Joplin Tornado Now Deadliest on Record

The 117th victim was pulled from the rubble in Joplin, Missouri this morning, and that makes this the single-deadliest tornado in recorded U.S. history. The National Weather Service has kept records since 1950, so this is the “official” record.

Another single tornado record dates back prior to “official” record-keeping, though. That is the Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925 in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. It killed an estimated 625 people in the roughly 219 mile path.

You may see some reports of records that don’t add up to what you have always thought, and this is one of those cases. The new record is the one since 1950, and that is what all the major media outlets are reporting.

And if you missed it earlier, the tornado has been rated as an EF-4 with top wind speeds at 198 miles per hour. There are a lot of strong feelings about the rating of EF-4 at 198 MPH (EF-5 starts at 200 MPH), but this is a preliminary rating. Just like the NWS Birmingham took several days to put out the final rating on the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado, the NWS in Springfield will continue to investigate the damage for evidence of EF-5 wind speeds.

8:17 AM ADDITION: James Spann posted this link on his Twitter feed just a few moments ago: 25 Deadliest US Tornadoes. Note that SPC says all records prior to 1950 should be treated as estimates. This is where the confusion over “official” records comes into play.

-Jason
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Category: Hodgepodge