Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011
On May 22, a large, devastating EF5 tornado tracked through Joplin, Missouri, leaving behind catastrophic damage. It was a multiple-vortex tornado in excess of wide. Mainly the southern part of the city was affected with most structures in the area either damaged or destroyed. 162 people were killed along the path through Jasper and Newton counties in Missouri, making it the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1947, and one of the deadliest single tornadoes ever recorded. Among the most heavily damaged structures was St. John's Hospital (pictured right), which later was torn down due to the severity of the structural damage. Damages were estimated at around $2.8 billion (2011 USD).
1972 Portland–Vancouver tornado
In east Vancouver, the tornado struck at 12:51 p.m. (PST), where it destroyed a grocery store, along with Peter S. Ogden Elementary School injuring 70 students. Nearby, the storm demolished a bowling alley, a drive-in theater screen and damaged around 100 homes, some severely. Trees and power lines were downed and vehicles were flipped as well. Overall, the tornado killed six people and left $3–5 million (1972 USD) in damage. Two F2 tornadoes and another F3 touched down in Coulee City, Kettle Falls and Creston in Washington state later that day, though these tornadoes caused no fatalities. The small weather outbreak was the deadliest and most significant tornado event to occur in the Pacific Northwest, with winds of up to .