Tornadoes of 1925
A piece of wood driven through a pillar caused by the March 18 "Tri-State" tornado | |
| Timespan | January 6 — December 13 |
|---|---|
| Maximum rated tornado | F5 tornado
|
| Tornadoes in U.S. | 100 |
| Fatalities (U.S.) | >805 |
| Fatalities (worldwide) | >806 |
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 1925. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Southern Brazil, the Bengal region and China, but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during summer in the Northern Hemisphere and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, South Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including thunderstorms, strong winds and hail.
1925 was the deadliest year for tornadoes in recorded history for North America, with over 800 fatalities being recorded. 695 deaths were from a single, long-tracked tornado that moved through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
January
January 10
An F2 tornado destroyed several barns in Coffee County, Alabama, injuring three people. Another F2 tornado moved through the same area four hours later, destroying a home in Elba. A third F2 tornado damaged two homes in Pike County.[1]
February
February 8
An F2 tornado destroyed a home and cotton mill in Mulberry, Arkansas.[1]
February 21–22
A tornado inflicted F2-rated damage to homes in the Pooleville, Oklahoma area; damage costs totaled an estimated $60,000 (1925 USD).[1] Another F3 tornado killed one person in Loco, Oklahoma,[1] while an F2 tornado deroofed several homes in Okmulgee County. Early on February 22, an F2 tornado injured one person and destroyed a multi-story home near Bearden, Arkansas.[1]
March
March 10
On the afternoon of March 10, an F2 tornado moved through Edgar County, Illinois and Vigo County, Indiana, injuring three people. The tornado damaged several farmsteads and dissipated over the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College campus.[1]
March 13
An F2-rated tornado damaged four homes near Bernice, Louisiana.[1]
March 18–20
On March 18, one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in recorded history generated at least 12 significant tornadoes and spanned a large portion of the midwestern and southern United States. In all, at least 751 people were killed and more than 2,298 were injured,[2] making the outbreak the deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history. The outbreak generated several destructive tornadoes in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on the same day, as well as significant tornadoes in Alabama and Kansas. In addition to confirmed tornadoes, there were undoubtedly others with lesser impacts, the occurrences of which have been lost to history.[3]
The outbreak included the Tri-State Tornado, the deadliest disaster in Illinois, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history, and the second-deadliest registered in world history.[4][5][6] The 219-mile-long (352 km) track left by the tornado, as it crossed from southeastern Missouri, through southern Illinois, and then into southwestern Indiana, is also the longest ever recorded.[7] Modern meteorological re-analysis has suggested that the extremely long path length and lifespan reported in historical accounts are perhaps more plausibly attributed to multiple independent tornadoes belonging to a tornado family, rather than a single, continuous tornado.[3] Although not officially rated by NOAA, the Tri-State Tornado is recognized by most experts (such as Tom Grazulis and Ted Fujita) as an F5 tornado,[8][9] the maximum damage rating issued on the Fujita scale.[10][nb 1][nb 2][nb 3]
April
April 5
In the midday hours of April 5, an F3-rated tornado moved through Miami-Dade County, Florida, killing five people in the Miami metropolitan area.[20]
April 8
An F2 tornado injured 75 people in Lincoln and Creek counties in Oklahoma.[20] Another F2 tornado tornado destroyed three homes south of Thackerville, Oklahoma; damage from the tornado totaled an estimated $10,000 (1925 USD).[20]
April 10
On April 10, an F2 tornado destroyed two barns north of Chilton, Wisconsin.[20]
April 13
An F2-rated tornado moved through the southeastern portions of Kokomo, Indiana, injuring one person.[20]
April 19
Two F2-rated tornadoes touched down in Pennsylvania, the first moving through Westmoreland County and the second tracking across Mifflin County. Both tornadoes damaged structures but no casualties were recorded.[20]
April 21
An F2-rated tornado killed a child and damaged a large barn near Cresco, Iowa.[20]
April 23
April 23 saw a few tornadoes in the Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota. An F2 tornado damaged several homes near Dunlap, Kansas,[20] while another F2-rated tornado uprooted trees and toppled chimneys in Atchison County, Kansas before crossing the Missouri River.[20] A final F2 tornado in Lincoln County, South Dakota killed several livestock and destroyed two barns.[21]
April 26
An F3 tornado killed two people and swept away small houses in Madill, Oklahoma.[21]
April 28
Three people were killed and 40 more were injured by a cone tornado east of Kyle, Texas that produced F2-rated damage.[21]
May
May 16
An F3-rated tornado moved from Attica, Ohio to Oberlin, Ohio, destroying several barns and injuring ten people. Damages from the tornado totaled an estimated $100,000 (1925 USD).[21]
May 24
On the afternoon of May 24, an F2 tornado destroyed structures near Valley Bend, West Virginia, killing three[nb 4] people.[21]
June
June 1–6
The start of June saw an active tornadic period across the Great Plains region. On June 1, an F3 tornado impacted and destroyed five farms near Galva, Kansas.[21] An F2 tornado south of Marlette, Michigan killed several cattle and destroyed two farmsteads.[21] The final tornado on June 1, rated high-end F2, damaged tipples southeast of Pittsburg, Kansas.[21] June 2 was particularly active, with 11 tornadoes touching down. The first injured two people and produced F2-rated damage in Ionia County, Michigan. Another F2 tornado near Clarkson, Nebraska damaged four farms. A violent F4 tornado killed three people in Madison County, Nebraska,[21] while an F3 tornado north of Douglas, Nebraska inflicted $200,000 (1925 USD) in damage to several farms and barns.[21] An F2 tornado in Glenwood, Iowa injured four people and an F4 tornado produced extensive structural damage near Smithland, Iowa.[21] In Riley County, Kansas, an F2 tornado destroyed several barns. A high-end F3 tornado damaged twenty farms northeast of Red Oak, Iowa,[21] and a high-end F2 tornado heavily damaged a home near Emmetsburg, Iowa.[22] An F4 tornado killed three people along a 14-mile (23 km) path through areas near Adair, Iowa.[23] The final confirmed tornado on June 2 destroyed 11 farms at F2 intensity in Clark County, Wisconsin.[23]
June 3 saw a small but violent outbreak of tornadoes in Wisconsin and Iowa. The first confirmed tornado on June 3, rated F2, killed two people near Florence, Wisconsin; the tornado set aloft and tossed an entire school building into a house.[23] Twin F4 tornadoes injured thirty people and killed one in Pottawattamie and Harrison counties in Iowa. Tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis described the tornadoes as "enormous" and stated that they were possibly of F5 intensity.[23] An F2 tornado tracked through the northwestern portions of Tennant, Iowa, damaging several buildings.[23] An F3 tornado injured one person near Dana, Iowa while the final tornado on June 3 produced F2-rated damage over the same area.[23] On June 5, two tornadoes touched down; the first produced low-end F2 damage to homes in the southern portions of Fargo, North Dakota. The second tornado, likely a tornado family, tracked 90 miles (140 km) from Presho to Miller, South Dakota. The tornado produced F2 damage to several barns.[23]
Two tornadoes, both rated F3, touched down on June 6 in Colorado. The first passed through areas in Washington County and the second injured six people in Wray.[23]
June 11–16
June 11 through June 16 saw another active period of severe weather. On June 11, several tornadoes touched down in Iowa and Minnesota; the first injured 18 people and produced F3-rated damage to homes in Alexander, Iowa.[23] Another F2 tornado damaged homes near Chapin, Iowa, while an F2 tornado injured eight people northwest of Greene, Iowa.[23] A tornado produced F2-rated damage south of Marble Rock, Iowa, while a tornado damaged a barn in the Conger, Minnesota area.[23] The final tornado on June 11 destroyed three barns at F2 intensity in Worth County, Iowa.[23] On June 14, an F1 tornado killed a child in Pueblo, Colorado and another F3 tornado struck a farmsteads and uprooted trees in Hancock County, Illinois.[23] On June 15, an F2 tornado destroyed barns near Clay Center, Kansas,[23] while another tornado produced F2-rated damage at a maximum width of 1 mile (1.6 km). The tornado, which tracked across Ottawa County, Kansas, caused damage that would later total an estimated $100,000 (1925 USD).[24] On June 16, three tornadoes, all rated F2, touched down in Nebraska.[25] The first destroyed several barns in the Blue Hill area, and the second impacted five farmsteads south of Central City. The third and final tornado swept away a school near Prague.[25]
June 18
An F2 tornado described as a "large black pillar" killed five cattle and damaged a farm in Barnes County, North Dakota.[25]
June 28
A tornado produced F2-rated damage to small houses in Fremont County, Iowa. Damage from the tornado totaled $10,000 (1925 USD).[25]
July
July 7
An F2-rated tornado in Cottle County, Texas destroyed two structures; damage would later total $5,000 (1925 USD).[25]
July 18
A small F2 tornado in Ellis County, Texas destroyed one house, injuring five people.[25]
July 24
A tornado produced F2-rated damage on the western side of Tampa, Florida, desttroying two homes and tossing pieces of furniture hundreds of yards.[25]
July 29–30
On July 29, an F1-rated tornado damaged stores and killed one person in Iola, Kansas.[25] July 30 saw an F2 tornado that injured five people in Navarro County, Texas. The tornado, which "scattered" a home, was accompanied by damaging downburst winds.[25]
August
August 16
An F2-rated tornado destroyed a church southwest of Audubon, Minnesota.[25]
August 20
A tornado produced F2-rated damage to small homes in Carter County, Oklahoma; two people were injured when the tornado dropped debris into a storm cellar.[25]
August 22
An F1-rated tornado killed two people and injured nine others in Harris County, Texas.[25]
August 29
Numerous small homes were destroyed and two people were killed south of Electra, Texas, when a F2-rated tornado moved through the area.[25]
September
September 11
On September 11, two unrelated F2-rated tornadoes touched down in DuPage County, Illinois and Washtenaw County, Michigan. Around 25 homes were destroyed in total by the two tornadoes.[25]
October
October 14
An F2-rated tornado killed five people in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. All five fatalities occurred in one small home that was directly impacted by the tornado.[25]
October 16
On October 16, a series of tornadoes and downbursts moved from 6 mi (9.7 km) west of Bowling Green, Kentucky. The strongest received an F3 rating, with homes being wrecked west of Bowling Green and in Davenport on Barren River Pike. A car was blown off the road, hitting a fence and into a field. In Richardsville, additional damage occurred. In Edmonson County, barns and a hotel suffered severe damage. Canmer and Woodsonville were the hardest hit areas. The tornado led to one death and 44 others being injured.[26]
October 24–25
On October 24, an F2-rated tornado injured three people northeast of Covington, Tennessee.[26] The next day, a powerful F4 tornado touched down in Crenshaw, Pike, Bullock, and Barbour Counties in Alabama, destroying dozens of homes in rural communities. 18 people were killed and 60 were injured in the tornado.[27]
November
November 7
An F2 tornado impacted eight farms in Wilson County, Tennessee, destroying at least six barns.[25]
November 26
On November 26, two confirmed tornadoes touched down. The first, which produced F3-rated damage, injured one person in Wilson County, Tennessee. The second produced intense F3-rated damage and injured six people in Wilson County, Tennessee.[25]
December
December 4
December 4 saw four tornadoes move through areas in the East South Central United States. The first, rated F2, skirted along the southern edge of Marshall, Arkansas, where a railroad depot was destroyed. Another F2 tornado tracked through Yazoo City, Mississippi, killing two people and injuring 25 others.[25] An EF4 tornado in April 2010 took a similar path through Yazoo City, where ten people were killed.[28] The third tornado produced extensive F2-rated damage in rural Marshall, Lyon and Caldwell counties in Kentucky, injuring five people.[29] The fourth and final tornado confirmed in 1925 touched down in nearby Calloway County, Kentucky before moving into Marshall County, inflicting F3-rated damage to a home and killing two people near Hardin, Kentucky.[29]
Notes
- ^ An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[11]
- ^ The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.[12][13] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[14] Canada used the old scale until April 1, 2013;[15] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[16]
- ^ Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information.[17] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[18] Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.[19]
- ^ The three deaths may have been from a downburst.
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g Grazulis 1990, p. 189
- ^ "Tri-State Tornado". ArcGIS StoryMaps. June 24, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Maddox et al. 2013.
- ^ "The deadliest disaster to ever happen in each state". MSN. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ Gibson, Christine (August–September 2006). "Our 10 Greatest Natural Disasters". American Heritage. 57 (4).
- ^ Tri-State Tornado - History, Facts and Information
- ^ Johns et al. 2013.
- ^ Grazulis 2001b, p. 17.
- ^ Fujita 1973, pp. 56–83.
- ^ Grazulis 1993, p. 796.
- ^ Schneider, Russell S.; Brooks, Harold E.; Schaefer, Joseph T. (2004). Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875–2003) (PDF). 22nd Conf. Severe Local Storms. Hyannis, Massachusetts: American Meteorological Society. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Grazulis 1993, p. 141.
- ^ Grazulis 2001a, p. 131.
- ^ Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ Grazulis 2001a, pp. 251–4.
- ^ Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)". Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ Cook & Schaefer 2008, p. 3135.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Grazulis 1990, p. 191
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Grazulis 1990, p. 192
- ^ Grazulis 1990, pp. 192–193
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Grazulis 1990, p. 193
- ^ Grazulis 1990, pp. 193–194
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Grazulis 1990, p. 194
- ^ a b "Tornadoes of 1925". National Weather Service. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
- ^ "Alabama Tornadoes 1925". National Weather Service. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "NWS Jackson, MS - April 24, 2010 Violent Long Track Tornado". National Weather Service. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
- ^ a b Grazulis 1990, p. 195
Sources
- Grazulis, Thomas P. (May 1984). Violent Tornado Climatography, 1880–1982. OSTI (Technical report). NUREG. Washington, D.C.: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. OSTI 7099491. CR-3670.
- — (November 1990). Significant Tornadoes 1880–1989. Vol. 2. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-02-3.
- — (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.