Major Tornadoes in American History The Tornado Timeline covers major moments in the history of Tornadoes in American History. For a more detailed look, read the articles in full below, or search for Tornadoes in this archive.
1840 May 7 A massive tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi, killing 317 people in town and injuring 109 more. The tornado killed an additional 269 people on boats in the Mississippi River. Read Article Awful Calamity The Adams Sentinel, May 25, 1840 1884 February 19 A storm system forms near the gulf coast and branches out across the southeast, spawning over 60 tornadoes. The storm kills at least 170 people. Read Article The Cyclone's Path The Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, February 22, 1884 1890 March 27 125 people are killed when tornadoes rip through Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. 76 people are killed in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, alone. Read Article Terrible Calamity Middletown Daily Press, March 28, 1890 1896 May 27 Tornadoes devastate portions of St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, leaving 255 dead. Read Article The Death Roll The Newark Daily Advocate, May 29, 1896 1908 April 23-24 16 tornadoes strike from Texas to Georgia. The "Dixie Outbreak" results in the deaths of 320 people. Read Article Many Perish In A Cyclone The Fort Wayne News, April 25, 1908 1913 March 23 A massive storm unleashes tornadoes over eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. In Omaha, Nebraska, 94 people are killed and nearly 600 homes are destroyed. Read Article (pictured on right) Omaha In Path of Cyclone The Evening Observer, March 24, 1913 1925 March 18 The deadliest tornadoes in American history strike Illinois, Missouri and Indiana. The total death toll is eventually confirmed at 747. Read Article (pictured on right) More Than Thousand Dead In Illinois Storm Belt The Mansfield News, March 19, 1925 1927 May 8-9 17 tornadoes tear across Missouri, Arkansas and Texas leaving 217 dead. Poplar Bluff, Missouri, is hit by an F4 tornado, which kills 92 people. Read Article Storms Take Big Toll In Mid-West The Mansfield News, May 10, 1927 1932 March 21-22 10 violent tornadoes rip through Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, killing 330 people. Read Article (pictured on right) Death Toll In Tornadoes Is Near 100 The Galveston Daily News, March 22, 1932 1936 April 5-6 Two devastating tornadoes slam into Tupelo, Mississippi, and Gainesville, Georgia, leaving over 400 dead between the two towns. Read Article (pictured on right) Fresh Tornadoes Leave 200 Dead The Daily Times News, April 5, 1936 1944 June 23 A series of tornadoes sweep through Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland leaving 154 people dead in their wake. Read Article (pictured on right) 137 Dead And 1000 Injured As Big Tornado Hits... The Monessen Daily Independent, June 24, 1944 1947 April 9 A family of tornadoes tears through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The town of Glazier, Texas, is completely destroyed by an F5 tornado. Read Article (pictured on right) 152 Feared Dead In Panhandle Storm The Port Arthur News, April 10, 1947 1953 May 11 An F5 tornado rips through downtown Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and causing more than $41 million in property damage. Read Article Twisters Rip Through Waco, San Angelo The Galveston Daily News, May 12, 1953 1965 April 11-12 Nearly 50 tornadoes tear through Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio killing 271 people and causing over $200 million in damage. Read Article (pictured on right) Devastating Winds Kill 10 In Allen: The Lima News, April 12, 1965 1974 April 3-4 These two days saw 148 tornadoes strike in 13 states across the South and Midwest. The twisters claimed the lives of 350 and cause $600 million in damage. Read Article (pictured on right) Tornado Toll Tops 350 In Wide Area The Charleston Daily Mail, April 4, 1974 1985 May 31 41 tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario, Canada. The storms leave 90 dead and cause $450 million in damage. Read Article (pictured on right) Tornadoes kill 76, injure hundreds The Syracuse Herald Journal, June 1, 1985 1989 April 27 The deadliest tornado in world history strikes in Bangladesh, the death toll will eventually top 1,300 lives lost. Read Article Tornado rips Bangladesh; 600 killed The Daily Herald, April 28, 1989 1992 November 21-23 A late season outbreak sees 94 tornadoes stretching from Houston, Texas, to Raleigh, North Carolina, and from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley. The storms kill 26 and cause over $300 million in damage. Read Article Twisters ravage Southeast The Capital, November 23, 1992 1999 May 3 More than 70 large tornadoes sweep through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas killing 45 and causing $1.2 billion in damage, making this the most costly outbreak of tornadoes ever recorded. Read Article (pictured on right) Tornado death toll stands at 43 The Intelligencer, May 5, 1999 2003 May 5 Over a dozen tornadoes rip through Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee flattening several towns and killing 41. Read Article Storms' toll climbs The Intelligencer, May 6, 2003 2005 November 6 Tornadoes rip through Kentucky and Indiana killing at least 22 people. Read Article (pictured on right) Deadly Twister in Midwest The Post-Standard, November 7, 2005		Newspaper Articles (click to view readable full images) The Evening Observer March 24, 1913 The Daily Miner The Mansfield News, March 19, 1925 The Galveston Daily News March 22, 1932 The Daily Times News April 5, 1936 The Monessen Daily Independent June 24, 1944 The Port Arthur News April 10, 1947 The Lima News April 12, 1965 The Charleston Daily Mail April 4, 1974 The Syracuse Herald Journal June 1, 1985 The Intelligencer May 5, 1999 The Post-Standard November 7, 2005