northeastern Missouri, south central Illinois and southwest Indiana on March 18, 1925, is the deadliest. The tornado left a path of destruction more than 300 miles long, traveling farther than any other tornado in recorded history. Initially, it was feared that the tornado had taken as many as 4,000 lives, yet the twister was still considered the deadliest in US history after it took 695 people. The deadliest single tornado in world history struck in Bangladesh in 1989, claiming more than 1,300 lives.

Tornadoes routinely cause millions of dollars in property damage; the 10 costliest tornadoes alone have caused nearly $6 billion in damage. The costliest tornado outbreak occurred in 1999 in Oklahoma. From May 3 to May 6, more than 66 tornadoes coursed through the state. The largest single tornado, an F5 that at 301 mph contained the highest wind speed ever recorded, tore through Oklahoma cities of Moore, Newcastle, Bridge Creek, Midwest City, Del City and Oklahoma City, destroying more than 10,500 buildings and killing 42 people. The tornado caused $1.1 billion in damages.

Fortunately, tornadoes cause significantly fewer deaths today than in the previous century. For instance, the last tornado to kill more than 100 people occurred over 50 years ago in Flint, Michigan. While many American tornadoes are still killers, the number of tornado related deaths in the US has dropped dramatically. However, tornadoes still cause massive amounts of property damage, which has not changed over time. For instance, the Tri-State Tornado of 1925 caused property damage which would have amounted to $1.65 billion in 2005 dollars.

While tornadoes often cause significantly less damage than other natural disasters, such as hurricanes, they remain very dangerous in that they often strike without adequate warning. While meteorologists have shown a significant ability to predict the path of a hurricane, predicting when and where a tornado will strike is very difficult. While weather professionals can forecast whether or not storm systems are likely to produce tornadoes and use radar to aid their predictions, there is no fool proof way for meteorologists to predict when and where a tornado will actually strike.

Natural disasters are an ever present part of life for people the world over. Every year they account for thousands of deaths and immeasurable amounts of property damage. In the last year alone, we have witnessed two extreme natural disasters with Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami that struck multiple nations in the Indian Ocean, while experts are predicting yet another highly active weather year in 2006. The US has already witnessed several tornado outbreaks in 2006, one of which took 27 lives in early April. The history of tornadoes proves to us that we must be prepared to deal with severe weather at any given time.