We commemorated 100 years since this awful event eleven months ago.  It is known as the great Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925. Until last week, I -- like most meteorologists -- quoted a horrible death toll of 689. Now we learn that an exhaustive study has concluded as many as 801 died from this single storm that moved from southeast Missouri, across the width of southern Illinois, and into southwest Indiana.  Above is an older map, easier to understand, with the correct path, but also with some inaccuracies regarding the specific damage and deaths in some locations.  The Tri-State Tornado had the longest path, the longest violent path, the worst death toll and set other records. The article at the red link (above) will tell you a great deal about this event that we pray is never exceeded. 

America's worst tornado occurred 100 years ago today.  Weatherwise, Stan Changnon The path began a little farther to the southwest in Missouri than shown here but I wanted everyone to see the detail of this horrific storm's damage. Six hundred ninety-five (695) were killed. At times, the tornado was two miles wide and, like Joplin, some did not realize a tornado was approaching. Of course, there was no warning system. 

The 100th Anniversary of the Worst Tornado in U.S. History is Coming Up The tornado killed 689 people, in part, because there was no warning. That would not happen today. The tornado began in southeast Missouri, crossed southern Illinois and lifted well inside southwest Indiana. 

At this moment, 99 years ago, the worst tornado in United States' history began. Over the next 3.5 hours, nearly 700 people in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana would be dead. The F-5 intensity storm was on the ground for a stunning 219* miles. A reconstructed survey of the path, from the late Dr. Stanley Changnon, is below.  The tornado was so powerful it leveled everything it touched. It killed 695. Other tornadoes in the region brought that day's total deaths to 751. These phenomenal death tolls occurred even though no major, or even medium-sized, cities were involved.  Today, of course, there would be tornado warnings that would -- hopefully -- mitigate the death toll. But, the Tri-State** is a reminder of how cruel nature can be and how we need to be vigilant as this tornado season unfolds.  For those interested, there is an outstanding meteorological paper about this storm, here .  * Some meteorologists believe it was a series of tornadoes.  ** Today, this t...

Because the media and various political officials are making comparisons pertaining to Friday night's tornadoes (see posting immediately below), I thought the map below would be helpful. The green line from Missouri to Indiana is the path of the Great Tri-State Tornado, the longest tornado track in history. It was also an F-5 storm that killed 689 people. The radar echoes and the accompanying red polygons (tornado warnings issued Friday evening) represents the life of the supercell thunderstorm that spawned the worst of the tornadoes. What we don't know as yet is the length of the one or more tornadoes that this supercell produced. Is it possible that the Tri-State record has been broken? Yes. We just do not know, yet.