March 18, 1925 Tri-State Tornado

Today marks the 87th anniversary of the Tri-State tornado which blasted across parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.  This was an exceptional tornado in many ways.  A list of some of the records held by this tornado is provided below.


-at least 695 fatalities, the most by a single tornado in the United States

-219 to 234 mile path length

-3 1/2 hours on the ground

-613 fatalities in Illinois, the most on record for a single state

-234 fatalities in Murphysboro, Illinois, the most on record for a single town

-69 deaths in schools, including 33 deaths at one Illinois school


The most infamous tornado in U.S. history was born in a field in southern Missouri in the early afternoon on March 18, 1925.  The tornado moved rapidly northeastward, killing 11 in Missouri before moving into Illinois.  The tornado took its first lives in Illinois at Gorham, where 34 were killed.  Over the course of just 40 minutes, 541 people died and more than 1,500 were injured.  After wreaking terrible havoc in Illinois, the tornado crossed the Wabash River in northwest Posey county Indiana and caused heavy damage in Griffin, where 25 died.  It then proceeded northeastward through rural farmland between Griffin and Princeton, destroying dozens of farms.  The tornado struck a direct hit on Princeton, killing at least 45.  The tornado finally dissipated southwest of Petersburg.

In Indiana, at least 71 people were killed, making it the deadliest tornado in state history.  The death toll at Princeton is among the highest for a single Indiana town, only rivaled by the 1917 New Albany tornado (more on that tornado in an upcoming post).

In all, at least 695 people were killed and over 2,000 were injured.  Approximately 15,000 homes were destroyed with total damage estimated at over $16 million.  When adjusted to modern day values, this tornado is among the costliest of all-time.

Although the Tri-State tornado was by far the most significant event of the day, it was not the only tornado to occur in Indiana.  A tornado touched down in Harrison county near Mauckport and passed near Laconia and Elizabeth, killing 4.  The tornado then proceeded into Kentucky.


Source:

Thomas P. Grazulis, Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991 (Environmental Films, 1993).

Updated Information On April 19-20 Tornado Outbreak

First off, you can view the original summary of this event here.

The following changes were made to this outbreak:


-NWS North Webster changed their preliminary ruling of 2 tornadoes in Cass County to microbursts.

-NWS Paducah added a 5 mile long EF1 tornado from Warrick to Gibson counties.

-NWS Indianapolis added 2 tornadoes, a 3 mile long EF0 in Tippecanoe county and an 11 mile long EF1 in
Knox county.

-NWS Indianapolis extended the path of the Vermillion county tornado into Montgomery county for a total path length of 31 miles.  It was also downgraded from EF2 to EF1.

-NWS Indianapolis downgraded the Tippecanoe county EF2 to EF1.

-NWS Louisville added 2 tornadoes, a 2 mile long EF1 and a 3 mile long EF0 in Jefferson county.


There was a net gain of 3 tornadoes, increasing the total from 26 to 29 but still ranking this outbreak as having the second most on record.  Here are some updated stats:


Tornadoes by NWS area:

NWS Louisville:  19
NWS Indianapolis:  5
NWS North Webster:  3
NWS Paducah:  1
NWS Wilmington:  1


Tornadoes by intensity:

11 EF0
16 EF1
2 EF2

A Look At Tornadoes Which Have Crossed Into Indiana

Since 1950, Indiana has been struck by nearly 1300 tornadoes.  A very high number - but not all - have occurred entirely within the state boundaries.  The focus of this post is those tornadoes that started in a neighboring state before crossing into Indiana.

In the past 60 years, I found nearly two dozen tornadoes that started in Illinois, Kentucky or Michigan.  I have mapped them and provided a list below.  The text only indicates the last county to be affected in the preceding state and the first county in our state.  The usual caveats apply - namely, paths may be inexact and some tornadoes may not have actually been on the ground as they crossed the state line (since older tornadoes tended to be listed as one long path instead of several smaller ones).

There are a few interesting things in the data.  One, Knox county has been hit by a half dozen twisters passing through from Illinois.  Another noteworthy discovery is that June 2, 1990 is the only day that has had 4 tornadoes pass from Illinois into Indiana.  That day of course owns the largest tornado outbreak in state history.  Also, the tornado that struck the Evansville area on November 6, 2005 tracked from Kentucky into Indiana back into Kentucky and finally back into Indiana due to the shape of the border along the Ohio River.

Tomorrow I will post the tornadoes that started in Indiana before crossing into another state.