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 1969
An outbreak of at least three tornadoes impacted Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. A devastating F4 tornado traveled through Mississippi, killing 32 people and injuring 241. The worst damage was in Hazelhurst where 11 people died, 140 were injured, and 175 homes were damaged or destroyed. The community of Sardis was also destroyed, with 8 people killed. One school bus was carried and rolled a quarter mile while another was overturned, injuring 14 students The tornado killed another 2 people south of Harrisville, and 10 people in 4 farm homes. In Rankin County the tornado leveled homes and tossed pickup trucks, but did not cause any deaths. An F2 tornado west of Dover, Tennessee destroyed 5 homes and 10 tobacco barns, injuring 3 people. An F1 tornado also touched down in Caldwell County, Kentucky.