What was the cost of the damages from the tornado at Joplin?
1975 Omaha tornado outbreak
Three people were killed and 133 reported injured. One of the fatalities was thrown by the tornado from her home to a backyard four or five houses away. Debris was found miles away. Over 4,000 buildings were damaged and 287 were destroyed. In terms of damage, it was the costliest tornado in American history to that date, with damages costing at least $250 million to $300 million (around $1.7 billion in 2015 dollars), and insurance costs estimated at up to $1.1 billion (in 1975). It was the third-costliest tornado, behind the Oklahoma City-area F5 tornado on May 3, 1999, and the Wichita Falls, Texas, tornadoes on April 10, 1979, until the Joplin, Missouri EF5 tornado on May 22, 2011. It is now currently the seventh-costliest tornado on record.
1924 Lorain–Sandusky tornado
Over 500 homes were destroyed and 1000 others were damaged in the Lorain area as well as every business in the downtown area. Damage amounts were estimated at the time to be approximately $12 million. When adjusted for wealth the figure jumps to $1 billion (1997 dollars), which ranks it 10th costliest tornado, ahead of the Oklahoma City area tornado in 1999. A total of 85 were killed with additional deaths outside the two cities and 300 others were injured. While the Fujita scale was not existent at the time, the damage was estimated to be at around F4.
Wichita Falls, Texas
A devastating tornado hit the north and northwest portions of Wichita Falls along with Sheppard Air Force Base during the afternoon of April 3, 1964. As the first violent tornado on record to hit the Wichita Falls area, it left seven dead and more than 100 injured. Additionally, the tornado caused roughly $15 million in property damage with about 225 homes destroyed and another 250 damaged. It was rated as an F5, the highest rating on the Fujita scale, but it is overshadowed by the 1979 tornado.
Tornado outbreak of May 4–6, 2007
Total damage from the outbreak was estimated at about $268 million, and insured damage from the Greensburg tornado alone was estimated at $153 million.
Tornado outbreak of April 3, 2012
Along with the tornadoes, numerous hail and wind reports were received by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) that day, though it is unclear which were directly associated with the storm complex. However, severe weather in Texas resulted in excess of $1 billion in damages, mostly due to the tornadoes. It was estimated that at least 1,100 homes in the metropolitan area were damaged in the outbreak, including at least 349 that were destroyed. Despite hitting heavily populated areas, however, no deaths were reported. However, a total of 29 injuries were confirmed.
2011 Joplin tornado
As of May 2013, the official death toll from National Weather Service was listed at 158 while the City of Joplin listed the death toll at 161 (158 direct). The list was up to 162, until one man's injuries were found to be unrelated to the event. In one indirect fatality, a policeman was struck by lightning and killed while assisting with recovery and cleanup efforts the day after the storm. Shortly after the tornado, authorities had listed 1,300 people as missing, but the number quickly dwindled as they were accounted for. Many people were reported to have been trapped in destroyed houses. Seventeen people were rescued from the rubble the day after the tornado struck.
The Missouri Emergency Management Agency reported more than 990 injured. Of 146 sets of remains recovered from the rubble, 134 victims had been positively identified by June 1. Due to the horrific injuries suffered by some victims, some different sets of remains were from a single person. On June 2 it was announced that four more victims had died.
2011 Joplin tornado
Six people were killed when St. John's was struck by the tornado. Five of those deaths were patients on ventilators who died after the building lost power and a backup generator did not work. The sixth fatality was a hospital visitor.
2011 Joplin tornado
East of Joplin, a Risk Management Plan facility released of anhydrous ammonia; it was contained within two days.
Tornado records
Similar to fatalities, damage (and observations) of a tornado are a coincidence of what character of tornado interacts with certain characteristics of built up areas. That is, destructive tornadoes are in a sense "accidents" of a large tornado striking a large population. In addition to population and changes thereof, comparing damage historically is subject to changes in wealth and inflation. The 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado on May 27, incurred the most damages adjusted for wealth and inflation, at an estimated $2.9 billion (1997 USD). In raw numbers, the Joplin tornado of May 22, 2011 is considered the costliest tornado in recent history, with damage totals near $2.8 billion (2011 USD). Until 2011, the "Bridge Creek-Moore tornado" of May 3, 1999 was the most damaging.
1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado
The tornado spawned from the other supercell became the third deadliest and the most costly tornado in United States history. It touched down in St. Louis, Missouri, then one of the largest and most influential cities in the country. At least 137 people died as the tornado traversed the core of the city leaving a wide continuous swath of destroyed homes, schools, saloons, factories, mills, churches, parks, and railroad yards. A few of the destroyed homes were swept away. Numerous trees were downed at the Lafayette Park, and a barometer recorded a drop to at this location. Uncounted others may have died on boats on the Mississippi River, which could have swept their bodies downriver.
Joplin School District
The Joplin School District is located in Jasper and Newton Counties in the City of Joplin, Missouri. It serves more than 7,700 students in the school district.On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri. In the path of the tornado, Joplin High School, Franklin Technical Center, East Middle School, Irving Elementary, and Emerson Elementary were destroyed; Cecil Floyd Elementary, Duquesne Elementary, Eastmorland Elementary, and Kelsey Norman were damaged as well. In the months after the tornado, plans have been made to rebuild all schools that were destroyed in the tornado. The school district re-opened its Middle and Elementary schools on January 9, 2014; and Joplin High School and Franklin Technical Center re-opened in August 2014.
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is served by the Joplin Public Library. In 2013, the Economic Development Administration awarded the city $20 million to relocate the dated library to a new facility along 20th Street, in the heart of the tornado area. In June 2017, the new 48,000 square foot state-of-the art library opened to the public. Costing nearly $20,000,000, the new facility has meeting and event rooms and spaces, an outdoor plaza and courtyard, children's, teen and adult book collection areas, and maker-spaces and equipment for creative arts and business innovators.
1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak
90 people were killed in the United States and Canada in the outbreak; the most for an outbreak since the 1974 Super Outbreak, and a mark that stood until the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak. It was the third costliest tornado outbreak in the history of the U.S., where it caused $600 million (2010 U.S. dollars) damage in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. It was also one of the costliest in Canada: damage in Ontario totaled an estimated $400 million USD. The damage would total nearly $1 billion in 2010 U.S. dollars.
Typhoon Chaba (2004)
Typhoon Chaba was a highly destructive and costly storm for Japan. Across the nation, 18 people were killed, with 285 injuries; of these 45 were severe and 243 were of minor extent. In addition to the fatalities, US$2 billion in damage occurred. The resulting insurance payment for the damage equated to US$1.2 billion. A total of 8,627 homes were destroyed, and 46,581 were at least inundated. The damage cost made Chaba the costliest typhoon to affect Japan in 2004, only to be surpassed by Typhoon Songda the following month. , Chaba remains the fourteenth costliest typhoon in Japanese history.
2011 Joplin tornado
On June 10, 2011, it was announced that a rare fungal infection, zygomycosis, had been noted to cause at least eight serious cases of wound infection among the injured survivors, confirmed by reports to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes
Total damage estimates were $747,850,050–$173,489,564 (2008 dollars).
Joplin, Missouri
The city has two major hospitals which serve the Four States region, Freeman Health System and Mercy Hospital Joplin, the latter replacing St. John's Regional Medical Center which was destroyed in the May 22, 2011, tornado. Freeman Hospital East and Landmark Hospital serve more specialized community health needs. The city's park system has nearly and includes a golf course, three swimming pools, of walking/biking trails, the world's largest remaining globally unique Chert Glades and Missouri's first Audubon Nature Center located in Wildcat Park. A waterfall, Grand Falls, the highest continuously flowing in the state, is on Shoal Creek on the southern end of the city. Included in Schifferdecker Park is the Everett J. Ritchie Tri-State Mineral Museum and Dorothea B. Hoover Historical Museum, which holds a significant collection of minerals from the era of lead and zinc mining in the region.
1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak
5 people were killed by the tornadoes, over 200 more injured, and damages were estimated at more than $285 million (USD) ($600 million 2003 USD). In Nebraska, Tornado warnings allowed people to get to safety in time, which prevented a higher death toll. The South Locust Street area in Grand Island was hardest hit, struck by the fifth tornado of the night (an F4 tornado). Much of the rubble and debris left by the tornadoes was placed in a landfill that now forms Tornado Hill, a popular biking and sledding spot In Grand Island today.
Missouri Southern State University
The school is about 30 blocks northeast of the worst of the devastation of the 2011 Joplin tornado which destroyed much of southern Joplin on May 22, 2011—one day after the school's graduation. Joplin High School had just completed its school graduation on the campus shortly before the tornado. The Leggett and Platt Athletic Center was used as an emergency shelter for victims. Billingsly Student Center was the headquarters for volunteer efforts run by Americorps St. Louis and was the coordination area for identifying victims and survivors. On May 29, 2011, Barack Obama, who was inspecting the damage, spoke at the Taylor Performing Arts Center.
2011 Joplin tornado
Along with the Tri-State Tornado and the 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado, it ranks as one of Missouri's and America's deadliest tornadoes and is also the costliest single tornado in U.S. history ($2.8 billion). It was the first F5/EF5 tornado in Missouri since May 20, 1957, when an F5 destroyed several suburbs of Kansas City. It was only the second F5/EF5 tornado in Missouri history dating back to 1950. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since the April 9, 1947 tornado in Woodward, Oklahoma, the seventh-deadliest in U.S. history. It was also the first single tornado since the June 8, 1953 F5 tornado in Flint, Michigan, to have 100 or more associated fatalities.
1953 Waco tornado outbreak
Few of the buildings in downtown Waco were constructed sturdily enough to withstand the winds, and they collapsed almost immediately. Newer buildings with steel reinforcement, including the 22-story Amicable office building (now called the ALICO Building), weathered the storm. The Dr Pepper bottling plant, today the Dr Pepper Museum, also remained standing but sustained damage. Bricks from the collapsed structures piled up in the street to a depth of . Some survivors were trapped under rubble for 14 or more hours; numerous bodies remained submerged beneath piles of rubble and for many days were unaccounted for. In all, 114 deaths occurred in the Waco area, with 597 injured and over $41 million (1953 USD) in property damage. The tornado destroyed 196 businesses and factories. 217 others sustained major damage and 179 sustained lesser damages. 150 homes were wrecked, 250 sustained major damage, and 450 sustained lesser damages. The First United Methodist Church was severely damaged. Over 2,000 cars sustained at least some damage. Over half the dead—61—were in a single city block bounded by 4th and 5th streets and Austin and Franklin avenues.
Following the Waco tornado, attempts to organize disaster relief were stymied by poor organization. Local residents had not expected the tornado and had assumed that the area's geography safeguarded Waco from tornadoes. Initially, the tornado also severed communications between downtown Waco and outlying areas, so assistance was slow to arrive. The chaotic relief efforts eventually spurred greater coordination between civilians and local governments, leading to the development of civil defense. Notably, the Waco event was one of the first instances that proved the effectiveness of radar in tracking tornadogenesis; coincidentally, another such case occurred later in the same year. Posthumous study of the tornado that struck Worcester, Massachusetts, on June 9 revealed that, as at Waco, local radar detected the hook echo that signified the tornado. Researchers concluded that improved communications, coupled with the formation of radar coverage, could lead to accurate tornado warnings, thereby reducing loss of life in future storms. This task proved especially important following the devastating loss of life at Waco and Worcester, along with the June 8 catastrophe at Flint, Michigan, in the same year. The state of Texas supported the implementation of 20 radar facilities, each with a radius, that proved successful in reducing death tolls in later tornadoes. The system was known as the Texas Radar Tornado Warning Network and also included communications between weather officials, storm spotters, and local officials. Thus the Waco tornado helped catalyze development of a nationwide severe weather warning system.
The Home Depot
In the wake of the 2011 Joplin tornado in which the walls of a Home Depot collapsed after being hit by an EF5 tornado, "The Kansas City Star", citing engineers, criticized Home Depot's practice of using tilt-up construction in hundreds of its big-box stores (other nearby big-box stores in Joplin, including a Walmart and Academy Sports, which had concrete block construction, lost their roofs but the walls remained intact). In tilt-up construction the concrete is poured onsite, lifted into place, and then attached to the roof. The engineers told the "Star" that the practice, while normally safe and efficient, is dangerous in major storms because once the roof is lifted (as happened in Joplin) the walls collapse in a domino effect. Seven people were killed in the front of the store when the 100,000-pound walls collapsed on them, while 28 people in the back of the store survived when those walls collapsed outward. Only two of the slab walls in the Home Depot survived. In contrast, 3 people died in the Walmart but 200 survived. Engineers noted that when concrete block construction fails, structural elements break in pieces and usually not in huge slabs. Home Depot said it fundamentally disagreed with the engineers quoted by the "Star" and said it would use tilt-up construction when it rebuilds the Joplin store.
Birmingham tornado of 2005
There were no fatalities, although there were approximately 19 injuries, three of which were reported to be serious. The tornado uprooted an estimated 1000 trees, removed the roofs of buildings, picked up and deposited cars and caused other damage during its short existence. The total cost of damage has been put at £40 million, making it the most costly tornado in British history.
2011 Joplin tornado
The 2011 Joplin tornado was a catastrophic EF5-rated multiple-vortex tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, late in the afternoon of Sunday, May 22, 2011. It was part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak and reached a maximum width of nearly during its path through the southern part of the city. This particular tornado was unusual in that it intensified in strength and grew larger in size at a very fast rate. The tornado tracked eastward across the city, and then continued eastward across Interstate 44 into rural portions of Jasper County and Newton County. It was the third tornado to strike Joplin since May 1971.
Chip Gubera
In 2011, Gubera's home town of Joplin, Missouri, was destroyed by a massive tornado. He documented the event with a feature documentary called "Joplin, Missouri - A Tornado Story". The film was narrated by Cost to Cost AM radio host George Noory. The film picked up a number of honors including winning Best Feature Documentary at the 2012 St. Louis Filmmaker's Showcase and being nominated for a 2013 Mid-America Emmy.
Tri-State Tornado
In all, at least 695 people died and 2,027 were injured, the majority in southern Illinois. Three states, 13 counties, and more than 19 communities, four of which were effectively effaced (several of these and other rural areas never recovered), were in the path of the record 3.5 hour duration tornado. Approximately 15,000 homes were destroyed by the Tri-State Tornado. Total damage was estimated at $16.5 million; adjusted for increases population/wealth and inflation the toll is approximately $1.4 billion (1997 USD), surpassed in history (through 2010) only by two extremely destructive tornadoes in the City of St. Louis in 1896 and 1927.
Tornadoes of 2003
On November 17, the Storm Prediction Center forecast a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms for much of the Deep South from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf Coast as an upper level low ran into very unstable air. During the evening hours, numerous tornadoes broke out across portions of Southeast Texas and Central Louisiana, resulting in 56 injuries. Most of these tornadoes were weak, but five of them reached F2 intensity. Damage from this tornado outbreak totaled $9.934 million.
Tornadoes of 2002
This tornado outbreak was a fairly large outbreak that killed 7 people and doing several hundred million dollars of damage to the states Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. It caused some hail damage to crops and houses as well.
Tornadoes in New England
Of the costliest tornadoes in US history (adjusted for inflation), two occurred in New England: The 1979 Windsor Locks, Connecticut tornado, which caused $200 million in damage ($ million in 2022 USD), and the 1953 Worcester tornado, which caused $52 million in damage ($ million in 2022 USD). The Worcester tornado damaged or destroyed thousands of homes over a wide swath of central Massachusetts; the Windsor Locks tornado by contrast had a relatively small damage path, but it caused significant damage to parts of Bradley International Airport, including the New England Air Museum, where dozens of expensive and historic aircraft were damaged or destroyed, leading to the large damage figure.
Tropical Storm Bill (2003)
The tornado outbreak associated with the storm began with an F0 in St. Bernard Parish that destroyed a boat house. A short-lived F1 tornado touched down in Reserve, striking a private high school, where it destroyed half of one classroom and damaged several others. Later, the F1 tornado passed through a trailer park and severely damaged or destroyed 20 trailers. One trailer with a woman and three children was lifted into the air and dropped away; four occupants were injured, none of them seriously. Damage from the tornado amounted to $2 million (2003 USD, $  USD). A third tornado, rated an F0, struck Orleans Parish, damaging a car and a portion of a roof.
Enigma tornado outbreak
According to an article appearing in the Statesville (NC) "Landmark" three days later, the damage tally in Georgia alone was estimated to be $1 million, in 1884 dollars. Tabulations from 1884 estimate a total of $3–4 million in tornado damage (with an unknown amount of flood and other damage), with 10,000 structures destroyed.This was the first of a number of destructive North Carolina storms. Detailed coverage in a newspaper in Wadesboro, North Carolina provides an unusually (by 19th century standards) precise survey of the movement and damage produced by three of those storms in the southern Piedmont region of NC.
Tornadoes of 1973
A small but significant tornado outbreak on March 31 produced its most severe damage in Georgia and South Carolina, though other tornadoes struck Missouri and Illinois. An extremely destructive, long-tracked tornado caused the costliest natural disaster in Georgia history up to that time, though officially it only produced F2 damage. A survey by Ted Fujita concluded that the tornado produced F4 damage and was two distinct events in a family, not a single tornado. At least two people died and 100 were injured in Georgia, mainly near Conyers and Athens, though Grazulis mentioned a third death that is not officially documented. An F4 tornado killed seven people, mostly in a motel, in the Calhoun Falls–Abbeville area of South Carolina, where it affected well over 100 homes and injured 30 people. At the time, Fujita assigned an F5 rating to the tornado in South Carolina, but it was later downgraded to F4.
1998 Comfrey–St. Peter tornado outbreak
Over $235 million in damage (1998 US$) was recorded from the tornadoes, two people were killed, and 21 others were injured. Most of the damage was caused by three tornadoes—one rated F4 on the Fujita scale that hit the town of Comfrey, Minnesota, an F3 that hit St. Peter, Minnesota, and an F2 that hit Le Center, Minnesota. Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter was especially hard-hit, with several buildings damaged or destroyed, 2,000 trees lost, and nearly 80% of the windows on the campus shattered. In Comfrey, 75% of the structures in the town were damaged or destroyed, including the local K–12 school. Seven counties in southern Minnesota were later declared federal disaster areas.
Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 2017
The tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 2017 was a prolific and deadly winter tornado outbreak that occurred across the Southeast United States. Lasting just under two days, the outbreak produced a total of 81 tornadoes, cementing its status as the second-largest January tornado outbreak and the third-largest winter tornado outbreak since 1950. Furthermore, it was the largest outbreak on record in Georgia with 42 tornadoes confirmed in the state. The most significant tornadoes were three EF3s that heavily damaged or destroyed portions of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Albany and Adel, Georgia. A total of 20 people were killed by tornadoes—mainly during the pre-dawn hours of the outbreak—making it the second-deadliest outbreak in January since 1950, behind the 1969 Hazlehurst, Mississippi tornado outbreak that killed 32 people. In the aftermath of the outbreak, relief organizations assisted in clean-up and aid distribution. Total economic losses from the event reached at least $1.3 billion (2017 USD).
Tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013
Taking a path through the heart of Moore, an estimated 13,500 people were directly affected by the tornado. Large swaths of the city were completely destroyed and unofficial estimates placed the number of severely damaged or destroyed buildings at 1,500 with another 4,000 affected. In contrast to the violent nature of the tornado, the death toll was relatively low. A total of 24 people lost their lives, nine of whom were children, and over 300 were injured. This ranks it as the ninth-deadliest tornado in the state's history. The lack of further fatalities was attributed to a 16-minute lead time on the Moore tornado given by the National Weather Service forecast office in Norman. Risk Management Solutions Inc. estimated that the insurance payout from the tornado would amount to $2–3.5 billion, stating that the event was worse than the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado and may rival the 2011 Joplin tornado.
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011
A moderate risk of severe weather was issued for much of the Midwest, as well as further south to Oklahoma for May 22. The first tornadic supercell developed in the mid-afternoon hours over the western Twin Cities in Minnesota, and caused moderate damage in the Minneapolis area. Shortly thereafter, an intense tornado crept towards Harmony, Minnesota, prompting the National Weather Service to issue the first tornado emergency of the outbreak. Late that afternoon, a large, intense EF5 multiple-vortex tornado left catastrophic destruction in Joplin, Missouri. Causing 158 fatalities, it was the deadliest single tornado in the U.S. since at least 1947.
Tupelo, Mississippi
The spring of 1936 brought Tupelo one of its worst-ever natural disasters, part of the Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak of April 5–6 in that year. The storm leveled 48 city blocks and over 200 homes, killing 216 people and injuring more than 700 persons. It struck at night, destroying large residential areas on the city's north side. Among the survivors was Elvis Presley, then a baby. Obliterating the Gum Pond neighborhood, the tornado dropped most of the victims' bodies in the pond. The storm has since been rated F5 on the modern Fujita scale. The Tupelo Tornado is recognized as one of the deadliest in U.S. history.
Early-May 1965 tornado outbreak sequence
Two tornadoes touched down in Fridley, just over an hour apart. In all, six people were killed in the Fridley tornadoes and over 180 were injured. Over 450 homes were destroyed in Fridley, and neighboring Mounds View also sustained heavy damage. A man who called WCCO radio after the first Fridley tornado claimed on air that he had been in his car when the tornado hit and that the tornado blew out his car windows. Although he is widely believed to have been killed by the second Fridley twister later that night (which did kill a 26-year-old man with a similar name), the caller was actually a teacher at Fridley Junior High School who survived. The tornado also damaged the sign adorning the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights. In all, both Fridley tornadoes damaged 1,100 homes and destroyed about 425; total losses reached $14.5 million, $5 million of which was to the Fridley school system. Photographs for the earlier Deephaven and second Fridley tornado were published in the "Minneapolis Tribune" (now Star Tribune) newspaper. Early radar images showed the supercells as they moved through the area.
Tornado outbreak of April 15–16, 1998
This tornado, rated F3, touched down near the intersection of Charlotte Pike and Forty-Sixth Avenue and traveled directly through downtown Nashville. The tornado manifested itself as a large area of rapidly rotating rain curtains and dark clouds, rather than a traditional funnel. After crossing the Cumberland River, it passed through East Nashville, Donelson, and Hermitage before finally lifting northwest of Lebanon in extreme northern Wilson County. An ROTC student from Vanderbilt University was trapped under a fallen tree in Centennial Park and later died from his injuries. The tornado blew many windows out of office buildings. Many large buildings, including skyscrapers, were damaged. The TPAC building had over 100 windows blown out. 30 small airplanes were damaged at Cornelia Fort Airport. 35 total buildings in downtown Nashville were deemed structurally unsound after the tornado. The tornado blew down 3 construction cranes on the construction site of the Tennessee Oilers' football stadium near the Cumberland River, before crossing the river. Many signs were downed throughout downtown as well.
Emergency communication system
161 people were killed and at least 990 injured when an EF5 multiple-vortex tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. Because Joplin is located in a tornado-heavy area of the country, many people considered the tornado sirens routine and ignored them. Instead, many residents waited until they received confirmation from another, non-routine, source, such as seeing the tornado, a radio or TV report, or hearing a second siren. In the aftermath, an assessment team recommended that emergency warnings take risk perception into account to convey a sense of urgency. NOAA Officials are considering ways to change the warning system to distinguish smaller tornadoes from more deadly ones.
2011 Joplin tornado
The tornado then continued on an east to east-southeast trajectory towards Interstate 44 where it weakened; nonetheless, vehicles were blown off the highway and mangled near the U.S. Route 71 (Exit 11) interchange. The damage at and around the interchange was rated EF2 to EF3. The weakening tornado continued to track into the rural areas of southeastern Jasper County and northeastern Newton County where damage was generally minor to moderate, with trees, mobile homes, outbuildings, and frame homes damaged mainly at EF0 to EF1 strength. The tornado lifted east of Diamond at 6:12 pm CDT (23:12 UTC) according to aerial surveys. The tornado's total track length was at least long. Overall, 6,954 homes were destroyed, 359 homes had major damage and 516 had minor damage, 158 people were killed, and 1,150 others were injured along the path. A separate EF2 tornado touched down near Wentworth from the same supercell about east-southeast of Joplin.
Northpark Mall (Missouri)
Following the 2011 Joplin tornado which destroyed Joplin High School, officials said juniors and seniors in the 2011-12 class (and possibly later) would attend classes in a section of the mall. Classes began in the renovated former Shopko location on August 17, 2011.
Joplin High School moved into their new building in August 2014.
Joplin High School
On May 20, 2012, President Barack Obama addressed the JHS graduating class's commencement ceremony, held almost one year to the day of the deadly tornado.
In 2012 Jim Spellman of "CNN" said "There is an uncommon maturity to the students at Joplin High School. Two students from the school died, many others lost their homes, and all are part of a battered and bruised community."
1994 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak
Henceforth, the tornado continued to weaken to F2 intensity and contracted to wide as it passed into Pickens County, severely damaging 10–15 chicken coops along with 20–25 homes of brick and wood construction. It killed one more person in a trailer before lifting from the ground about east-southeast of Jasper. Ultimately, it caused almost $7 million (1994 USD) in losses to properties and businesses in Bartow County alone, with another $1.5 million in losses in adjourning Pickens County. The tornado killed three people and over 500,000 chickens along its track and leveled "thousands" of trees, with over $10 million in losses to agricultural interests. 
The sixth and final F3–F4 tornado to hit Georgia on March 27 touched down northwest of Cedartown at about 7:00 p.m. EST. Though mainly impacting rural areas at first, it badly damaged four wood homes and blew down many trees with resultant F1 damage. The tornado appeared reddish to eyewitnesses as it passed through rugged terrain. As it crossed near Georgia State Route 100, the tornado produced major roof damage to a few homes and destroyed a pair of chicken coops. Widening to wide, the tornado acquired a multiple vortex structure as residents observed two or three funnels rotating around the main vortex. In southern Floyd County, about east of Cave Spring, the multiple-vortex tornado snapped trees in half and badly damaged five double-wide mobile homes along with three or four frail wood homes.
Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002
Generally, tornado reports were widely scattered in each state, but significant to severe damage was noted in multiple states. Overall, the outbreak was responsible for 7 deaths, 256 injuries and a total in excess of $224 million in tornado damage, with wind and hail adding to the damage total.
Tornadoes of 1970
A decent tornado outbreak produced 25 tornadoes across Texas and the Midwestern States. One tornado, an F1, caused $30,000 (1970 USD) in damages in Downtown Indianapolis. In the Indianapolis tornado, a shopping center sustained damages up to $20,000 and scattered debris across the city, along with it, one woman was injured after being struck by lightning. Another tornado, rated F2, destroyed buildings, trees, and trailers near Broken Bow, Nebraska, injuring one. Five people were injured near Cardington, Ohio after a brief tornado damaged trees, utility lines, and a mobile home.
134 tornadoes were reported in the United States in June.
Paris, Texas
On April 2, 1982, Paris was hit by an F4 tornado that destroyed more than 1,500 homes, left ten people dead, 170 injured and 3,000 homeless. The damage toll from this tornado was estimated at 50 million USD in 1982.
Mercy (healthcare organization)
On May 22, 2011, one of Mercy's larger hospitals, St. John's Regional Medical Center (now rebuilt and called Mercy Hospital Joplin) was seriously damaged by a tornado from the May 2011 tornado outbreak. At least four people were killed inside the hospital and its grounds, and surviving patients were evacuated from the health facility, which sustained major structural damage. One of the hospital's towers took a direct hit by the storm and was rotated four inches on its foundation.
Lubbock tornado
In addition to damage to buildings, there was damage to other property. Over 10,000 vehicles were damaged or destroyed, and at Lubbock Municipal Airport, one hundred private aircraft and 19 military planes were destroyed. Many utilities were damaged or destroyed and 220 light poles were toppled, leaving the city's two utility companies scrambling to restore power in the days immediately following the storm. The Southwestern Bell Company reported that 25,000 telephones were knocked out of service and 600 long distance lines were ruined. There was extensive ecological damages as well; many trees were damaged or destroyed, including the city's aged Chinese elm trees. Mackenzie State Park, Pioneer Park, Guadalupe Park and the Texas Tech campus lost almost all of their trees. Damage totaled $250 million, ($820,000,000 in 2015 dollars), making it the costliest U.S. tornado until it was surpassed by the Omaha Tornado of 1975.
1948 Tinker Air Force Base tornadoes
Although storms were relatively benign up to the point where they reached Tinker, a supercell formed just west of the base, and at around 6 pm a tornado touched down on the base for the second time in six days. This second tornado caused $6 million in damage, or $ million in dollars. However, due to precautions enacted because of the tornado forecast, no injuries were reported, and damage totals could have been much higher.
October 2010 Arizona tornado outbreak
Prior to the tornado outbreak, widespread hail impacted the Phoenix metropolitan area. Three supercells caused considerable hail damage to over 150,000 homes in Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Mesa and Scottsdale. In some instances, record or near-record-sized hailstones were measured and the largest stone reached in diameter. Overall, the hail caused $2.81 billion in damage in 2010 Dollars and injured one person.
Tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013
Overall, severe weather associated with the storm was responsible for 30 fatalities (26 from tornadoes) and nearly 400 injuries in the United States. Additionally, damage was estimated to amount to $2–5 billion, making it one of the costliest severe weather events on record.
Candlestick Park tornado
Throughout Mississippi, damage from the tornado amounted to $17.9 million (1966 USD) ($ ( USD)). The most severe damage took place at the Candlestick Park shopping center in southern Jackson where 12 people were killed. Much of the building was leveled and only one wall remained standing.
Tornadoes of 2011
The 553 confirmed fatalities marks the second-most tornadic deaths in a single year in U.S. history, behind only 1925 in terms of fatalities attributed to tornadic activity. Most of the damage and over two-thirds of the year's total fatalities were caused by a late-April Super Outbreak and an EF5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri in late-May.
Hurricane David
Because the hurricane remained near the coastline, Hurricane David failed to cause extreme damage in Florida. The storm's winds shattered windows in stores near the coast and caused property damage, including blowing the frame of the Palm Beach Jai Alai fronton and downing the 186-foot (57-m) WJNO AM radio tower in West Palm Beach into the Intracoastal Waterway. A few roofs were torn off, and numerous buildings were flooded from over six inches (150 mm) of rainfall. A 450-foot (140-m) crane was even snapped in two at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. The hurricane spawned over 10 tornadoes while passing over the state, though none caused deaths or injuries. Total damages in Florida amounted to $95 million ($270 million in 2005 USD), of which $30 million occurred in Palm Beach County, mostly from crop damage. Two journalists with TODAY newspaper from Brevard County followed the hurricane path from South Florida to Cocoa, FL and experienced extremely high winds as they reported on the hurricane.
Tornado outbreak of January 2, 2006
As the low pressure system crossed the Ohio Valley, it triggered more severe thunderstorms across Georgia and South Carolina. The severe weather spawned six tornadoes ranging from F0 to F3 on the Fujita Scale. The first tornado touched down near Palmetto and moved southwest. The F2 tornado caused moderate damage to trees and destroyed an apartment house. Damage from the tornado amounted to $225,000 (USD) In Pike County, an F3 tornado touched down south of Hollonville. The tornado damaged or destroyed five houses and injured three people. Damage in Pike County, Georgia amounted to $750,000 (2006 USD). The same thunderstorm that produced the tornado in Pike County, produced another tornado that touched down in Lamar County causing minor tree damage. In Henry County, Georgia a short lived F1 tornado caused minor tree damage while in Jones County, an F1 tornado touched down near Wayside where it damaged a three mobile homes and destroyed a machine shop. Later in Johnson County, a tornado touched down near Kite where it moved 2 miles before crossing into Emanuel County causing moderate tree damage.
Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002
Sporadic but strong tornadoes were reported in all four states on the afternoon of the 28th. A strong F2 tornado produced $45 million in damage in and around Jackson Township, Stark County, Ohio, and additional tornadoes were reported across southwest Pennsylvania, southwest New York, and at Saint Joseph, West Virginia. The Saint Joseph supercell produced large hail a considerable time before this tornado occurred, and the parent supercell later produced the most severe weather recorded during this outbreak, after crossing into Virginia and Maryland.
The worst damage of the outbreak was seen in parts of Virginia and Maryland. A supercell thunderstorm that had earlier produced the St. Joseph, West Virginia tornado crossed the central Appalachian mountains, producing numerous hail and wind damage reports. The supercell has also spawned an F2 tornado in Shenandoah County, Virginia, blowing multiple vehicles and trucks from Interstate 81.
2011 Joplin tornado
Overall, the tornado killed 158 people (with an additional three indirect deaths), injured some 1,150 others, and caused damages amounting to a total of $2.8 billion. It was the deadliest tornado to strike the United States since the 1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes, and the seventh-deadliest overall.
Hurricane Allison (1995)
Most of the damage in Georgia was as a result of several tornadoes related to Allison. The most significant of the tornadoes touched down in the town of St. Marys. An elementary school was destroyed and significant damage was also reported to several buildings at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. Several other tornadoes also touched down but damage from them was minimal. Damage from the tornado was estimated at $800,000 (1995 USD).
2011 Joplin tornado
Due to the severe damage caused by the tornado, the travelling Piccadilly Circus was unable to perform as scheduled. As a result, the circus employees brought their two adult elephants to help drag damaged automobiles and other heavy debris out of the roadway to make a path for first responders.
Tornado outbreak of April 27–28, 2002
Farther south, tornadoes also produced damage in the City of Bedford, Virginia, and near Emporia, Virginia, along I-95 just north of the North Carolina state line. A total of $125 million in damage, four fatalities, and 122 injuries were directly caused by the Maryland storms (the most expensive in the history of the state). Another $8 million in damage, along with 17 injuries were reported in Virginia.
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa"), as defined by the Köppen climate classification system, with cool, dry winters and hot, humid summers; the severe weather season from April through June is the wettest time of year. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from in January to in July. On average, 51 days of + highs, 3.5 days of + highs, 14 days where the high fails to rise above freezing, and 1.9 nights of sub- occur per year. It has an average annual precipitation of , including an average of snow. Extremes in temperature range from on February 13, 1905 up to on July 14, 1954; the last or below and the last + reading occurred on February 3 and August 2, 2011, respectively. The city is located in Tornado Alley. Several storms have hit the city, including an F3 tornado in 1971, a tornado in 1973, an EF1 tornado on May 8, 2009, a blizzard on February 1, 2011, and an EF5 tornado on May 22, 2011.
Hurricane Babe
Hurricane Babe produced 14 tornadoes between September 5 and 7 along its track in several states. Louisiana recorded the most, with six touchdowns, including one F2 that injured one person and caused $2.5 million (1977 USD; $ 2022 USD) in damages near Hammond in Tangipahoa Parish. A country store sustained severe damage from the tornado, with most of the back of the store destroyed. Six wood-frame homes were also knocked off their cinder block supports. Another F2 touched down in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama; however, minimal damage was recorded along its track. Another F2 briefly touched down in Harrison County, Mississippi on September 6. It struck an unoccupied elementary school, wrecking six classrooms and leaving $500,000 (1977 USD; $ 2022 USD) in damages. Throughout the storm's path, damages amounted to $10 million (1977 USD; $ 2022 USD) with an additional $3 million (1977 USD; $ 2022 USD) from tornadoes. There was no loss of life due to Babe.
Never Shout Never
The band's hometown, Joplin, Missouri, was heavily damaged by a tornado on May 22, 2011. Following the destruction, Ingle began a relief fund with United Way to raise $1.2 million for his hometown. To raise awareness about the devastation of Joplin, Ingle took video footage of the destruction and posted it on YouTube on June 1, 2011. The video, which features the song "Time Travel", encouraged viewers to donate to the relief of the town via his United Way fund. The official music video for "Time Travel" was directed by Joey Boukadakis.
Tornadoes of 2003
The fifth tornado of the day hit from just west of Clay, LA to 4 miles east of Clay in Jackson Parish. The track was 5.5 miles long and about 50 yards wide. This tornado was rated as an F0 with winds of 40 to 72 MPH.
damage from the tornado outbreak cost 9.451 million.
2011 Joplin tornado
Immediately following the disaster, emergency responders were deployed within and to the city to undertake search and rescue efforts. Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency for the Joplin area shortly after the tornado hit, and ordered Missouri National Guard troops to the city. By May 23, Missouri Task Force One (consisting of 85 personnel, four dogs, and heavy equipment) arrived and began searching for missing persons. Five heavy rescue teams were also sent to the city a day later. Within two days, numerous agencies arrived to assist residents in the recovery process. The National Guard deployed 191 personnel and placed 2,000 more on standby to be deployed if needed. In addition, the Missouri State Highway Patrol provided 180 troopers to assist the Joplin Police Department and other local agencies with law enforcement, rescue, and recovery efforts which also included the deployment of five ambulance strike teams, and a total of 25 ambulances in the affected area on May 24 as well as well over 75 Marines from the Ft. Leonard Wood Army Base. Within two years the city's workers and community groups compiled and published "Joplin Pays it Forward" to give recovery advice to other places hurt by disaster.
Atlanta metropolitan area
Hurricane Opal brought sustained tropical storm conditions to the area one night in early October 1995, uprooting hundreds of trees and causing widespread power outages, after soaking the area with rain for two days prior. Since 1950 some metro counties have been hit more than 20 times by tornadoes, with Cobb (26) and Fulton (22) being two of the highest in the state. The Dunwoody tornado in early April 1998 was the worst tornado to have struck the area. A tornado struck downtown Atlanta in March 2008, causing a half-billion dollars in damage, one of the most expensive storms ever recorded anywhere.
Harrisburg, Illinois
Spawned by a weather system that had originated in Kansas, an EF-4 tornado slammed into Harrisburg early on the morning of February 29, 2012. The tornado touched down just north of Carrier Mills at 4:51 a.m., destroyed a church and damaged houses along Town Park Road, and then traveled ENE through the Harrisburg Coal Field just north of Ledford, and then went through Liberty, where it damaged Harrisburg Middle School. The tornado then reached the south-western edge of the city at 4:56 a.m., specifically Dorrisville, which suffered significant property damage, and then churned eastward to Gaskins City which was nearly leveled; 7 people were confirmed dead in that area, most killed in an apartment complex that was crushed by another residence, and 110 were injured overall. On June 3, another victim died in the hospital from their injuries, raising the death toll to 8. Harrisburg Medical Center was also significantly damaged in Gaskins City. Peak winds were estimated to have been about 180 mph, and the width of the tornado path was 275 yards, traveling 26.5 miles. In Harrisburg, more than 200 houses, and about 25 businesses were destroyed or damaged heavily. At least 10 houses and other buildings were leveled completely, and several structures were displaced from their foundations. Early estimates indicated nearly 40% of the city was damaged or destroyed. The following night, a mandatory curfew was enforced in the effected areas, from 6 p.m. through 6 a.m. Counting the damage and death toll, it was reported to be the worst storm since the Joplin, Missouri tornado. Harrisburg Unit 3 schools were closed until March 5, 2012, and later they offered trauma counseling to students after reopening.
Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2009
Damage from the tornadoes in Grey County alone is conservatively estimated at over 30 million dollars. With damage at Vaughan estimated to be well over ten million dollars, the cost of this event surpasses that of the 1996 Southern Ontario tornadoes which caused insured losses of eight million dollars, and the Hamilton, Ontario tornado of 2005 which caused twenty five million dollars in damage at Lawfield Public School. As such, the outbreak is the costliest in Ontario since 1985 directly related to Tornado Damage.
Tornado outbreak of August 24, 2006
A wider area, from Montana to Michigan was also affected by large hail storms throughout the day. Southern Minnesota was especially hard hit, with hail to 4.25 in (10.8 cm) diameter reported in New Prague, and $50 million in property damage sustained in and around Northfield. Two car dealerships in Northfield lost their entire inventory of vehicles. In Minnesota there was $125 million in hail damage reported.
Early-April 1957 tornado outbreak sequence
In all, the Dallas tornado killed 10 and injured at least 200 (some sources say 216) others. Damage was estimated at around $1.5–4 million (1957 USD). The tornado completely destroyed about 131 (some sources say 154) homes, badly damaged 111, and mildly damaged 287. Nearly 600 (some sources list 574) structures and more than 500 homes were damaged, including between nine and 28 permanent apartment buildings that were completely destroyed. Some businesses and schools were also damaged, but the Parkland Memorial Hospital was narrowly spared, as was Dallas Love Field. Another, though officially unconfirmed, tornado in Collin County, north of the city, may have briefly touched down just east of the dissipating Dallas tornado and caused damage.
The Dallas tornado was heavily documented, filmed, and photographed by several eyewitnesses as it passed through residential and commercial areas of Dallas. Visible for much of its path, the tornado, at the time, was the most observed in recorded history: 125 observers produced thousands of photographs and hours of high-quality, 16-mm film measuring in length. The tornado was highly visible due to its slow, forward speed, a lack of precipitation, and its coincidence with ideal, late-afternoon lighting. Occurring shortly before the end of the workday, the tornado passed just west of Downtown Dallas and was seen by many business and factory workers. Many TV studios had time to film the tornado from rooftops.
Joplin High School
On May 22, 2011, a tornado that killed 161 people in Joplin extensively damaged the high school and Franklin Tech. The high school's graduation ceremonies had just taken place about three miles away on the Missouri Southern State University campus shortly before the tornado struck.
According to principal Kerry Sachetta, "You see pictures of World War II, the devastation and all that with the bombing. That's really what it looked like. I couldn't even make out the side of the building. It was total devastation in my view. I just couldn't believe what I saw." In the weeks after the tornado, it was determined that the campus was irreparable and would need to be completely rebuilt. 
Planning for a temporary school began four days after the May 22 tornado. School officials announced in June 2011 that juniors and seniors in the 2011-12 class (and possibly later) would attend classes in a section of Northpark Mall. Classes began in the renovated former Shopko location as scheduled on August 17, 2011.
Joplin, Missouri
Each June, Joplin hosts the Boomtown Run, a half marathon, 5K, and children's run. The event attracts runners from across the country, and features USTA certified courses which start and end in the historic downtown area. Celebrity runners featured at the prerace banquet have included Bart Yasso, Sarah Reinerston, Suzy Favor-Hamilton, and Jeff Galloway. In 2011, due to the devastating EF5 tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, just three weeks before the run, the event was transformed in the Boomtown Run Day of Service. About 270 individuals registered for the race after the tornado struck, knowing their proceeds would benefit tornado recovery. On June 11, about 270 registered runners and volunteers turned out to help clean debris and sort donations, contributing more than 1,200 hours of service. On August 7, 2012, the Village of Silver Creek and the City of Joplin voted to have Silver Creek annexed into Joplin City limits.
Tornadoes of 2006
Damages from the tornadoes totaled $40,000.
On the evening of January 12, a squall line began to organize over eastern parts of Oklahoma and Texas. A rotating supercell embedded within the squall line produced an F2 tornado in Yell County, Arkansas. The next day, several tornadoes developed from supercells that evolved from the remnants of the squall line across the southeastern states, with the first tornado-inflicted death of 2006 in an F1 tornado near Belleville, Alabama as well as about a dozen students injured at a damaged school in Baker, Florida. Damages from the tornadoes totaled $8.395 million
Joplin High School
After three years in temporary campuses as a result of the 2011 tornado, Joplin High School opened at 2104 Indiana Ave. on September 2, 2014. The new facility combines a college, career and technology focused education along with Franklin Technology Center. The formal ribbon cutting ceremony was held on October 3, 2014. Vice President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan attended the ceremony and spoke to the crowd. A ribbon representing the destructive path of the 2011 tornado was a part of the ceremony. Joplin High School Student Council President Sadie Wallner cut the ribbon.
Jasper County, Missouri
On Sunday, May 22, 2011 Jasper County was struck in Joplin with a catastrophic EF5 multiple-vortex tornado. The 2011 Joplin tornado ranked as the seventh deadliest in America's history.As of the census of 2010, there were 117,404 people, 45,639 households, and 30,202 families residing in the county. The population density was 164 people per square mile (63/km²). There were 50,668 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile (28/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.24% White, 1.93% Black or African American, 1.51% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 3.89% from other races, and 3.18% from two or more races. Approximately 6.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2011 Joplin tornado
A preliminary survey of the tornado damage by the National Weather Service office in Springfield, Missouri, began on May 23. The initial survey confirmed a violent tornado rated as a high-end EF4. Subsequent damage surveys, however, found evidence of more intense damage, and so the tornado was upgraded to an EF5 with estimated winds over , peaking at 225 to 250 mph (360 to 400 km/h).
Hurricane Opal
In Maryland, a large tree and its limbs along Maryland Route 495 near Bittinger were downed by high winds associated with the remnants of Opal. The damage from the fallen tree and its limbs totaled out to one thousand dollars. Mesocyclones moving around Opal's eastern periphery within Maryland spawned three tornadoes in Charles, Prince George's, and Anne Arundel County. The first tornado tracked along State Route 425 between the towns of Ironside and Grayton. Along the tornado's path, several trees were uprooted or snapped; two sheds were destroyed and two others sustained roof damage. Windows were blown out of a barn and several vehicles. Ten thousand dollars in damage occurred. The second and strongest tornado hit ground in Temple Hills, injuring three people after reaching a peak wind of . 100 homes were damaged with 15 being condemned. The Potomac Electric Power reported 9000 people without power. Damage from the second tornado totaled out to $5 million. The third and final tornado touched down in Odenton, became an F1 tornado and doing $250,000 in damage to the area. Eleven houses were damaged and about 10,000 people were without power in the whole district that the Baltimore Gas and Electric serves.
Tornadoes of 2001
An outbreak of eleven tornadoes hit central Kansas. While mainly most were weak, one was violent enough to be rated F4, and struck without a tornado warning being issued. Touching down just outside Hoisington, it tore a two-block-wide path through the north and west sides of town, completely destroying almost 200 homes and businesses and damaging another 230. The roof of the local hospital was partially torn off, and vehicles were tossed and mangled. The tornado caused $43 million in damage. Twenty-eight people were injured, and one man was killed by a flying vehicle.
History of Nashville, Tennessee
On April 16, 1998, an F3 tornado struck the downtown area at around 3:30 p.m., causing serious damage and blowing out hundreds of windows from skyscrapers, raining shattered glass on the streets and closing the business district for nearly four days. Over 300 homes were damaged, and three cranes at the then incomplete Adelphia Coliseum were toppled. Though only one person was killed, it was one of the most costly urban tornadoes on record in the U.S.
Tornadoes of 1974
The 1974 Super Outbreak was one of the destructive tornado outbreaks ever known in United States history. Many notable tornadoes occurred, such as the Xenia, Ohio tornado which was an F5 tornado that killed 34 people and destroyed a large portion of the town. The Xenia tornado was so strong and the damage so severe, that Dr. Fujita considered rating it an F-6, although the scale only went to F-5. He decided not to since some of the damage that would indicate that it could be the mythical F-6, might have been due to the structure not being as strong as it should in the first place. One of the 30 violent tornadoes, and F4 striking Monticello, Indiana, produced the longest damage path recorded during the 1974 Super Outbreak, on a southwest to northeast path that nearly crossed the entire state of Indiana. According to most records, this tornado formed near Otterbein in Benton County in west central Indiana to Noble County just northwest of Fort Wayne - a total distance of about 121 miles (195 km). Much of the town was destroyed including the courthouse, some churches and cemeteries, 40 businesses and numerous homes as well as three schools. It also heavily damaged the Penn Central bridge over the Tippecanoe River. Overall damage according to the NOAA was estimated at about US$250 million with US$100 million damage in Monticello alone. The Monticello tornado caused 18 deaths. One of the seven F5 tornadoes, the Huntsville, Alabama tornado, took a similar path of the tornado that struck Huntsville on April 1. A large, F4 tornado struck Louisville, killing 3 people and demolished most of Audubon Elementary School and affected the neighborhoods of Audubon, Cherokee Triangle, Cherokee-Seneca, Crescent Hill, Indian Hills, Northfield, Rolling Fields, and Tyler Park. The fast-moving nighttime tornado that devastated the town of Guin, was the longest-duration F5 tornado recorded in the outbreak and considered to be one of the most violent ever recorded. The Guin Tornado traveled over to just west of Huntsville before lifting just after 10:30 pm CDT. It formed at around 8:50 pm CDT near the Mississippi-Alabama border, striking the Monterey Trailer Park, resulting in major damage at that location. The tornado then became extremely violent as it approached and entered Guin, with multiple areas of F5 damage noted in and around town. The tornado first struck the Guin Mobile Home Plant as it entered the town, completely obliterating the structure. Nothing was left of the plant but a pile of mangled steel beams. The town's downtown area was also heavily damaged, with many businesses and two churches completely destroyed. Residential areas in Guin suffered total devastation, with many homes swept completely away and scattered across fields. There were at least 148 tornadoes in the tornado outbreak and 318 fatalities, a record that was beat by the 2011 Super Outbreak.
1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado
The 1896 St. Louis – East St. Louis tornado was a historic tornado that occurred on Wednesday, May 27, 1896, as part of a major tornado outbreak across the Central United States that day, continuing across the Eastern United States on the 28th. One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history, this large and violent tornado was the most notable of an outbreak which produced other large, long-track, violent, killer tornadoes. It caused over $10,000,000 in damage in 1896 ($ in today's dollars). 255 people died, and over a thousand were injured. More than 5000 people were homeless and lost all of their possessions.
1981 West Bend tornado
The West Bend Tornado killed 3 people and injured another 53. It was the most intense tornado to strike Wisconsin in 1981, and caused $25.0 Million in damages. Following the tornado the American Red Cross determined that around 139 structures were damaged or destroyed by the storm. With many residents left homeless and the threat of more storms looming, Governor Lee S. Dreyfus declared a state of emergency freeing up the area for aid. The campus of the Moraine Park Technical Institute was severely damaged by the tornado and classes were disrupted.
1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak
Around 8:30 p.m., April 5, 1936, the Tupelo tornado, the fourth-deadliest tornado in United States history, emerged from a complex of storm cells and touched down in a rural area approximately eight miles outside of the city. Making its way toward Tupelo, the massive tornado killed a family of 13 as their house was swept away, and injured many more before reaching Tupelo's west side. Retroactively rated F5 on the modern Fujita scale, it caused total destruction along its path through the Willis Heights neighborhood. Dozens of large and well built mansions were swept completely away in this area. Although missing the business district, the tornado moved through the residential areas of north Tupelo, destroying many homes, and killing whole families. The Gum Pond area of Tupelo was the worst hit. Homes along the pond were swept into the water with their victims. The majority of the bodies were found in Gum Pond, the area which is now Gumtree Park. Reportedly, many bodies were never recovered from the pond. Reports were that the winds were so strong, pine needles were embedded into trunks of trees. As the tornado exited the city's east side, the large concrete Battle of Tupelo monument was toppled to the ground and destroyed. Two nearby brick gate posts were broken off at the base and blown over as well. East of town, granulated structural debris from the city was strewn and wind-rowed for miles through open fields. 
According to records, the Tupelo tornado leveled 48 city blocks and at least 200—perhaps up to 900—homes, killing at least 216 people and injuring at least 700 people. The tornado destroyed the water tower and produced numerous fires in its wake, though overnight rains which left knee-deep water in some streets contained the flames. Though 216 remained the final death toll, 100 persons were still hospitalized at the time it was set. Subsequently, the Mississippi State Geologist estimated a final, unofficial death toll of 233. Some estimates indicate that the actual total may have reached 250 or more dead; few of the devastated Black neighborhoods were thoroughly surveyed and their dead remained uncounted. Because newspapers published only the names of injured whites—a stark corollary of racial discrimination that even separated Black and white relief programs after the tornado—it was difficult to follow up on the fates of injured Blacks. Similar forms of discrimination persisted into the 1940s and 1950s, affecting documentation of tornado deaths even then. Notably, among the survivors were one-year-old Elvis Presley and his mother, Gladys. His father, Vernon, was out of town looking for work at that time.
1953 Worcester tornado
However, the Worcester tornado's greatest effect on the nation was its being the principal catalyst for the Storm Prediction Center's reorganization on June 17, 1953, and subsequent implementation of a nationwide radar/storm spotter system. The results proved successful: since June 9, 1953, no single U.S. tornado had killed over 100 people until the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011.
Tornado outbreak of April 10–11, 2001
Additionally, it produced the largest (in area) and longest (in distance and duration) recorded swaths of very large hail, up to baseball size, and also incurred the most expensive damages of any hailstorm in U.S. history. At $2 billion in insured losses, it was more damaging than the most damaging tornado, in real dollars, the Oklahoma City Tornado of May 3, 1999.
2011 Joplin tornado
Engineers have criticized the tilt up construction of the Home Depot in which all but two of its walls collapsed in a domino effect after the tornado lifted the roof, killing seven people in the front of the store (although 28 people in the back of the store survived when those walls collapsed outwards). Home Depot officials said they disagreed with the study published by "The Kansas City Star" and said they would use the tilt up practice when they rebuild the Joplin store. On June 1, The Home Depot said it would have a new temporary building built and operational within two weeks. In the meantime, it opened for business in the parking lot of its demolished building. On June 20, The Home Depot opened a temporary building constructed by the company's disaster recovery team.
2014 Philippine Basketball Marathon
Similarly, the Missouri match was a fundraiser for the recovery process following the aftermath of the 2011 Joplin tornado. More than $100,000 was raised which was distributed by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce.
Tornado outbreak of September 24, 2001
The same storm soon produced a powerful, multiple-vortex F3 tornado in College Park, Maryland. This storm moved at peak intensity through the University of Maryland, College Park campus, and then moved parallel to I-95 through the Beltsville, Maryland, area, where the tornado caused extensive damage to greenhouses and other facilities of the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The storm continued on to Laurel, Maryland, where F3 damage was also noted. The damage path from this storm was measured at 17.5 miles in length, and this tornado caused two deaths and 55 injuries, along with $101 million in property damage.
Jacksonville, Alabama
An EF3 tornado hit Jacksonville on March 19, 2018, causing extensive damage to the city and Jacksonville State University, almost $42 million in damages. The relatively low amount of casualties, specifically just four injuries, was attributed by some to the fact that the university was on spring break at the time. More than 1,000 volunteers assisted in the immediate tornado relief. Caleb Howard, then a senior at Jacksonville State University, said that "[i]t's been amazing to see the university and the community come together." Classes resumed at the university the following month. Although the university's usual site for graduation, Pete Mathews Coliseum, was damaged in the tornado along with over 20 other buildings, the first spring graduation since the tornado proceeded as scheduled on May 4 outside the football stadium. Dr. John Beeler, the university's president, said "It's a joyous event generally because you're celebrating the accomplishments of all your graduates, but it's an even more joyous event because to me it's a celebration of how far we've come in a short time in recovering from these tornadoes."
1904 Chappaqua tornado
A barn belonging to Charles Dodge was destroyed, while the Kensico Cemetery sustained significant hail damage. All the glass on one of the conservatories was shattered. Within hours after the tornado, nearby firefighters rushed to the hamlet to assist victims of the storm. During the nighttime hours, they patrolled the streets and watched over destroyed homes to prevent looters from stealing any valuable items left in the debris. Property damage from the tornado was estimated at $100,000 (1904 USD) and five families were left homeless. Following an assessment of the damage, debris from destroyed homes was found upwards of from Chappaqua, including a marriage certificate. A calf was picked up and tossed roughly before landing in an open field unharmed. Two plants were also thrown roughly by the tornado.
Tornado outbreak of April 10–11, 2001
The tornado outbreak of April 10–11, 2001, was a large tornado outbreak which affected the central Great Plains on April 10–11, 2001. During the two-day outbreak, it produced a total of 79 tornadoes across eight states including Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan. Four people were killed, 18 injured, and more than $23 million in damage was reported. The fatalities were reported in Oklahoma, Iowa and Missouri including two from a single tornado in Wapello County, Iowa.
List of tornadoes causing 100 or more deaths
Most of the rest occurred in the United States in 1953 or earlier, before tornado prediction efforts began. The only tornado on this list to occur during the 21st century is the 2011 Joplin tornado, which occurred on May 22, 2011.
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2003
Weather spotters reported a funnel that may have touched down briefly several times in western Cherokee County, Kansas. The first observable damage was observed to the north of Melrose. It initially produced minimal F0 and F1 damage. One death occurred south of Columbus, Kansas where the tornado produced some F2 damage to several structures. It widened and intensified as it approached the Kansas/Missouri border; several homes were almost entirely destroyed and numerous structures were severely damaged. A couple was killed in their home by flying debris in this area. The now 1/2 mile wide tornado crossed into Jasper County, Missouri and raged through the center of Carl Junction, Missouri. More than 500 structures were damaged or destroyed and 2 additional deaths occurred. F2 to F3 damage was observed in Carl Junction. The storm then veered north and dissipated, moving just north of Oronogo. It had traveled approximately 25 miles.
1974 Super Outbreak
Thirty-two people lost their lives in the twister, and about 1,150 were injured in Xenia. In addition to the direct fatalities, two Ohio Air National Guardsmen deployed for disaster assistance were killed on April 17 when a fire swept through their temporary barracks in a furniture store. The memorial in downtown Xenia lists 34 deaths, in honor of the two Guardsmen. About 1,400 buildings (roughly half of the town) were heavily damaged or destroyed. Damage was estimated at US$100 million ($471.7 million in 2013 dollars). There was indeed an early warning from NOAA Weather Wire Service about this storm. As stated on NOAAs website, "the National Weather Service in Dayton had already issued a tornado warning for Montgomery and Greene counties around 4:10 PM (in effect until 5:00 PM), based on radar indication of a possible tornado 25 miles northeast of Cincinnati moving northeastward. The tornado touched down about 4:33 PM near Lower Bellbrook Road, flattened much of the Windsor Park and Arrowhead subdivisions minutes later, and then roared into central Xenia around 4:40 PM."
President Richard Nixon made an unannounced visit to Xenia a few days later. It would be the first (and only) city affected by the 1974 Super Outbreak that he would visit. Upon inspecting the damage, he said: "As I look back over the disasters, I saw the earthquake in Anchorage in 1964; I saw the hurricanes... Hurricane Camille in 1969 down in Mississippi, and I saw Hurricane Agnes in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. And it is hard to tell the difference among them all, but I would say in terms of destruction, just total devastation, this is the worst I have seen." President Nixon immediately declared Xenia a disaster area. Although the Federal Disaster Relief Act was already introduced in 1973, it still had not passed Congress. The 1974 Super Outbreak disaster was a catalyst for accelerated passage of the act through Congress in 1974, according to Nixon. It took several months for the city to recover from the tornado, with the help of the Red Cross and the Ohio National Guard assisting the recovery efforts. Most of the town was quickly re-built afterward. In recognition of their coverage of the tornado under difficult circumstances, the staff of the "Xenia Daily Gazette" won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting in 1975. The Xenia tornado was one of two rated F5 that affected Ohio during the outbreak, the other striking the Cincinnati area (see Cincinnati/Sayler Park area tornado, below). Xenia was later struck by two other tornadoes—both a smaller one in April 1989 and a larger one in September 2000, which was an F4 twister that killed one and injured about 100 in an area parallel to and just north of the 1974 path. Before the 1974 storm, the city had no tornado sirens. After the F5 tornado hit on April 3, 1974, ten sirens were installed across the area.
2011 Joplin tornado
President Barack Obama toured the community on May 29, flying into Joplin Regional Airport and speaking at a memorial at the Taylor Performing Arts Center at Missouri Southern State University about two miles (3 km) north of the worst of the devastation. Obama had been on a state visit to Europe at the time of the storm. Members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church were also scheduled to protest the same day in Joplin, but they did not show up. There was a massive counter protest that was organized in response to the Westboro protest, in which thousands of protesters showed up holding signs saying, "God Loves Joplin" and "We Support You Joplin."
May–June 1917 tornado outbreak sequence
After hitting Westervelt, the tornado weakened and probably lifted before reforming and re-intensifying over southern Moultrie County. The new tornado then passed directly through the northern half of Mattoon, causing F4 damage and "near-total destruction" in its path. It destroyed 496 homes, damaged 284, and killed at least 53 people in Mattoon; in the hardest-hit areas, few walls were left standing and only small debris remained. Total damage in Mattoon reached $1.2 million. Between Mattoon and Charleston, a distance of , all farms registered damage and often lost buildings. Entering Charleston, the tornado produced less severe damage than in Mattoon, perhaps due to better construction, but at least 220 homes were still destroyed, 265 badly damaged, 38 people killed, and $780,000 damage caused. The tornado then continued beyond Charleston, causing two final deaths at Embarrass before lifting, though weather officials in 1917 believed that the tornado had continued into Indiana.
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.
1998 Eastern tornado outbreak
A severe, rotating supercell thunderstorm formed in southeastern Ohio, near the town of Gallipolis. This was the first supercell to spawn a tornado during the June 2 severe weather episode. Tornadoes touched down multiple times on the storm's southeastward track through three states, and the supercell produced large, destructive hail and damaging winds virtually everywhere in its path. The tornado first touched down near Gallipolis at 2:50 pm EDT, then the storm crossed the Ohio River into Mason County. F1 tornado damage was reported 5 miles southeast of Apple Grove at 3:15 pm. A man was injured when a tree fell on his van during the twister. The F1 tornado continued into Putnam County, uprooting or snapping hundreds of trees just west of Pliny at 3:16 PM. The supercell tracked southeastward along the Kanawha River Valley and made a direct hit on the state's capital city of Charleston. Most of the storm's damage resulted from large hail, up to 2 inches in diameter, which demolished vehicles and damaged sidings and windows of many buildings. $8 million in hail damage was reported, along with $3 million in wind damage and $1,000 in tornado damage in the Charleston area, over $11 million in total damage. The hardest hit area of the city was the Kanawha City area. The tornado moved up Chappell Hollow in Kanawha City at 3:58 pm, knocking trees onto homes, while hail up to 2 inches in diameter and widespread wind damage ravaged the area. A fourth tornado touched down just southwest of Leewood in Kanawha County at 4:19 PM. While the monetary damage was tremendous, no injuries or fatalities occurred. The supercell continued through Fayette, Raleigh, Summers and Monroe counties, primarily producing large hail. The hail reached 2.25" in diameter in Red Sulphur Springs in Monroe County at 5:15 PM. The supercell thunderstorm continued producing significant damage into southwestern Virginia.
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 .
2011 Super Outbreak
April 27's 317 fatalities were the most tornado-related fatalities in the United States in a single day since the "Tri-State" outbreak on March 18, 1925 (when at least 747 people were killed). Nearly 500 preliminary local storm reports were received for tornadoes over four days, including 292 in 16 states on April 27 alone. This event was the costliest tornado outbreak and one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history (even after adjustments for inflation), with total damages of approximately $11 billion (2011 USD).