Missouri is Home to The Deadliest Tornado Ever In U.S. History
Here in the midwest, we are used to some terrible storms, but one storm is on record for being the deadliest in U.S. history.
The date was March 18, 1925 (you wouldn't think tornadoes happen in March, but I guess they do), and on this date over 2,000 people were injured and 695 people lost their lives. The tornado became to be known as the Tri-State Tornado. I would imagine no one was prepared for tornadoes in March, which is probably why so many people passed away, and they didn't have the technology back then like we do now.
According to statista.com. the tornado went through Illinois and Indiana and was said to be miles wide at times with winds up to 300 miles per hour and was on the ground for 219 miles and 3/4 of a mile wide. The Washington Post wrote,
The Tri-State Tornado was remarkable because its path of destruction was continuous for 219 miles as it traveled between 60 and 73 mph over three and a half hours. In just 40 minutes, the tornado devastated five towns and killed 541 people in southern Illinois.
Just in Murphysboro, Illinois (southern part of the state), there were over 1,000 buildings damaged and 234 people killed just in that one town. It's really crazy to think about those numbers being so high. In total 15,000 buildings were completely destroyed in the three states by the same tornado. Below is a picture of the path of destruction from the Tri-State Tornado.
The statistics are crazy, according to The National Weather Service, the tornado first touched down at 1:01 pm and didn't stop until 4:30 pm. The F5 tornado lasted 3 1/2 hours of continuous destruction.
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