The 10 Costliest Tornadoes in US History
The 10 costliest tornadoes in US history ranked by economic damage. Joplin 2011 tops the list at $2.8 billion, followed by Tuscaloosa 2011 and Moore 2013. Full list with dates and totals.
The Ranking
Joplin Tornado
· May 22, 2011 · MissouriDestroyed more than 7,000 buildings in the city of Joplin, including a 9-story hospital that was shifted off its foundation. Insured losses alone exceeded $2.2 billion. The costliest single US tornado on record. Read the full story →
Tuscaloosa–Birmingham Tornado
· April 27, 2011 · AlabamaPart of the 2011 Super Outbreak. Cut an 80-mile path through Tuscaloosa and into western Birmingham, destroying approximately 7,000 structures across two major metros. Read the full story →
Moore Tornado
· May 20, 2013 · OklahomaDestroyed approximately 1,150 homes and two elementary schools in a direct hit on Moore, Oklahoma. Extensive damage to the Moore Medical Center and hundreds of businesses. Read the full story →
Tri-State Tornado (inflation-adjusted)
· March 18, 1925 · MO/IL/INNominal 1925 damage of $16.5 million equates to approximately $1.9 billion in modern purchasing power. Destroyed multiple towns entirely across three states. Read the full story →
Hackleburg–Phil Campbell Tornado
· April 27, 2011 · AL/TNDestroyed the town of Hackleburg including the Wrangler jeans distribution center — a large steel-framed industrial facility. Long-track EF5 that traveled 132 miles across northern Alabama into Tennessee. Read the full story →
Bridge Creek–Moore Tornado
· May 3, 1999 · OklahomaThe tornado that produced the highest wind speed ever measured (301 mph). Damage was concentrated in Bridge Creek and southern Moore. Combined with other tornadoes of the May 3 outbreak, total damage exceeded $1.5 billion. Read the full story →
St. Louis–East St. Louis Tornado (inflation-adjusted)
· May 27, 1896 · MO/ILNominal 1896 damage of approximately $10 million equates to over $1.5 billion today. Damaged the Eads Bridge, destroyed hundreds of urban buildings, and reshaped how American cities thought about severe weather preparedness.
Xenia Tornado (inflation-adjusted)
· April 3, 1974 · OhioNominal 1974 damage of approximately $100 million. Destroyed roughly half the town of Xenia, Ohio — schools, churches, downtown, and hundreds of homes. Part of the 1974 Super Outbreak. Read the full story →
Enterprise Tornado
· March 1, 2007 · AlabamaStruck Enterprise High School during afternoon dismissal, killing 8 students. Destroyed approximately 25 percent of the town. Widely cited as a case study in the need for storm shelters in schools.
Greensburg Tornado
· May 4, 2007 · KansasThe first tornado ever rated EF5. Destroyed approximately 95 percent of the town of Greensburg (population 1,574). The town rebuilt as a national model for sustainable design. Read the full story →
Costliest by Decade
Every tornado in the top 3 by absolute damage occurred within a 24-month window in 2011–2013 — a striking concentration. Two factors drove the pattern: (1) the 2011 Super Outbreak of April 25–28 alone produced $10+ billion in aggregate damage across the southeastern US, and (2) urban tornado paths increasingly cross expensive infrastructure — hospitals, schools, big-box retail, industrial complexes — that did not exist to the same extent 50 years ago.
Damage vs. Deaths
The costliest tornadoes are not the deadliest. Modern warning and building standards mean a $2 billion tornado today may kill fewer people than a $50 million tornado killed a century ago. Joplin 2011 (158 dead) is the only modern tornado in both lists; the 1925 Tri-State event is the only tornado to top both by pre-2000 standards.
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Place an EF0–EF5 tornado anywhere in the world and see modeled fatalities, structural damage, and economic loss based on real census data.
Launch simulator →