Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011
The tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011 was one of the largest tornado outbreaks on record which affected the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States. Most of the tornadoes developed in a corridor from Lake Superior southwest to central Texas; isolated tornadoes occurred in other areas. An especially destructive tornado destroyed one-third of Joplin, Missouri, resulting in 158 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. The Joplin tornado is the deadliest in the U.S. since April 9, 1947, when an intense tornado killed 181 in the Woodward, Oklahoma area. Tornado-related deaths also occurred in Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. Overall, the tornado outbreak resulted in 184 deaths, 6 of those non-tornadic, making it second only to the 2011 Super Outbreak as the deadliest since 1974, and the second costliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history behind that same April 2011 outbreak, with insured damage estimated at $4–7 billion.
Tornadoes of 2009
Another major severe weather event developed early on May 8 over southwestern Kansas. It quickly formed into a major progressive derecho which tracked across the central Plains, the Ozarks and into the Ohio Valley. The city of Joplin, Missouri had a derecho. It eventually became an F1 tornado destroying a TV station tower. Several tornadoes also developed, primarily in the Springfield, Missouri area where damage was reported. A moderate risk of severe weather was issued primarily due to the wind threat. Two people were killed near Poplar Bluff, Missouri when winds knocked a tree onto their car. Another Missouri resident suffered a fatal heart attack after he was blown away 
from his home and dropped into a field by an EF2 tornado. A woman was killed in southeastern Kansas after her mobile home was blown off its foundation. Two other deaths occurred in Kirksville, Kentucky from an EF3 tornado. Eventually, the storm developed a tropical cyclone-like structure, with a well-defined eye feature. In addition, winds were measured as high as in Carbondale, Illinois.