Some tornadoes are extremely large and can cause mass destruction.
The largest and strongest tornado ever recorded in history is considered to be the El Reno tornado, which took place in Oklahoma in May 2013. According to the reports, it was as wide as 2.6 mi (4.2 km) and had a speed of 302 mph (486 kph).
Most tornadoes are small and don't cause much destruction. However, there have been a few that have caused massive disasters and havoc.
For nearly three decades prior to 2007, Dr. Theodore (Ted) Fujita's F-scale or the Fujita Scale was perhaps the most extensively utilized technique for measuring cyclone severity and wind speed. The recent enhanced Fujita scale has been the benchmark for estimating tornado intensity and devastation in the United States from 2007.
Although Ted Fujita mapped F6-level speeds, there can be no such thing as an F6 tornado. Just the Fujita levels, which are used to rate tornadoes, keep rising to F5. Even when a tornado reached F6-level gusts next to the ground level, which is extremely unusual, if not unattainable, this would only be classified as an F5.
The El Reno tornado was the largest twister ever documented, and it was part of the bigger weather pattern that spawned scores of storms during the previous days near Oklahoma. The tornado stayed primarily on open ground, so it didn't hit many buildings. It lasted for about 40 minutes.
Portable radar systems, on the other hand, reported severe winds of up to 302 mph (486 kph) inside the tornado. The 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado had slightly lower wind speeds, and they're the greatest wind gusts ever recorded on the planet. It also swelled to a record-breaking 2.6 mi (4.2 km) max-width. El Reno in Oklahoma was without doubt one of the deadliest tornadoes ever. It killed around eight individuals and injured more than a hundred people near the town as well. It was a mile wide and swept through the great plains of Oklahoma.
The Daulatpur–Saturia tornado in Bangladesh in April 1989 was one of the world's deadliest tornados, while the Tri-State Tornado, which swept across sections of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana in March 1925, was arguably the far more severe tornado ever documented.
Tornadoes in the U.S cause roughly $400 million in losses each year and have killed approximately 70 people per year. Businesses and homes are torn apart by exceptionally high wind speeds. Hurricanes may also rip the wood off trees, collapse buildings, topple railroads, send automobiles and trucks flying, and drain all the moisture out of a river.
The Joplin tornado of 2011 was among the deadliest storms, resulting in more than 158 deaths, 1,150 injured, and $2.8 billion in devastation.
Tornadoes can last anywhere from a few moments to over an hour. Since many of the lengthy tornadoes documented in the early-mid 1900s and prior are thought to be tornado cycles, alternatively, the lengthiest tornado on record remains unclear. Tornadoes usually span fewer than 10 minutes. The Tri-State Tornado, with a route length of 151-235 mi (243-378 km), is the longest recorded tornado path.
Tornadoes can cause a very terrifying amount of destruction and damage. They can also sometimes appear very fast, catching people off guard. This can cause more damage as people are unprepared. With enough warning beforehand, and proper measures taken accordingly, the disaster caused can be reduced to some extent. Even this depends on the scale of the tornado hitting, and its power intensity.
With proper evacuation measures and good disaster management, the effects of these storms can be decreased. This is a very vital part that authorities should put more thought and finance into. Individuals living in tornado-prone areas should also be careful and must heed storm warnings very seriously. Read on to learn more about some of the most devastating tornadoes to hit the world.
Check out the 1989 Bangladesh tornado and the 1997 Miami tornado for more fun facts here at Kidadl.
Facts About Tri-State Tornado
Despite not being the biggest tornado ever documented in the United States, the Tri-State Tornado is notorious for establishing numerous additional marks, as well as being one of the deadliest tornadoes reported in the country. It caused mass destruction across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.
There have been 695 fatalities, more than double as many as the next worst tornado in the United States. The Tri-State Tornado was classed as a level five tornado on the Fujita chart ever since it occurred in 1925. The Tri-State Tornado maintains the record for the longest route, believed to be somewhere between 151-235 mi (243-378 km). In particular, at three hours and 45 minutes, the Tri-State Tornado has the longest path of any tornado.
Facts About Natchez Tornado
Another devastating tornado in U.S. history was the Natchez tornado. It hit Natchez, Mississippi in May 1840. More than 300 people were killed, and around 100 were injured. The tornado was moving along the Mississippi River, destroying woods and throwing boats on the river apart.
A significant amount of property and monetary damage was also caused. This tornado outbreak had wind speeds of almost 45 mph (72 kph). Many steamboats were destroyed, and a number of people who were doing their work along the coast lost their lives. This was one of the deadliest tornado storms ever recorded. It is estimated that the death count might have been even larger than what was found in official records, as they may not have included the count of the enslaved. This was one of those ground-level storms that caused a lot of devastation and pain for the people affected by it.
Facts About St. Louis/East St. Louis Tornado
The East St. Louis tornado in Missouri was one of the widest tornado storms that struck downtown St. Louis, Missouri, and killed nearly 255 individuals, injuring over a thousand others in the tornado's path, and causing over $10 million in losses.
This single tornado caused a 3 mi (5 km) wide arc of destruction around St. Louis and Missouri. It had the highest winds, ranging up to almost 200 mph (322 kph). It is one of those tornadoes on record that also caused many minor tornadoes to come through the eastern United States.
The tornado was predicted by forecasts, but it was disregarded by many. When the storm hit, this large tornado wrecked a lot of damage across Missouri. According to the original Fujita scale, it would have been regarded as an EF4 tornado.
The storm irreversibly changed the direction of the housing, economic, and industrial growth in the town's worst-affected regions, although it had little effect on areas that were not devastated. In the 1897 municipal elections, middle-class reformist politicians were soundly beaten by a combination backed mostly by the German majority in badly affected areas, causing political repercussions.
Facts About Tupelo Tornado
A tornado outbreak hit the Southeastern U.S. in April 1936. This was one of the sets of the deadliest tornadoes to ever ravage the country. It is believed that there must have been at least 12 tornadoes during the outbreak.
Those tornadoes killed around 454 individuals. Of those, 419 were killed by only two storms. Even though the incidence was concentrated on Tupelo, Mississippi, and Gainesville, Georgia, where even the fourth and fifth worst tornadoes in U.S. history happened, additional damaging tornadoes linked to the epidemic hit Columbia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and more places. It was one of the first ongoing tornado outbreaks in U.S. history to spawn several tornadoes with fatality counts in the triple digits. The related storms caused significant flooding that caused millions of dollars of damage throughout the area. The two main tornadoes are considered to be F5 and F4 tornadoes. The disaster started in certain rural areas, destroying them before moving into the town and devastating residential areas as well.
Facts About Gainesville Tornado
In or around Gainesville, a number of 42 recorded tornado occurrences with a reported intensity of two or higher were discovered. The Gainesville Tornado spawned two primary funnel clouds that wreaked havoc on the town center, as well as a third that wreaked havoc on the Brenau University building.
Another tornado outburst that happened was the Gainesville–Stoneville tornado event in March 1998, which was a fatal set of tornadoes that devastated parts of the southeastern United States. Poor areas beyond Gainesville, Georgia, were especially heavily impacted, with at least 12 people killed. It also caused severe damage to a lot of the property and houses. Most people did not know of the tornadoes outside Gainesville. The communication and water systems were also ruined, and a number of fires broke out, causing more problems. It was regarded as an F4 tornado, with the highest winds reaching around 170 mph (274 kph). It caused some of the most extensive damage ever recorded and reached a path with a max-width of around 200 yd (182.88 m). The storm and the tornado destroyed a vast amount of civilian property, killed hundreds of people, and injured many more.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for biggest tornado in history then why not take a look at 1999 Bridge Creek Moore Tornado or F1 Tornado.
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