TN–740-792

lornajarrettblanchard March 18, 1925

All Tornadoes:

–1,000 Manitowoc Herald-News, WI. “1,000 Die in Tornado in 3 States.” 3-19-1925, p. 1.[1]

— 792 Henry. “The Tornadoes of March 18, 1925.” MWR, V53/N4, Apr 1925, 144.

— 742 Deaths, 2,771 Injured. Tornado A. (Tri-State) Henry 1925, 144.

— 1 “ 12 “ “ B. (Alabama) Henry 1925, 144.

— 38 “ 98 “ “ C. (Indiana) Henry 1925, 144.

— 6 “ 101 “ “ D. (Indiana) Henry 1925, 144.

— 1 “ 9 “ “ E. (Tennessee) Henry 1925, 144.

— 2 “ 35 “ “ F. (IN to KY) Henry 1925, 144.

— 2 “ 7 “ “ G. (Tennessee) Henry 1925, 144.

— 792 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, 56

— 755 Blanchard high compilation based on State estimates below.

— 747 Gunn. “Illinois/Indiana/Missouri tornado,” Chapter 81, Encyclopedia of Disasters…, 2007, p. 299.

— 742 Blanchard low compilation based on State estimates below.

— 740 Agee and Asai. Cloud Dynamics: Proceedings of a Symposium Aug 1981. 1982, p.202.

— 740 NWSFO, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. Famous Large Tornado Outbreaks in the U.S. 2005.

— 739 Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM DAT Database.

— ~700 Newspaperarchive.com. “Daily Perspective. 1925: Tri-State Tornado Kills Hundreds.”

Tri-State Tornado (IL, IN, MO):

— 695 Brooks, Doswell. “Normalized Damage…Major Tornadoes…US: 1890-1999.” 2000.

— 695 Collins. Tragedies of American History. 2003, p. 117.

— 695 Doyle. “10 Most Destructive Tornadoes From Around the World.” 2008.

— 695 Grazulis. “Tri-State Tornado.” Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 796.

— 695 Grazulis. Tri-State Tornado. “The Top Ten US Killer Tornadoes.” 1999.

— 695 Gunn. “Illinois/Indiana/Missouri tornado,” Chapter 81, Encyclopedia of Disasters…, 2007, p. 299.

— 695 Levine. F5. 2007, p. 68.

— 695 NWS WFO Dodge City, KS. Today’s Weather Trivia. Nov 1, 2005.

— 695 Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” Monthly Weather Review, V54, Feb. 1926, 60.[2]

— 695 Tri-State. NWSFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado. “Startling Statistics,” 2005.

— 695 Tri-State Tornado. Storm Prediction Center NOAA The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes.

— 695 Tri-State Tornado. “NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events…20^th Cen.”

— 689 Felknor. The Tri-State Tornado…Story of America’s Greatest Tornado Disaster. 2004.

— 689 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 193.

— 689 Nash. “Major Storms,” Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 753.

— 689 National Weather Service 2005, “Famous…”

— 689 Time Magazine, “Disasters Big Twister,” June 6, 1955, p. 26.

— 671 Enzler. Environmental Disasters. 2006.[3]

— 616 The Chronicle-Telegram. “616 Killed, 2,000 Injured by Tornado.” 19 March 1925, p. 1.

Summary from Breakout of Fatalities by State and Locality (below):

Alabama ( 1)

Illinois (600-606)

Indiana ( 71 – 76)

Kentucky ( 29)

Missouri ( 11 – 13)

Tennessee: ( 30)

Totals 742 – 755

Breakout of Fatalities by State (and Locality, where noted):

Alabama ( 1)

–1 Colbert County Tornado. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 796.

“ Henry. “The Tornadoes of March 18, 1925.” MWR, V53/N4, Apr 1925, 144. (B)

Illinois (600-606) (Use NWS/Paducah for low-end of range; Root for high.)

— 606 Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, 60.

— 601 Blanchard high compilation of the town/county breakout below.

–>600 NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado: A Look Back.. 2005.

— 580 Blanchard low compilation of the town/county breakout below.

— 554 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 796.

— 541 Felknor 2004, p. 22.[4]

— 541 NWS WFO. Severe Weather Climatology. “Top 10 IL Tornado Disasters.” Sep 3, 2009.

— 541 NWSWFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado. 2005.

— 540 Gunn. “Illinois/Indiana/Missouri tornado,” Chap. 81, Encyclopedia of Disasters…, 2007, p. 299.

— 69 De Soto

— 37 Gorham

–234 Murphysboro

–148 West Frankfort

— 52 Southern IL farms and small settlements.

Breakout of Illinois tornado fatalities by locality:

–172-181 Franklin County, IL

–181 Parrish, W. Frankfort & vic. Root. “Some…Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

–172-173 Parish, West Frankfort, Ziegler area. Blanchard tally from breakouts below.[5]

— 22 Parrish. NWSWFO, Paducah KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado. 2005.

— 22 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes, 1993, 796.

–148 West Frankfort. Felknor 2004, p. 15.[6]

–127 West Frankfort. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes, 1993, 796.

–126 “ Ludlum. The American Weather Book, 1982, 56.

— 24 Ziegler area. Felknor 2004, p. 11.

–148 Gunn. Encyclopedia of Disasters…, Chapter 81, 2007, p. 300.– 36 Hamilton County, IL Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

–336-348 Jackson County.

— 69 De Soto. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 796.

— 69 “ Gunn 2007, pp. 299-300.

— 68 “ Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

— 37 Gorham. Gunn 2007, p. 299.

— 37 “ Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

— 34 “ NWSWFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado. 2005

— 34 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes, 1680-1991. 1993, p. 796.

–250-300 Murphysboro. Manitowoc Herald-News, WI. “1,000 Die in Tornado…” 3-19-1925, 1.[7]

–242 Murphysboro. Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

–234 “ Felknor 2004, p. 9.

–234 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes, 1993, 795/6.

–234 “ Gunn 2007, p. 299.

–234 “ Ludlum. The American Weather Book, 1982, p. 56.

–234 “ NWSWFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado. 2005.

–29 White County Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

— 7 Williamson County, Bush. Felknor 2004, p. 11.

Indiana ( 71-76)

–76 Statewide. Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, 60.

–71 Posey, Gibson, and Pike Counties. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p796.

Breakout of Indiana tornado related fatalities by locality:

–50 Griffin, Posey Co. Logansport Press, IN. “Blast Rivals Rail Wreck…” 11-2-1963, 5.[8]

–25 or 34 “ “ “depending on which list is correct.” Grazulis 1993, p. 797.

–25 “ “ Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

— 4 Harrison County (IN-KY tornado). Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p796.

–45 Princeton, Gibson Co. Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, p. 60.

–45 “ Felknor 2004, p. 25.

Kentucky ( 29)

–29 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 796.

–12 17:00 TN-KY Tornado Metcalfe County, KY. Grazulis 1993, p. 796.

— 3 17:15 Jefferson, Oldham County, KY tornado. Grazulis 1993, p. 796.

— 2 18:30 Marion, Washington, Mercer, Jessamine, Fayette, Bourbon Counties, KY

— 4 Holland, Allen County (TN-KY Tornado). Grazulis. 1993, 796.

— 8 Beaumont, Metcalfe County (TN-KY Tornado). Grazulis. 1993, 796.

Missouri ( 11-13)

–13 Statewide. Felknor. The Tri-State Tornado. 2004, p. 5.

–13 Statewide. Gunn 2007, p. 300. (two NW of Ellington and 11 in other smaller towns.)

–13 Statewide. Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” MWR, V54, 1926, 60.

–11 Reynolds/Iron/Madison/Bollinger/Cape Girardeau,/Perry (Tri-State). Grazulis 1993, 796.[9]

–11 All MO. NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado… 2005.

Breakout of Missouri tornado fatalities by locality where noted.

–1-2 Ellington area (northwest of). Blanchard.

–2 Ellington area (northwest of). Gunn 2007, p. 300.

–1 Ellington, Reynolds Co. NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado… 2005.

–1 Ellington area. Killed a farmer. Grazulis 1993, p. 796. (Tri-State Tornado)

–2-4 Annapolis

–4 Annapolis, Iron County. Felknor. The Tri-State Tornado. 2004 p. 3.

–2 Annapolis, Leadanna, Iron Co. NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State… 2005.

–2 Annapolis and Leadanna area. Grazulis 1993, p. 796.

— 1 5M near Altenburg area (5 miles near), Perry Co. (Tri-State). Grazulis 1993, p. 796.

Tennessee: ( 30)

–30 Statewide. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 495, 796.

–27 Sumner County Tornado. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 796.

— 1 Williamson, Rutherford Counties Tornado. Grazulis 1993, p. 495.

— 2 Bedford, Rutherford Counties Tornado. Grazulis 1993, pp. 495, 796.

Tri-State General:

Doyle: “One of the most well documented tornadoes that hit the United States plowed through the Tri-State region of Missouri, southern Illinois and parts of southwest Indiana. The 219-mile path of destruction that the tornado left behind killed 695 people and injured an incredible 2,771 people, while causing a massive loss in property. The tornado probably a F5 is the next to the most destructive category of tornado with a sustained wind speed of 261 mph to 318 mph and has the power to destroy strong wood framed houses and cause noticeable damage to steel-reinforced concrete buildings in its path.” (Doyle 2008)

Grazulis. “Descriptions of the Top Ten US Killer Tornadoes — #1: The Tri-State Tornado.”:

“At About 1:01 PM on March 18, 1925, trees began to snap north-northwest of Ellington, Missouri, and for the next three and a half hours more people would die, more schools would be destroyed, more students and farm owners would be killed, and more deaths would occur in a single city than from any other tornado in U.S. history. Records would be set for speed, path length, and probably for other categories that can’t be measured so far in the past. The tornado maintained an exact heading, N 69 degrees E, for 183 of the 219 miles, at an average 62mph, following a slight topographic ridge on which a series of mining towns were built.

“These towns were the main targets of the devastating winds. Between Gorham and Murphysboro, the forward speed was a record setting 73mph. No distinct funnel was visible through much of its path, yet for over 100 miles, the path width held uniformly at about three quarters of a mile.

“After touching down 3 miles north-northwest of Ellington, Missouri, it killed a farmer. The funnel was very wide, a double tornado, or accompanied by downbursts as it enveloped Annapolis and a mining town called “Leadanna” 2 miles south of Annapolis. Two people were killed and 75 more were injured in that area. Losses in both towns totaled about $500,000. There were no injuries across most of Iron, and all of Madison Counties. The damage track was very wide; damage was F2 in intensity, and this may reflect a break in the tornado path, but with downburst damage connecting the tornado damage tracks, 5 miles south of Fredericktown. Only once more, near Princeton, Indiana, would there even be a minor hint that this event was a tornado or tornado/downburst family. Once out of the Ozark hills and onto the farmland of Bollinger and Perry Counties, the death toll quickly mounted near Lixville, Biehle, and Frohna. One child was killed in a rural wooden school, 5m N of Altenburg, Perry County. At least 32 children were injured in two Bollinger County schools. The event was probably a double tornado for three miles near Biehle. Eleven probably died in Missouri, although some lists have 13 deaths.

“In Illinois, the devastation was at its worst. At Gorham, 34 people died as virtually all of the town was destroyed. Over half of the town’s population was either killed or injured. Seven of the deaths were at the school.

“At Murphysboro, there was the largest death toll, within a single city, in US history. The 234 deaths included at least 25 in three different schools. All of these schools were brick and stone structures, built with little or no reinforcement, and students were crushed under falling walls. Murphysboro losses totaled about $10,000,000.

“Another 69 people died in and near Desoto, and the 33 deaths at the school was the worst in US tornado history.[10] Parrish was devastated, with 22 deaths, as was the northwest part of West Frankfort, with $800,000 damage. About 800 miners were 500 feet down in a mine when the tornado struck. They knew there had been a storm, but they had lost electrical power. The only way to get out, and find out how their families had fared, was to go up a narrow escapement.

“Most of the demolished homes were miner’s cottages, and many of the 127 dead and 450 injured were women and children. Also unprecedented was the rural death toll of 65 in Hamilton and White County. There were single deaths in three different rural White County schools. The normally weatherwise farmers were apparently unaware of what was bearing down on them. With such a great forward speed, and appearing as a boiling mass of clouds rolling along, rather than a widely visible funnel, the tornado gave these people too little time to react. Massive amounts of dust and debris also served to obscure the storm.

“In Indiana, multiple funnels were occasionally visible, as the 3/4-mile-wide path of destruction continued with no letup. At least 71 people died in Indiana. The town of Griffin lost 150 homes, and children were killed on their way home from school. Two deaths were in a bus. Another stretch of rural devastation occurred between Griffin and Princeton, passing just northwest of Owensville. About 85 farms were devastated in that area. About half of Princeton was destroyed, and losses there totaled $1,800,000. The funnel dissipated about 10 miles northeast of Princeton. $16,500,000.” (Grazulis. “Descriptions of the Top Ten US Killer Tornadoes — #1: The Tri-State Tornado.”)

Grazulis: “The huge death toll was either the result of subtle topographic influences or a profound coincidence. The track follows somewhat of a ridge that is related to the mineral resources. A series of mining towns are built on this ridge, and the tornado destroyed one after the other. The death toll is a puzzle. The climatologist Snowden Flora (1954) listed 689 deaths for the Tristate, having been given that number from an unrecorded source within the Weather Bureau. The total for towns and states do not add up to 689, however. The 689 total is the “official” death toll for the Tristate. Root (1926) quoted the Red Cross as having given him an “accurate and authentic” list of the dead and injured, a total of 695 dead and 2027 injured. That death total was used by Wilson and Changnon (1971) and is used in this book. The author was tempted to quote 689, and assume the Weather Bureau had a firm basis for changing the original total. Supporting the total of 689 is the author’s experience with Red Cross death totals for tornadoes. They can be slightly higher than they should be. They can include clean-up related accidents (such as electrocutions and heart attacks), as well as deaths from lightning, floods, and other windstorms in the tornado area. The Red Cross did not list deaths by exact meteorological cause. The decision to use the higher total is based on our past experiences with pre-1957 death totals. They are often too low. Some of the injured may have died months after the storm. In the absence of any definitive statement, the Project has chosen to list the total quoted by the Red Cross to Charles Root.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, 193)

Grazulis: Jackson, Williamson, Franklin, Hamilton, White Counties, IL. “At least 234 people were killed at Murphysboro [IL] in what may have been the largest single-city tornado disaster in U.S. history.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, 795-796)

Henry. “The Tornadoes of March 18, 1925.” MWR, V53/N4, Apr 1925, 141-145:

“The destructive tornado that swept eastward over parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, together with those of shorter path in Kentucky and Tennessee, on March 18, 1925, created a new record of destruction both of human life and property from these much-dreaded storms. Seven separate and distinct tornadoes were observed on the date mentioned, the most destructive of which was the one starting near Annapolis, Mo., which moved in an almost straight line to the Mississippi River, crossing that stream into Jackson County, Ill. It laid waste a number of towns and villages as it crossed Illinois, continuing its devastating course into Indiana and finally disappearing 3 miles southwest of Petersburg, Pike County, Ind….

“The previous history of the cyclonic storm with which the tornadoes were associated is not illuminating; evidently the storm was an offshoot from a cyclone which occupied the northeast Pacific from March 13 to 18. This offshoot was first recognized on the p. m. chart of the 16th as a depression centered over western Montana. At that time and during the next 24 hours, this depression gave no evidence of anything out of the ordinary; on the morning of the 18th it was centered in northwestern Arkansas….

Root and Barron[11] say with respect to further details of the (a) tornado:

From inquiries made among the country people it would seem that they had about five minutes’ warning after first noting the cloud. Asked as to the length of time in which the destruction took place, opinions varied, but most persons thought about two minutes. If the whirl was round, the path of the storm 1 mile or less in width, and the velocity of translation about a mile a minute, then the tornado would pass a given point in one minute or less.

There was much sameness throughout, the degree of property damage simply depending on what was in the track. The tornado advanced across the country with undiminished intensity and none of the lifting and skipping commonly attributed to this type of disturbance.

Topography seemed to have little effect on the action of the storm. All farm properties were damaged or destroyed, and in most cases there was complete demolition. Livestock were killed, fences blown down, automobiles and machinery damaged, grain and supplies scattered about, and in many eases entire orchards were uprooted. In some cases residences were carried from the foundations, with scarcely a board left in the immediate vicinity. The country was strewn with debris. Freight cars were turned over. The term “utter confusion” nicely illustrates conditions in the tornado zone… The tornado did not cut a swath through the timber. In numerous places there was severe damage, many trees being broken off or uprooted. In other areas there was little destruction. Trees were down here and there in all parts of the storm’s track.

It may be wondered why the number of casualties was so great. In the first place, the path was of great length and was wider than usual, thus embracing an unusually large area… There are relatively few basements in this region and surprisingly few storm caves. Where could the people take refuge? Many did not realize the danger present, thinking it merely a severe thunderstorm. Some entered the houses to take shelter from the rain. Notwithstanding the great number killed or injured, there were many remarkable and almost unbelievable escapes.

“Root and Barron, in a supplemental report on damage to buildings, say:

Frame dwellings.—Unless well built, largely totally demolished in main path of tornado. A house in Griffin, Ind., lying on its side was returned to its original position by workmen practically intact. It had diagonal sheathing, which added much strength. Of houses not destroyed, the roofs and porches were taken off and in some cases the second story.

Stucco residences.—An architect in Murphysboro invited our attention to the fact that stucco houses resisted the storm to best advantage, and we found from observation that they did stand up better than frame buildings. There were few stucco houses except in Murphysboro. (We saw none.)

Brick buildings—Schools.—For the most part in two-story brick schools the first floor walls remained practically intact; in the second story the interior walls largely remained standing, though the outer walls crumbled. The Mobile & Ohio shops at Murphysboro, brick buildings, were demolished by wind and afterwards burned. In general, brick store buildings in the direct path of the storm were destroyed. A new brick two-story mine office building at Orient No. 2 mine at West Frankfort was practically undamaged, but it was in the lee of the large steel mine tipple. To the best of our memory, brick buildings stood up where they had steel trussed roofs.

Steel construction.—Steel water and oil tanks belonging to the railroad at Gorham were unharmed. A similar steel water tank at. \Vest Frankfort mine was blown over. At the same mine (Orient No. 2) the steel conveyor was badly damaged, but the large modern steel tipple was not greatly harmed. The tipple at Caldwell mine (wood and steel) was demolished.

(Henry. “The Tornadoes of March 18, 1925.” MWR, V53/N4, Apr 1925, 141-145)

Ludlum: “1925 [March 18] Great Tri-State Tornado…worst U.S. tornado disaster…including 234 [deaths] at Murfreesboro and 126 at West Frankfort in Illinois.” (Ludlum 1982, 56.)

“The Great Tri-State Tornado in 1925 in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana was the greatest tornado physically ever to develop within the United States and took more lives than any other single funnel.” (Ludlum. The American Weather Book, 1982, 107-108.)

NOAA: “Tri- State Tornado, 1925. The deadliest tornado in U. S. history swept down the Ohio Valley on March 18, cutting a 219-mile long swath in areas of southeast Missouri, southern Illinois and southwest Indiana. At times, some observers said, this mammoth tornado was a huge, black wall of debris, moving at speeds toping 60 mph. This tornado claimed 695 lives and holds the record for the most lives lost in one location–234–in Murphysboro, Ill. The tornado also holds the U. S. record for the longest continuous track on the ground, and the longest duration—3½ hours. It is also the third fastest forward-moving tornado at 62 mph.

“Technology Sidebar: The Tri-State Tornado occurred more than 20 years before the first official tornado warning issued at Oklahoma’s Tinker Air Force in 1948. In 1925, the NWS, then called the U. S. Weather Bureau, had no ability to provide advance warning of tornadoes. However, the Tri- State Tornado helped to raise awareness among meteorologists about the prevalence of a “tornado season” and paved the way for a formal tornado warning program.” (NOAA. “NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events…20^th Century.”)

NWS: “The Great Tri-State Tornado traveled 219 miles from near Ellington, MO, across southern Illinois to near Princeton, IN. A collective 695 people were killed across the 3 states, with over 2,000 injured. In the first 120 mile stretch across Illinois, 541 people were killed, including 234 at Murphysboro, 148 at West Frankfort, and 60 at De Soto.” (NWS WFO Central IL. Severe Weather Climatology. “Top 10 Illinois Tornado Disasters.” 2009)

NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado: A Look Back. “Interesting Quotes,” 2005:

“Back in 1925, weather records were not nearly as detailed as they are today. With a lack of observing stations, data was sparser and forecasts were more vague. Therefore, the exact conditions that preceded the Great Tri-State Tornado are not well known. However, given what we now know about tornado development and using what records there were from 1925, we can surmise that March 18, 1925 undoubtedly would have been a candidate for a moderate or high risk of severe weather!

“That morning, surface low pressure over Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri tracked northeast across Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, and Southwest Indiana during the day, reaching Eastern Indiana that evening. Extending east from the low was a warm front, with a cold front trailing to the southwest. As the low tracked northeast during the day, its associated warm front advanced north, allowing warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to infiltrate the Tri-State area. In fact, temperatures that started out in the 50s during the morning reached the 60s over most of the tornado track by 1 p.m. and even the 70s in the vicinity of Cairo, Illinois by 4 p.m. So, we know that a lifting mechanism was in place and moisture was abundant with the Gulf opened for business.

“We can also infer there must have been very good upper-level support. Given the fact that the tornado traveled at speeds of 60 to 70 mph along most of its path, we can safely assume that perhaps a 100-knot upper-level jet max was nosing into the area from the west/southwest. With veering winds (south at the surface becoming west/southwest aloft), wind shear was also present to help initiate the storm’s rotation. There must have been decent instability as well—with warm air advection at the surface and probably cold air advection in the upper levels.

“What makes this tornado interesting, though, is that its occurrence was nearly coincidental with the track of the surface low. While other tornadoes in the warm sector of the low affected parts of mainly Tennessee and Kentucky that day, none were as massive, long lasting, or violent as the Tri-State Tornado. This goes against conventional thinking that while it is not uncommon for a tornado to occur in conjunction with the surface low, the most violent ones actually occur in the warm sector of the storm—well south and east of the low’s track.

“A question that many scientists often pose is: Was the Tri-State Tornado actually ONE tornado or a family of tornadoes? Findings from modern weather records and research suggest that a tornado that endures as long as the Tri-State Tornado actually results from a cyclical supercell rather than one massive storm. In this theory, the storm continuously evolves, and the decay of one supercell leads to the development of another—and so forth. Each supercell may be responsible for parenting one or more tornadoes. Without a close examination of the storm and its damage path, it can appear to the “novice” observer that the damage resulted from ONE tornado, when in reality, a family of tornadoes generated by a cyclical supercell caused the destruction.

“The only problem with applying this theory to the Tri-State Tornado is that a cyclical supercell tends to exhibit breaks in its damage path as the storm evolves. However, the Tri-State Tornado’s path of destruction was CONTINUOUS. Only twice in the storm’s path—near the onset and demise—did a slight decrease in the tornado’s damage suggest that the event may have been not one—but a family of tornadoes. But if the Tri-State Tornado was one massive storm, then why hasn’t such a storm been documented in the 75 years proceeding its occurrence? Could it be that the 1925 tornado was a rare event—occurring only once in several hundred years? Did it actually result from a cyclical supercell? Or could it be that we lack enough information to come to a definitive conclusion at this time? Despite all the uncertainties surrounding the nature of the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, one thing is for certain—a storm like it will happen again. The only question is: when and where?” (NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado: A Look Back. “Weather Ingredients.” 2005.)

“Given what we now know about March 18, 1925, it’s interesting to reflect on the U.S. Weather Bureau’s forecast from that morning, which called for “rains and strong shifting winds”. History, of course, proved that to be a huge understatement.” (NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado: A Look Back. “Interesting Quotes,” 2005.)

NWS: “For thousands of residents in Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, and Southwest Indiana, the days following March 18, 1925 must have been horrendous. Hundreds of lives had been taken and thousands were injured or left homeless. With so many fatalities, so many injuries, so much destruction, and so many lives torn apart, it was now time to clean up the mess that nature had left behind. But this was much easier said than done—for it would take months to rebuild what had been demolished in less than 4 hours. Let’s take a brief look at what happened years ago, on that dreadful day of the Great Tri-State Tornado.

“It all started around 1:00 p.m. just northwest of Ellington, Missouri, where one farmer was killed. From there, the tornado raced to the northeast, killing two people and inflicting $500,000 in damage upon Annapolis and the mining town of Leadanna. Departing the Ozarks, the storm headed across the farmland of Bollinger County, injuring 32 children in two county schools. By the time the tornado reached the Mississippi River bordering Perry County, eleven Missourians had perished.

“The devastation mounted in southern Illinois, as the entire town of Gorham was demolished around 2:30 p.m. There, 34 people lost their lives. During the next 40 minutes, 541 people were killed and 1,423 were seriously injured as the tornado tore a path of destruction nearly one mile wide through the towns of Murphysboro, De Soto, Hurst-Bush, and West Frankfort. In eastern Franklin County, 22 people died as the town of Parrish was virtually wiped off the map. The tornado proceeded unabated across rural farmland of Hamilton and White Counties, where the death toll reached 65.

“After taking the lives of more than 600 Illinoisans, the storm surged across the Wabash River, demolishing the entire community of Griffin, Indiana. Next in line were the rural areas just northwest of Owensville, where about 85 farms were devastated. As the storm ripped across Princeton, about half the town was destroyed, with damage here estimated at $1.8 million. Fortunately, the twister dissipated about ten miles northeast of Princeton, sparing the community of Petersburg in Pike County. In the aftermath, the death toll mounted to 695 people—at least 71 of those were in Southwest Indiana. Property damage totaled $16.5 million—nearly 2/3 of that was in Murphysboro alone.” (NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado. “Tornado Track,” Nov 2, 2005 update.)

Newspapers

March 19: “A path of desolation, strewn with approximately 1,000 known dead and more than three times that number of injured, many of whom probably will die, stretched through five states today in the wake of the tornado which yesterday whirled out of northwestern Arkansas. Illinois Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee…. And in those states today’s dawn broke over some 33 towns in blackened ruins which mercifully hid the mangled dead…. Almost hourly come new reports of dead and injured as crippled wire communications are partially restored in the stricken area. And even the more populous centers, the demoralization brought by the death-laden wind has prevented effective rescue work or any orderly reports on the loss of life….The U.S. Weather Bureau at Chicago, today charted the path of the storm as a strip less than half a mile wide through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It first struck near Annapolis, Mo., lifted across the Missouri River and struck with renewed fury on the Illinois border. Here the towns of Murphysboro, Gorham, Carbondale, De Soto, Duquoin, Bush, Tammaroa, Centralia, Benton, Logan, Parrish, Frankfort, West Frankfort and Thompsonville were in its path. Completing its devastation there, it again lifted as it sped eastward, descending again near the eastern border of the state where Crossville and Carmi felt its breath of death.

“Then the monster entered Indiana, leveling Princeton and Griffin and other towns near the Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky state lines. Still unchecked, the course of the storm turned southeast over Kentucky and Tennessee… The towns of Angle, Witham, Oak Grven Supheria, Buck Lodge, Peatown, and Gallatin, in Tennessee, were the hardest hit…” (Chronicle-Telegram. “616 Killed, 2,000 Injured by Tornado.” 19 March 1925, p. 1.)

March 19: “Chicago, Mar. 19 (AP) – Reports of casualties from the tornado and storm which on Wednesday struck five mid-western states, compiled at 1 p.m. today were as follows:

Dead Injured

[Illinois]

Murphysboro 250-400 300-500

West Frankfort 116-150 300-400

De Soto 35- 50 150-300

Parrish 15- 35 100-150

Gorham 50-100 150

McLeansboro 17 85-100

Logan 14 30- 50

Boston 13 50- 75

Enfield 12 35- 60

Hurst 6 40

Thompsonville 8 60

Bush 5 50

Carmi 2 25

Crossville 1 10

Kentucky

Glasgow 8 25

Scottsville 4

Springfield 2 25

Lexington 1

Missouri

Cape Girardeau 7 52

Biehle 10 50

Annapolis 3 100

Altenburg 1 10

Tennessee

Wiltham 30 50

Indiana

Griffin 40-100 250

Princeton 25 60-100

Owensville 15 50-100

Elizabeth 3 10- 20

Poseyville 5 30

(Manitowoc Herald-News, WI. “1,000 Die in Tornado in 3 States.” 3-19-1925, p. 1.)

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[1] Not used for tally purposes — early newspaper estimate not thereafter substantiated.

[2] Root states this is final American Red Cross figure and includes “all deaths that have occurred since the tornado.”

[3] Not used for low estimate. We have cited four different “official” government figures and are choosing to use the lowest (689) as the low fatality count.

[4] “In the forty-minute period between the time the tornado [Tri-State] slammed into Gorham and the time it left Parrish, 541 lives were lost.”

[5] We do not use Felknor’s number of 148 fatalities in West Frankfort. If we did, and added to Parrish and Ziegler area, the total would be 194. If, however, one adds 148 for West Frankfort and 24 for Ziegler, the result is 172, which would be consistent with other reporting. Parrish is just a few miles northeast of West Frankfort, thus we speculate that Felknor includes the Parrish deaths to those of West Frankfort.

[6] “…148 citizens of West Frankfort lost their lives to the storm. More than 400 had been injured, many suffering permanent disabilities.”

[7] Not used for purposes of tally — early speculative reporting.

[8] Notes that others were killed in Princeton and Stewartsville.

[9] Notes “some lists have 13 deaths.”

[10] “…a record for such a storm (only bombings and gas explosions have taken higher school tolls).” NWS WFO, Paducah, KY. 1925 Tri-State Tornado. “Startling Statistics,” 2005.

[11] Two Weather Bureau officials who surveyed the path and destructiveness of the tornado soon thereafter. (Henry 1925, 141)