Tornado records and history
The deadliest, the widest, the costliest, and the biggest outbreaks.
In the USA
The deadliest tornado in US history was the Tri-State Tornado of 18 March 1925, which killed 695 people. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ
Ted Fujita and his team surveyed every tornado of the Super Outbreak of 3–4 April 1974 in the USA. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The Enhanced Fujita scale TORRO notes that on 3 and 4 April 1974, 144 tornadoes touched down in 13 US states. TORRO: Media information
The deadliest US tornado year since records began in 1950 was 2011, when tornadoes killed 550 people in 15 states. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ · checked 31 Oct 2026 April 2011 had 817 tornadoes in the USA: the most in any month since 1950. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ · checked 31 Oct 2026
The costliest tornado on record hit Joplin, Missouri, on 22 May 2011 (EF5), with an estimated $2.8 billion in damage. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ · checked 31 Oct 2026
The widest tornado on record was near El Reno, Oklahoma, on 31 May 2013: officially 2.6 miles wide. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ · checked 31 Oct 2026
The earliest tornado in a US year (since 1950) touched down two minutes after midnight on 1 January 2011, in Mississippi. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ
US tornadoes kill about 60 people in an average year, mostly from flying or falling debris. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ · checked 31 Oct 2026
The fastest winds
A mobile Doppler radar measured winds of about 301 mph (give or take 20 mph) just above the ground in the 3 May 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado in Oklahoma: the highest winds ever found near Earth’s surface. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ
In Canada
Canada’s first recorded F5 tornado was near Elie, Manitoba, on 22 June 2007. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: The online tornado FAQ
In the UK
On 23 November 1981, as a cold front swept across England and Wales, more than 100 tornadoes were reported in just over five hours: the largest recorded tornado outbreak in the UK and Europe. (TORRO’s own records count 104 tornadoes.) Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025) The earliest known UK tornado hit London on 23 October 1091, damaging the church of St Mary-le-Bow. TORRO: Tornado extremes
TORRO rates the Welbourn, Lincolnshire tornado of 23 October 1666 (T8–9) as the most intense known in the UK. TORRO: Tornado extremes The widest UK tornado on TORRO’s list was at Selsey, West Sussex, on 7 January 1998: about 900 metres wide. TORRO: Tornado extremes
The longest UK tornado track on TORRO’s list ran 32 km from Upton to Elsham in Lincolnshire on 19 August 1881. TORRO: Tornado extremes The UK’s deadliest tornado struck South Wales in 1913, killing five people. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
The UK’s costliest tornado hit Birmingham in July 2005. It lasted about 10 minutes, injured 39 people and did an estimated £40 million of damage along an 11 km path. Met Office blog: Tornadoes in the UK (22 Jul 2025)
In Europe
Europe has had violent tornadoes too: ESSL lists Montville, France (19 August 1845) among Europe’s IF5 tornadoes. ESSL: Violent tornadoes in Europe ESSL says the deadliest European tornado of recent decades hit the Ivanovo region of Russia in 1984, killing at least about 70 people. ESSL: FAQ about severe weather
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