Draft:List of US tornado records by state
This is a list of tornado records in the United States, as organized by the U.S. States they occurred in. Much of this material is likely to be challenged and will be updated once the National Centers for Environmental Information database is back online.
To count as a record, a tornado must have been the deadliest, widest, costliest, or most intense tornado in that state. Information about record path length will default to the tornado with the longest path length that spent a majority of its time in that state, assuming no information can be found about the track length in the state itself. As well, intensity is based on the highest rating accepted for that tornado, as rated and acknowledged by the National Weather Service, the agency responsible for rating tornadoes in the United States on the Fujita or Enhanced Fujita scale based on the damage they do.
| State | F/EF scale rating | Most fatalities | Longest path length | Largest width | Costliest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | F5/EF5 | Hackleburg–Phil Campbell (2011) – 72 fatalities | Carrollton–Blount (2011)[a] – 127.8 mi (205.7 km)[1] | Tuscaloosa–Birmingham (2011) – 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | Tuscaloosa–Birmingham (2011) – $3.251 billion |
| Multiple[b] | |||||
| Alaska | F0/EF0 | n/a | ? | ? | ? |
| Multiple[c] | |||||
| Arkansas | F5 | Fort Smith (1898) – 55 fatalities | Atkins–Clinton–Mountain View–Highland (2008) – 122 mi (196 km) | Decatur (2024) – 3,600 yd (2.0 mi; 3.3 km) | Fort Smith (1996) - $583 million |
| Pleasant Valley–Sneed (1929) | |||||
| Illinois | F5 | Tri-State (1925) – 591 fatalities | Tri-State (1925) | Belvidere (1967) – 2 mi (3.2 km) | Washington (2013) – $1.187 billion |
| Multiple[d] | |||||
| Indiana | F5 | Tri-State (1925) – 99 fatalities | Indianapolis (2002) – 112 mi (180 km) | ? | Monticello (1974) – $1.545 billion |
| Depauw–Daisy Hill (1974)[e] | |||||
| Iowa | F5/EF5 | Dewitt–Camanche (1860) – 73 fatalities | Wright–Delta (1984) – 117 mi (188 km) | ? | Charles City (1968) – $276 million |
| Multiple[f] | |||||
| Kansas | F5 | Udall (1955) – 80 fatalities | ? | Seneca–Oneida (1896) – 2.25 mi (3.62 km) | Topeka (1966) – $2.314 billion |
| A lot | |||||
| Kentucky | F5 | Jefferson County (1880) – 76 fatalities | Mayfield (2021) - 165.6 mi (266.5 km) | ? | Falmouth (1968) – $243 million |
| Brandenburg (1974) | |||||
| Missouri | F5/EF5 | Joplin (2011) – ≥158 fatalities | ? | ? | Joplin (2011) – $3.792 billion |
| Multiple[g] | |||||
| Ohio | F5 | Lorain–Sandusky – ≥85 fatalities | Brunersburg (1920) | ? | Xenia (1974) – $1.545 billion |
| Multiple[h] | |||||
| Oklahoma | F5/EF5 | Woodward (1947) – 116 fatalities | Woodward (1947) – 98 mi (158 km) | El Reno (2013) – 2.6 mi (4.2 km) | Moore (2013) – $2.616 billion |
| A lot | |||||
| Texas | F5 | Waco (1953), Goliad (1902) – 114 fatalities | ? | Glazier (1947) – ~2.0 mi (3.2 km) | Dallas (2019) – $1.847 billion |
| Multiple[i] |
Notes
[edit]- ^ This is the longest accepted path of a tornado in Alabama. The 1973 Central Alabama tornado, with a path length of 139.1 mi (223.9 km) is believed to have been a tornado family, with the longest continuous path being 65 mi (105 km) long. The 132 mi (212 km) path of the 2011 Hackleburg–Phil Campbell tornado also extended into Tennessee, with only 118.63 mi (190.92 km) of path length in Alabama.
- ^ Moulton (1974, Athens (1974), Guin (1974), Birmingham (1977), Birmingham (1998), Rainsville (2011), Hackleburg–Phil Campbell (2011)<refname= "alabamarecords" />
- ^ Only 6 tornadoes have ever been confirmed in Alaska, none rated above EF0. The most recent of these was in April 2024.
- ^ Tri-State (1925), Taylorville (1880), Lacon (1942), Plainfield (1990)
- ^ Two other F5 tornadoes had impacted the state during the Super Outbreak while forming or dissipating. An F5 on April 1, 1884 near Florida was rated F5 by Grazulis but remains officially unrated.
- ^ Adair (1953), Belmond (1966), Charles City (1968), Oelwein (1968), Jordan (1976), Parkersburg (2008)
- ^ Tri-State (1925), Ruskin Heights–Raytown (1957), Joplin (2011)
- ^ Wheelersburg (1968), Cincinnati–Sayler Park (1974), Xenia (1974), Niles (1985)
- ^ Waco (1953), Wichita Falls (1964), Lubbock (1970), Valley Mills (1973), Brownwood (1976), Jarrell (1997)
- ^ "Alabama Tornado Statistics". National Weather Service Birmingham, Alabama. 2023.