Event Type : Get Hooked

A bit after midnight on April 20, 1973, an F3 tornado moved through parts of Pontotoc County, OK including the town of Ada. Officially from the Storm Prediction Center, the path length was 7.9 miles, the width 100 yards and there were 21 injuries.

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A tornado given a rating of F4 crossed 5 miles through parts of Barton County, KS. The tornado developed 1 mile SW of Hoisington. It rapidly intensified as it entered the west side of town climbing to F4 intensity within minutes. Per the NWS summary, “while crossing northwest Hoisington, the tornado inflicted a path about 2 miles long and about 2 blocks wide of almost complete destruction.”

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Belvidere Tornado Memorial via Boone County Journal

An outbreak of tornadoes occurred on April 21, 1967 across parts of the Midwest states. Per The Storm Prediction Center, there were 46 tornadoes. 5 were given a rating of F4: 1 in MO, 1 in MI and 3 in IL. This summary will focus on the 3 Illinois F4s. It is considered Northern Illinois’ Worst Tornado Disaster.

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EF3/EF4 damage at Harmann Estates via Fred H. Glass of NWS St. Louis

Per the SPC Database, 20 tornadoes occurred on April 22, 2011. The strongest, an EF4 hit parts of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. It reached maximum intensity as it tracked through the community of Bridgeton, just west of Lambert St. Louis International Airport, in St. Louis County.

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Ohio National Guardsmen stand guard over a house that had been leveled by a tornado late 4/23 which killed 5 people in the rural Southern Ohio community.

14 tornadoes occurred on April 23, 1968. Per the SPC, 2 hold a rating of F4 and one was rated F5. That twister is the topic of our summary.

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Damage in Yazoo City, MS from EF4. Front cover of Storm Data April 2010.

During the midday hours of April 24, 2010, a destructive long track tornado made a 149 mile journey across 1 parish in Louisiana and 8 Counties in MS. It formed just south of I-20 west of Tallulah in Madish Parish, LA and dissipated 5 miles north of Sturgis, MS in Okitebbah County. Actual time on the ground: 2 hours and 44 minutes.

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A quick-hitting F4 tornado moved 6 miles across parts of Dallas County, TX on this day in 1994. 80% of the Lancaster downtown square was destroyed. 223 homes were destroyed and 227 damaged. 58 businesses were destroyed.

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Radar snapshot at 635pm CT via GR2Analyst.

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.

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Andover Tornado via NWS Summary

The topic of our summary: a long track, well documented event: The Wichita-Andover, KS F5 Tornado. It was the 3rd in a family of 4 tornadoes that pushed through South Central KS during the Plains Tornado Outbreak of April 26, 1991.

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A view of the tornado damage across a peninsula in western-central portions of Lake Martin. The view is looking to the northeast. There were two fatalities in one of the destroyed homes at bottom. Image created using USGS/Atlantic Group aerial imagery and Google Earth. Aerial imagery taken May 1, 2011.

The Lake Martin tornado was the southeasternmost violent of the Super Outbreak and the last significant tornado to strike Alabama on April 27. In addition, it spent almost four total miles directly on Lake Martin – the largest cumulative distance over water of any violent tornado in the 2011 Super Outbreak. Tragically, this tornado was also a killer and left a striking scar across a beautiful part of east-central Alabama.

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The large funeral home slab can be seen along with incredible vegetation damage. Low lying shrubs were unable to withstand the onslaught, and large shrubbery had foliage, limbs, and bark blasted off (Johnny Buckner).

Main Writer Nelson Tucker presents a detailed summary on the April 27, 2011 Smithville, MS EF5 tornado. He examines the tornado, the extreme damage and the impact to the Smithville community.

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Damage to the EF3 rated home from the DAT.

During the afternoon of April 27, 2011, an intense tornado moved close to 8 miles in 8 minutes across parts of Fayette County, AL. EF3 damage was found at a home along County Road 49 north of Hubbertville.

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Damage to the guardrails of a precast concrete highway bridge. The chipping probably occurred when the decking slabs were slightly lifted, causing the concrete guardrail joints to fracture.

In most aspects, this was a fairly typical Dixie Alley twister. However, it produced extremely unusual damage to a precast concrete highway bridge. So, we decided to delve into this event to highlight that feat.

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A car that was crushed in Pine Flat. Note the flattened and debarked forest in the background. Image from the North Central MS Medical Reserve Corps.

The farthest northwest EF3 tornado in the Super Outbreak, this obscure event caused major destruction in areas south and east of Oxford. The hardest-hit area was the community of Pine Flat.

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An aerial image of Vaughn (NWS Peachtree City).

Just before midnight on April 27, 2011, an intense EF3 tornado moved through central Georgia. The small community of Vaughn, GA was destroyed. Sadly two people were killed and at least 12 others were injured.

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A Red Bud Supply building that was destroyed.

One of the more obscure early morning tornadoes of April 27, 2011, tore through the community of Belmont, MS. Striking in the dead of night, it caught many residents completely off guard.

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April 27, 2011, featured many uniquely violent and powerful tornadoes. However, one stands out above all others: Hackleburg. It produced one of the largest swaths of violent damage ever documented and, at the time, killed more people than any other single tornado since 1955. This page connects the five other summaries documenting the track, and provides basic statistical information on the event.

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A wider aerial view of the incredible damage in Hackleburg. Image from Marty Sellers.

An extreme EF5 tornado tore directly through Hackleburg on April 27, 2011. 18 died in Marion County, and at least 150 others were injured. Here are the stories of the Marion County residents who dealt with a monumental disaster.

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A view of damage to the south shore of Lake Chilhowee through Google Earth. Imagery from April 12, 2013.

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.

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Ground level picture of what remained of a mobile home’s foundation, on Liberty Road (Virginia Department of Emergency Management).

A tornado skipped through north-central Halifax County, VA, crossing into extreme western Charlotte County. It remained in rural areas but caused major damage along Liberty Road near Nathalie. One person was killed, and seven others were injured as the tornado decimated three trailers.

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An extremely high-quality image of USGS/Atlantic Group aerial imagery taken on April 29, 2011. Several locations and all relevant road names have been marked for reference. This covers the track of the tornado from SW to ESE Phil Campbell.

An extraordinarily violent EF5 tornado sliced through Franklin County on April 27, 2011. 26 died, and 150 were injured across the communities of Phil Campbell and East Franklin. Here are the stories of the residents who dealt with a monumental disaster.

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The frame of a mobile home that was completely wrapped around a tree. Image from NWS Jackson.

This was the first of many strong twisters in Mississippi on April 27th. It was unusually powerful for a Quasi Linear Convective System (QLCS) and caused significant damage in and around the tiny community of Blaine.

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Expansive damage to homes along Stagecoach road. Image from VDEM.

One of the worst tornadoes in Virginia history tore through the Appalachian Mountains and a thriving country town. At a maximum width of 2,320 yards (1.32 miles), it is by far the widest the state has ever seen and wreaked havoc across a 24-mile path. More than a remarkable meteorological event for the region, this twister reshaped hundreds of lives, particularly in the community of Glade Spring.

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The downed metal truss tower on Pinetown Road, via Storm Data Publication.

Seven tornadoes were confirmed during the April 25-28 Super Outbreak in Pennsylvania. This summary looks at the strongest one, an EF2 with peak wind speeds estimated at 130 mph. It hit the Roundtop Ski Resort in York County.

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Severe tree damage in the New Michigan State Forest (NWS Binghamton).

This summary delves into the strongest of the nine tornadoes that hit New York during the April 25-28th Super Outbreak. This EF2 tornado leveled a large section of the New Michigan State Forest near Pharsalia.

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Front of the April 2002 Storm Data Publication. Just east of La Plata, this block and brick foundation home was destroyed. Seven people were inside and all survived.

This summary looks at the devastating La Plata, MD tornado of April 28, 2002. We explore the damage details of this historic tornado along with path discrepancies and the rating controversy.

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The Louisville, MS EF4 tornado was a part of a larger outbreak that spanned from April 27-30, 2014. 84 tornadoes occurred during that period with over half of them on April 28. There were 2-EF4 tornadoes during the outbreak and we look at one of those in this summary.

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A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Beth Ann Crocker about the Suffolk, VA EF3 Tornado. 20 mile path on April 28, 2008

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An F4 tornado tracked 27 miles through parts of Creek, Pawnee and Osage Counties on this day in 1984. The max width was 200 yards. There were 60 injuries and 1 fatality reported.

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The official stats from the SPC is that this tornado had a path length of only 1 mile. The max width was 333 yards. There were 300 injuries and 18 fatalities reported. Per Grazulis, most of the 18 deaths were in families of Air Force personnel living on two housing projects.

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This tornado traveled 12.1 miles through parts of Clay County, AL. 19 homes were destroyed and 50 damaged. There were 7 fatalities.

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This tornado moved 20.6 miles through parts of Major and Garfield Counties. The max width was 880 yards. There were 25 injuries and 1 fatality reported.

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Bridge Creek, OK area via NWS Norman general forecaster Erin Maxwell.

This violent, long-lived tornado was the most infamous of nearly 60 tornadoes that struck central Oklahoma during an unprecedented outbreak on this Monday afternoon and evening of May 3, 1999. The tornado was the 9th of 14 tornadoes produced by a supercell thunderstorm during the tornado outbreak.

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This tornado image was captured just before sunset as it headed for Haysville, Kansas. (Courtesy of National Weather Service and Perry Lambert on May 3, 1999).

A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Dan Holiday about the May 3, 1999 F4 tornado that hit Haysville, KS!

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From the May 2007 Storm Data Publication. Damage in Greensburg including a fire hydrant ripped out of the ground.

This summary looks at the tornadoes of May 4, 2007 including the first to be given an EF5 rating under Enhanced Fujita Scale.

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“The Western Storm”

A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Lon Curtis about the “unusual” event that occurred in Austin, TX on May 4, 1922.

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Per the Storm Prediction Center, 7 tornadoes occurred on May 4, 1950. The strongest was an F4 that tracked over 30 miles through parts of Pawnee and Barton Counties in KS. The max width was 150 yards. There were 30 injuries reported.

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Per the Storm Prediction Center, 31 tornadoes occurred on May 5, 1960. The most violent was given an F5 rating. It tracked 71.8 miles through Pottawatomie, Lincoln, Okfuskee and Creek Counties in Oklahoma. The max width was 800 yards. There were 81 injuries and 5 fatalities reported.

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This F5 tornado traveled 10 miles through parts of McLennan and Bosque Counties in Texas. It formed 5 miles south of Valley Mills and moved due north. The max width was 100 yards. There were no injuries or fatalities reported with this event.

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Real Photo Post Card from the collection of Edward L. Williams

In this summary, we look back at May 6, 1930 and two tornadoes in two different areas of Texas that caused widespread devastation. They were later given ratings of F4.

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An F4 traveled 50 miles through parts of Gibson, Carroll, Benton and Humphreys Counties. The max width was 100 yards. There were 137 injuries and 3 fatalities reported. The tornado left an almost continuous path of destruction through Huntingdon and Buena Vista in Carroll County to Eagle Creek in Benton County.

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This is the only F5 on record for the state of South Dakota.

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This summary looks back at a possible tornado family that moved through parts of Monroe, Cumberland, Adair and Russell Counties in Kentucky.

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A deadly F4 tornado developed just north of Harden City in Pontotoc County, OK and moved northeastward to one mile west of Stonewall before dissipating 3 miles north of the town. The tornado hit a small, cement block cafe near Stonewall, completely destroying it and injuring several people. Nine people survived by taking refuge behind the counter in the cafe.

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Photo of the Picher tornado between Chetopa, Kansas, and Picher. Contributed by Jane Hatfield. Via NWS Tulsa

There were 37 tornadoes recorded on May 10, 2008. The strongest, an EF4 that caused extensive damage in the town of Picher, OK. 200 homes were destroyed here and 6 people were killed.

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Image of two tornadoes that tracked across Lubbock on May 11, 1970. Image courtesy of Weatherwise magazine via NWS Lubbock Summary

A devastating F5 tornado crossed through parts of Lubbock, TX during the late evening of May 11, 1970. It was actually the 2nd tornado of two that hit the Lubbock area that evening. Per the NWS Lubbock, “Dr. Theodore “Ted” Fujita later determined that all but one of the deaths (96%) occurred along the path of suction spots (also know as suction swaths and suction marks).”

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A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Lon Curtis about the devastating Waco Tornado of May 11, 1953

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Per the Storm Prediction Center, 13 tornadoes occurred on May 12, 1956. 10 of the 13 were in the state of Michigan. There were two later rated F4. One in Wayne County and the second, in Genesee County and the Flint area, the subject of this summary.

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Tornado northeast of Raritan, IL near Roseville, IL

This F4 tornado began south of Niota in Hancock County, IL and traveled 50 miles through Henderson into Warren County where it dissipated 6 miles SW of Abingdon.

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An F4 tornado made a non-continuous trek of 29-30 miles across parts of Marion, Hancock, Madison and Henry counties on May 14, 1972. I did a search through the SPC Database and only found 2 F4 tornadoes that have ever hit parts of Marion County, IN. One in 1998 and this one in 1972.

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This tornado tracked through parts of Fayette County. The greatest destruction was in the towns of Oelwein and Maynard. Nearly 1,000 homes were damaged, some were swept off their foundation.

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Picture taken by the Floyd County sheriff (L. L. Lane) at his spotter position on Highway 14. It shows the tornado when it was 2 miles southwest of Charles City. Image via NWS La Crosse

The Charles City F5 went straight through downtown just before 5pm CDT. 13 people were killed and over 450 injured.

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Per the Storm Prediction Center, there were 25 tornadoes on May 16, 1999, nearly half in the state of Iowa. The strongest tornadoes of the day were rated F3. The first formed at 14:45 Local Time in Harrison County, IA. The second formed at 15:16 Local Time also in Harrison County, IA! We will be highlighting both twisters in this summary.

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When we think of Jarrell, TX and tornadoes, we immediately remember the devastating F5 from May 27, 1997. But 8 years earlier, the town was hit hard by an F3 in the middle of the night. It developed at 3:02 Local Time about 3 miles SSW of Jarrell near Strickland Grove. It moved slowly NNE causing tremendous damage on the south and east side of town. A woman was killed when her mobile home was destroyed.

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A destructive F4 tornado quickly hit Olney, TX on May 18, 1951. Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes believes, based on the damage, that this could have been rated F5.

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Photo courtesy Bill Hark via NWS Summary

Two supercell thunderstorms produced 8 tornadoes in Central Oklahoma late afternoon and evening, May 19, 2013. The strongest was rated EF-4 and moved through parts of Cleveland and Pottawatomie Counties.

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Photo taken from the airport near Ottawa, Kansas. Photographer is facing north. Photo courtesy of Dr. Charles Doswell, CIMMS/University of Oklahoma. Photographed by Charles LeMaster.

This F5 is commonly known as the “Ruskin Heights Tornado” because of the tremendous damage inflicted there. It has also been called “The Kansas-Missouri Tornado” and “The Ottawa-Kansas City Tornado”. It developed southwest of Williamsburg, KS, traveled close to 70 miles and ended near Knobtown, MO. This tornado was the strongest of 35 that occurred on May 20, 1957.

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This Funnel Feature breaks down the massive EF5 Tornado that hit the Newcastle/South OKC/Moore area in Oklahoma on May 20, 2013. Caleb Routt was a contributor to this article.

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Damage in Fremont, MO

The month of May in 1957 was very active. Per the NWS Paducah, approximately 231 tornadoes were reported. The Storm Prediction Center shows 18 on May 21. One of the strongest was later rated F4. The town of Fremont, MO was devastated. Per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, “Only seven homes were left in tact in Fremont, with possibly F5 damage to homes, schools, and businesses on the east side of town.”

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A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Nick Wilkes about 7 tornadoes that struck parts of Pennsylvania on May 22, 1949.

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Each tornado event we cover is tragic. Someone has lost a family member or friend. Towns are devastated. Some never recover. There are also stories of heroism, community, and hope. Today’s event was one I hadn’t heard of before: The Saragosa, TX F4, May 22, 1987. As I began to read the devastating stories surrounding this event, my heart was immediately broken.

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Per The Storm Prediction Center, there were 24 tornadoes that occurred on May 23, 1966. The strongest was an F3 that quickly hit parts of northern Hunt County, TX and the Wolfe City area.

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The second of two tornadoes that occurred Monday evening on May 23rd, 2016. These tornadoes last for a few minutes, as the supercell began to weaken. Image credit: Harrison Sincavage

A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Harrison Sincavage about the Woodward, OK Supercell

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Photo provided courtesy of Jon Haverfield

Just 2 days after Joplin, another tornado outbreak occurred. There were 48 tornadoes across 6 states with 18 fatalities. The strongest tornado, another EF5, this time in Oklahoma.

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A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Brandon Molyneaux about the May 2016 Dodge City and Chapman Tornadoes

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Tornado north of Solomon, Photo courtesy of Kris Sanders from the NWS Summary

Per the Storm Prediction Center, 8 tornadoes occurred on May 25, 2016. Half of those were in Kansas from an isolated supercell. The strongest tornado was a long track EF-4. It began north of Niles, KS and traveled for close to 90 minutes finally dissipating just west of the Dickinson and Geary County line. The estimated peak winds = 180 mph.

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Per the Storm Prediction Center Database, there have been 6 F5/EF5
tornadoes observed since 1950 in the state of Iowa. The last one hit on May 25, 2008 and is the topic of this summary.

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Photograph used for a story in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. Caption: “Believed to be all that remains of the Dornan pickup demolished by the Keefeton tornado, an engine block lies in an open field in front of overturned propane gas tanks.” Photo Credit: Oklahoma Historical Society

It was an F4 tornado that quickly passed through parts of Muskogee County and the town of Keefeton, OK on May 26, 1973. Eight frame homes and four mobile homes were destroyed. 100+ more suffered some sort of major to minor damage.

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This tornado was one of at least 20 that occurred during the Central Texas Tornado Outbreak of May 27, 1997. This is the same outbreak that produced the Jarrell F5.

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Fig. 7 Jarrell tornado multi-vortex

A Funnel Feature by Guest Writer Lon Curtis about the Central TX Outbreak of May 27, 1997. This included the devastating Jarrell, TX F5.

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The supercell that produced this tornado had already spawned an F2 in Harrison County, IN. The storm progressed across the Ohio River and another tornado formed, quickly strengthening. Most of the damage was F3 in Bullitt and Spencer Counties. There was at least one home surveyed by the NWS in Hillview that had F4 damage.

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“My dad was just sucked out and ended up underneath a grain truck. He held on.” – Lorrece Usselman Werner talking about her father Pius, who took shelter in a creamery during the Fort Rice tornado. She was quoted in an article in the Bismarck Tribune.

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Photo of Tornado in Spencer courtesy of Chris Lenz, a storm chaser from Valley, Nebraska. He was located 4.5 miles east of Spencer looking west.

The Spencer, SD F4 tornado of May 30, 1998 was 1 of 5 tornadoes produced by one supercell that tracked about 30 miles. This destructive tornado had a path length of 14 miles and hit the small town of Spencer (population at the time of 320) destroying most of its 190 buildings. 6 people were killed and 150 were injured. The tornado was estimated to reach a width of a mile.

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Photo of the tornado as it ripped through Wheatland. Source, Sharon Herald and U.S. Tornadoes.

Main Writer Nick Wilkes documents the violent tornado outbreak that hit parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario on May 31, 1985.

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Business in downtown Salisbury that was twisted. Via salisburypa.com.

A total of 46 tornadoes occurred on May 31, 1998. The focus of this summary will be on the 32 tornadoes that ravaged parts of New York and Pennsylvania.
22 Tornadoes ripped through Pennsylvania, and 10 through New York. The 22 tornadoes on this day in PA is a state record.

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A very strong, long-track tornado made it ways through parts of Hampden and Worcester Counties, Massachusetts on June 1, 2011. The path length was just shy of 38 miles and the width grew to a half mile. Per the NWS survey, the estimated max wind speed was 160 mph.

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During the late evening, the tornado began near Spade in Lamb County. It moved northeast passing 2 miles East of Cotton Center and then right into Hale Center. The tornado path ends northeast of the Hale County Airport.

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Tree damage near Laurel Falls. From the book “Tornadoes! Not in the mountains of Somerset County!

Just two days after a tornado outbreak affected Pennsylvania and New York, another tornado outbreak ripped through the East Coast. Pennsylvania was the hardest hit. Guest writer Nick Wilkes documents 20 tornadoes from this event. 17 of which were in PA.

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This tornado is considered “the most devastating to strike West Virginia since 1944.” That was written in the July 1980 Storm Data Publication by the NWS. /strong>

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During this tornado event, a neatly folded insurance policy was blown from a farm just south of Knapp to a rural Sheldon farm about 75-80 miles to the northeast. The policy owner was killed by the tornado.

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EF4 damage on North side of Millbury, OH

An EF4 tornado with estimated wind speeds of 170-175 mph traveled close to 9 miles across parts of Wood and Ottawa Counties in Ohio on June 5, 2010.

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A quick-hitting tornado later rated F4 caused significant damage to a few farms, a house and 5 other buildings on this day in 1956. The damage was found North of Pleasanton.

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The Storm Data entry for the date states that approximately 20 funnel clouds were reported in this area and 8 “touched down”. There is a chance that more than 9 South Dakota tornadoes developed on this day but knowing where they began and ended can’t be determined.

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The Pampa Tornado. Image via Alan Moller.

An estimated F4 tornado (part of a family of twisters) on June 8, 1995 moved 3 miles hitting parts of Pampa, TX. 17 homes and 30 businesses were destroyed.

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In this summary, we look at what is considered Michigan’s worst natural disaster in terms of deaths and injuries (NWS).

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The Drumright Tornado

A Funnel Feature from the Oklahoma Tornado Database about the June 8, 1974 Drumright, OK F4 Tornado.

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Tornado near Holden. Image taken by Stanley Smith. Courtesy of www.nesec.org

It is the deadliest and most destructive tornado to ever hit the New England area. The Worcester, MA Tornado occurred during the mid-afternoon time on June 9, 1953. The destruction was overwhelming. Per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, an F5 rating could have been given to this event.

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A destructive tornado hit parts of El Dorado, KS in Butler County on this day in 1958. It was given a rating of F4 but Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes notes the tornado could have received an F5 rating but it was hard to determine with the available photos and descriptions.

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Looking Toward Bradford

The tornado developed SW of Manhattan causing damage to a farm. It moved NE toward town hitting the Miller Ranch Area. It was here that EF4 damage was found. Fifteen well built homes were completely destroyed.

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Seventeen tornadoes occurred on June 12, 1970 per the Storm Prediction Center Database. The strongest is the topic of this summary. It was rated F4 and traveled 16-17 miles across parts of Chariton and Macon Counties in Missouri.

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“It looked like we were driving into a dump site, or a burned out slum, or what I would imagine a bombed out city would have looked like after World War II.” – These are the words of Steve Ulmen. He was 22 and a senior member of the Mankato Civil Air Patrol squadron when an F5 hit Tracy, MN on June 13, 1968.

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A few of the many destroyed homes from the tornado that struck Springfield June 14-15, 1957.

Per the Storm Prediction Center Database, there were 12 tornadoes confirmed on June 14, 1957. The strongest of the day is the topic of this summary. It tracked through the southeastern part of Springfield, IL near Jerome and was later rated F4.

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Looking WSW from a farm several miles WNW of Culbertson, NE of the rotating tornadic thunderstorm that produced the Stratton-McCook F4 tornado. The house on the farm were this picture was taken was later destroyed by the tornado. Photo from Calvin Brown via the June 1990 Storm Data Publication.

7 out of the 11 tornadoes that occurred on June 15, 1990 were in the state of Nebraska. The strongest was an F4 that grew at times to be 1.5 miles wide. It began just NW of Stratton. It was a multi-vortex tornado at this time that merged near Macklin Bay on Swanson Lake.

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Picture taken southeast of Leota, Minnesota. Courtesy of Gary Baker via NWS Sioux Falls Summary.

Per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes, this tornado moved 16 miles with a width of 300 yards. There were 35 injuries and 1 fatality.

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Pilger and Pilger East twins, via NWS Summary

A summary by the Tornado Talk Crew about the historic Pilger, NE Tornado Family of June 16, 2014.

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This tornado path started North of Pilger in NE Stanton County. It clipped Stanton/Cuming County border and moved into Wayne County. It dissipated in Thurston County, NW of the town of Thurston. There was 1 fatality SE of Winside. And according to the Climatological Data National Summary (CDNS), we should include 1 injury.

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An estimated F4 tornado made its way from Ankeny, IA (northern Des Moines suburb) and moved southeast ending near Runnels. Two people were killed in their home and there were at least 50 injuries. Approx. 100 homes, a church, a drive-in restaurant and a shopping center was destroyed.

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Guest writer Zach E. explores the history of one of the most violent tornadoes to ever hit the Twin Cities area: The June 18, 1939 Anoka, Champlin Tornado.

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The tornado hit the SW side of Lawrence just after 6:30pm CT and moved southeast. The Storm Data Publication mentioned it briefly lifted and then set down again south of town. 22 homes were destroyed. A shopping center was hit with some of the smaller building leveled.

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This devastating tornado cleared all property in an area 5 city blocks wide and 20 block long in Fargo. Ted Fujita did an in depth study on what occurred.

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In the SPC Database, this tornado is listed with an 8.8 mile path passing through parts of Schuyler County. Most of the impacts were in the towns of Littleton and Ray. The Storm Data Narrative and Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes indicate this was one of a family of tornadoes that covered much more ground.

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“Very high end EF3 damage” – Well built structure completely destroyed, nearly all wiped cleanly off of first floor

12 tornadoes hit parts of Northern Illinois on June 22, 2015. The strongest was rated EF3 with max winds of 160mph. It went through the Coal City and Braidwood areas.

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This tornado traveled 15+ miles from near Doe Run, south of Farmington and lifted just to the ENE of Libertyville. 22 homes were completely destroyed. There were 4 fatalities.

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The tornado began 12 miles west of the Wichita Airport and lifted 5 miles SW of the airport. A pickup truck at one of several destroyed homes was tossed 300 yards. Per Thomas Grazulis, one farm house was picked up and “scattered across the prairie.”

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Destruction of the Lutheran Church, where only the brick bell-tower remained standing. Image credit: Sara Stewart.

On June 23, 1944, a historic tornado outbreak occurred across the Appalachians. This outbreak featured the deadliest tornado to ever strike Pennsylvania and the deadliest ever recorded in West Virginia.

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“What’s left of a home hit by the deadliest tornado in West Virginia’s history. Noted the unbroken jars of canned food line-up among the ruins.” ID: 040836. Alvarez, Ray. West Virginia History OnView.

It is the deadliest tornado in WV history
and the 15th deadliest tornado in US history: The Shinnston F4 Tornado of June 23, 1944. It was a part of a historic outbreak that hit portions of the Appalachian Mountains.

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The Storm Data Entry describes the damage as such. “The tornado tore the trailer homes apart like match boxes…”. “The destruction was so great that it was impossible to tell how many trailers were involved and where they had been situation before the tornado hit.”

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A picture of the back of the car. Notice the back tire is now behind the car and the axle has been snapped.

The twister strengthened in Osceola County and produced EF4 damage. At least 2 houses were destroyed, 2 people injured in one of them. 3 vehicles parked under an Iowa Highway 60 overpass were demolished. 11 people in the vehicles were injured.

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This tornado spend most of its time in Tennessee. The total path length was 38 miles, 35 of which was in TN. It began near the town of Lutts in Wayne County and moved southeast into Lawrence County. It tracked through through Iron City and the St. Joseph area. Approx. 75% of the buildings in Iron City were damaged and 19 people were injured.

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Per Thomas Grazulis, “Virtually nothing was left on the site of a farm near the county border. Heavy machinery was thrown over 100 yards and boards were driven into trees.”

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In Algona, 104 homes and 20 businesses were destroyed. 349 homes were damaged. 2 women were killed in their homes. Per Thomas Grazulis, there was near-F4 damage to about 30 homes.

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The tornado began 4 miles west of New England. It then moved south of Regent to west of Mott. 10 farms were destroyed, some leveled.

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This was an interesting event to explore. There is a rating difference. SPC lists a rating of F1 while Grazulis has a rating of F2. I found a newspaper report from The News-Messenger (Fremont, Ohio) with a headline that reads, “It wasn’t a tornado, but it hurt.” So, not only a rating difference but a question at one point on whether this was a tornado at all?

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In addition to this tornado there was widespread wind damage reported that encompassed the region. The town of Tuttle was hit hard by the tornado. The CDNS stated that this was “described as worst storm to hit that area.” Eight farms were leveled. A man died trying to get to shelter in his basement.

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Most of the damage was done to the Triangle Trailer Park in Jacksonville. A woman, her infant child and a 4-year-old she was babysitting died when their trailer home was flipped trapping them inside.

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Another intriguing tornado event! We look at the history surrounding an official F4 tornado in parts of Anoka County, MN on July 3, 1983.

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Water tower destroyed by tornado, Elgin, N.D. via State Historical Society of North Dakota (32228-02-11)

It is the deadliest Independence Day tornado on record and one of the deadliest in North Dakota’s modern history: The Elgin, ND F4 tornado of July 4, 1978.

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During the early morning hours of July 5, 1978, a family of tornadoes moved through parts of Norman, Mahnomen, Polk and Clearwater Counties in Minnesota. Officially, the SPC Database lists a rating of F2. Thomas Grazulis though has a rating of F3. It was a devastating event that covered 55-60 miles or more (there are discrepancies on the path length). Four fatalities were reported and 40+ injuries.

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Waterspout just off the beach of Myrtle Beach Grand Strand. Photo via Myrtle Beach Sun-News, extracted from Storm Data.

A tornado made a skipping trek through parts of Myrtle Beach, SC on July 6, 2001. It began near the Myrtle Beach Pavilion at 9th Ave N and moved just offshore becoming a waterspout. It skirted the beach causing F2 damage, overturning buses and causing damage to hotels along the beach.

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This was a bit of a challenging event to determine the exact path of this tornado and what counties and towns should be included. A 2-year-old boy lost his life west of Marshall and several farms were leveled. Per Grazulis, “damage reached near-F5 intensity near the end of the path.”

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Per the NWS Storm Data Entry, the tornado passed just south of the Heart River. It was more than likely rain-wrapped and lasted only 15 minutes. 450+ structures were damaged with 100 of those declared beyond repair. There were 2 minor injuries in homes. Estimated max winds were 150 mph.

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Two miles south of Rushville, 3 homes were leveled and there were 2 deaths in 2 separate homes. After traveling SE for about 5 more miles, the tornado made an abrupt 120 degree turn and traveled in a southerly direction. It dissipated 1 mile SW of New Salem.

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Per the SPC Database, there have been only 2 recorded F4 tornadoes in the state of Connecticut (since records began in 1950). One occurred Oct 3, 1979. There were 3 fatalities and 500 injuries. The second was part of this July 10, 1989 outbreak.

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An F3 tornado hit portions of Westmoreland County, PA on July 11, 1976. Per Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes: The tornado traveled 13 miles from near Delmont to Salem and Unit Townships, near the Latrobe-area hospital to Clover Hill, Oakville, and Darlington.

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Per the SPC Database, there were 5 tornadoes on July 12, 1971….all in Iowa. The strongest was rated F4. It began in Howard County near Elma and traveled close to 30 miles into Chickasaw County and ending in Fayette County near Waucoma.

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This summary by guest writer Zach E. takes a look at an F3 tornado from 1890 that crossed through parts of Ramsey County, MN. The most extensive damage was near Lake Gervais.

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Tornado strikes Parsons Plant (photo by Scott Smith)

An F4 tornado developed rapidly in a highly unstable atmosphere and devastated everything along its 9.6 mile path through Woodford County, IL on July 13, 2004. It began 1.75 miles NNE of Metamora and traveled generally in a southeasterly direction. The tornado reached F4 intensity as it crossed Route 117 and demolished the Parsons Manufacturing Plant.

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Two homes that were swept away in the Country Squire Estates.

On July 14, 2004, there were 11 tornadoes reported by the SPC. This summary takes a look at the strongest tornado of the day, an F3 that hit Central Pennsylvania. 100 homes were damaged or destroyed in the town of Campbelltown.

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This tornado moved east at 30 mph. It developed about 1/2 mile west of State Highway 3 on Drakes Road. It moved right through Kendallville. 29 homes and 2 apartment buildings were completely destroyed.

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A significant tornado crossed through parts of Cuming and Burt Counties in Nebraska on July 15, 1950. This is the only tornado recorded in the SPC database for this date. Note: Several newspapers reported there was another tornado on this day of “less intensity” near Cordova, 90 miles southwest of Omaha.

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Tornado moving east near Buffalo Ridge.

It is considered the most destructive tornado in Wyoming’s history. An F3 crossed through the northern parts of the Cheyenne housing and airport areas. Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes states this could have been a “minimal F4” tornado. And the NWS in Cheyenne originally believed that was an appropriate rating.  Explore more!

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Radar reflectivity at Vinton at 501 AM

Our summary today looks at an EF2 tornado that tracked a short distance through Benton County, IA and near the town of Vinton. The tornado caused damaged for about 2 minutes around 5am local time.

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F5 Damage

A violent F5 tornadoes with estimated winds of 265 mph struck the village of Oakfield, WI during the afternoon of July 18, 1996. There were no fatalities and 12 injuries.

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A vehicle’s chassis and other debris strewn through a shelterbelt. (NWS/Greg Gust)

On July 18, 2004, 8 tornadoes touched down in North Dakota. This summary looks at the strongest, an F4 that annihilated a farmstead near Marion. This tornado produced what is arguable the most intense damage from any tornado in the 2000s.

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The F3 that crossed through parts of Allen County, OH on July 19, 1950 was the strongest of the 6 twisters that occurred that day. Hundreds of homes were damaged, 3 were destroyed. There were 30 injuries and no fatalities.

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It was called the most damaging Minnesota tornado to date, but Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes questions that statement. He believes this was a “complex combination of tornadoes and microbursts” and that much of the damage was due to the strong microbursts.

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Nine tornadoes are found in the SPC Database for July 21, 1983. The strongest was rated F3 in Ocean County, NJ. The deadliest though was an F2 that briefly hit the northern parts of Hartly in Kent County, DE.

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The demolished Smoker Farm. The remains of the house can be seen in the foreground.

On July 21, 2003, a derecho moved across portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania, into New York and New England. Per the SPC, it spawned 20 tornadoes. The focus of this summary is of the strongest tornado of the outbreak, the Ellisburg PA, F3. Two people were injured when the funnel leveled a farm.

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The collapsed Kinzua Bridge Viaduct.

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.

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Photo from Fujita’s paper showing a swirl pattern to the trees.

On July 21, 1987, an F4 tornado tracked 24 miles across the Teton Wilderness into Yellowstone National Park. Over 1,000,000 trees were knocked down as the tornado slashed its way across mountain tops up to 10,000 feet high, and through valleys. This is the highest altitude in the US that a violent tornado (F4/F5) has ever occurred.

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A significant tornado crossed through parts of Stearns and Sherburne Counties in Minnesota on July 22, 1967. This tornado is officially listed in the SPC Tornado Database with a rating of F2. Grazulis has a rating of F3.

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Fujita researched this tornado family and the influence that microbursts may have had on them. Per Grazulis, “Professor Fujita’s mapping of the Canton tornado family shows how microbursts and/or other downburst-type winds move the tornado from side to side and may influence its intensity. Microburst m2 might have caused the break in the path. Otherwise the event might have been a single tornado. Microburst m6 might have caused the tornado to intensify. Both deaths were in that area.” (Grazulis, 1178)

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This tornado not only has the longest path on record for the state of New Hampshire BUT also has the longest path on record for New England.

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Per the NWS Storm Data entry, most of the damage in Granite Falls was caused by F2 and F3 winds speeds. It was officially classified as minimal F4 based on the twisted wreckage of an overturned railroad car.

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This tornado made a quick jaunt of nearly 4 miles just north of Scottsbluff, NE on July 26, 1993. It was the strongest tornado of 6 that were confirmed on this day.

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A destroyed warehouse in Connellsville after an estimated F3 tornado slashed through the area.

On the afternoon of July 28, 1936, two tornadoes hit Washington and Fayette Counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The twin tornadoes caused over $1,000,000 in damage. Two people were killed and at least 23 others were injured, in the rampage. We estimate these tornadoes reached F3 intensity at their peak.

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At 1145 EST, a quick-hitting F3 hit parts of Montgomery County, PA. The official path is only 2 miles. The tornado paralleled Limerick Road on its western side and moved right over a housing development called “The Hamlet”. It was a newer development. Per Storm Data, “Of the 27 inhabited houses, 4 were leveled, 16 were damaged beyond repair, 1 under construction was destroyed and only 7 remained liveable. Damage in this development alone was $2 million.”

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The path length was only 1/2 mile. It struck the Stewart subdivision in the SW edge of town. 10 homes were destroyed, 7 damaged. The tornado skipped to the downtown area causing damage to several buildings.

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A small tornado given a rating of F2 hit a mobile home park in the Houston suburb of Deer Park during the afternoon time of July 29, 1971.

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This devastating event began at Cooks Valley, about 2 miles west of Bloomer. The tornado clipped the NW part of the town. Approximately 50 homes were demolished. 100-150 other homes and businesses sustained damaged. The tornado traveled a total of 19-20 miles.

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Image Courtesy of the Atlas of the Edmonton Tornado and Hailstorm, 1987. Labeled “At Full Force”. Unknown location.

It was a day that came to be known as “Black Friday”. On July 31, 1987, one of the most powerful tornadoes in Canadian history struck Edmonton, Alberta and parts of Strathcona County. It is the deadliest known tornado for Alberta and the second-deadliest for the country. This significant tornado was given a rating of F4 with maximum winds estimated at 260mph.

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