Over its history, the St. Louis area has been a tornado hotbed, with numerous funnels making their presence known. Dating back as far as the early 1870s to 2025, many proved deadly and catastrophic, while others were only a footnote in history. In this summary, we discuss the sixteen twisters officially documented within St. Louis proper.
On July 21, 2003, a derecho moved across portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania, into New York and New England. This summary delves into the most notable tornado this day, which toppled the Kinzua Bridge Viaduct.
Main Writer Nick Wilkes documents the violent tornado outbreak that hit parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario on May 31, 1985.
A quick-hitting tornado struck in the dead of night along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Groundhog Mountain, VA, on August 1, 1965. Newspapers reported the event as “tornado-like,” but it did officially hit the records as a twister, rated F1. Numerous trees were mowed down, and one family in their new mobile home found themselves in harm’s way.
On the evening of June 17, 1978, a small outbreak of eight tornadoes occurred between the Great Plains and Midwest regions of the United States. The highest-rated twister occurred in Wisconsin at F2 strength, with the remaining seven only inflicting F0-F1 damage in Michigan, Iowa, and Kansas. These statistical values accepted at face value would not suggest the possibility of a historic tragedy having occurred on this day. However, just off the shores of Pomona Lake in the state of Kansas, unlikely circumstances led to one of the most bizarre catastrophes. In its wake, a glorious spectacle lay tarnished, sixteen lives lost, and much more stunned with heartache and confusion.
During the morning hours of January 11, 1951, a squall line pushed across the San Franciso Bay area. The storms produced millions of dollars in damage as straight-line winds and tornadoes ripped through the region. Per the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) and National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) databases, one twister occurred on this day, an F2 in Sunnyvale. Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes lists two tornadoes, the Sunnyvale F2, as well as an F2 at San Jose. Upon doing research, we were able to definitively confirm two additional tornadoes, one that moved through parts of Marin and Sonoma counties and a weak one in Contra Cosa County. It is likely that other funnels occurred, though reports in the newspapers were not detailed enough to confirm others.
An EF1 tornado struck Uniontown, PA, on the evening of February 15, 2018. One person was injured, and 200-300 homes were damaged or destroyed along a 2.35-mile path.
During the April 25-28, 2011 Super Outbreak, 34 tornadoes occurred in Texas. Most of the tornadoes produced damage in the EF0 range. Two were rated EF2. The remaining twisters caused EF1 damage. This summary explores one of the EF1 tornadoes that struck Groesbeck, TX.
The 2011 Super Outbreak reached far beyond populated areas into the wilderness. Deep in the Great Smoky Mountains, five tornadoes occurred on April 27 within five hours. These twisters repeatedly pounded areas of the Cherokee National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, tearing large chunks of forest from mountains and shutting down trails for months. Check out this premium summary by becoming a member!
It was one for the record books! A large, unexpected tornado outbreak occurred on August 24, 2016. 22 tornadoes were confirmed across parts of IN and OH. We look at five of them that hit in Howard County, IN including one of the strongest of the day.
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