The most extreme tornado events in US history — the widest, longest-tracked, fastest, and deadliest tornadoes ever recorded. Nine records that define the outer limits of what tornadoes can do.
The El Reno, Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013 was measured at 2.6 miles wide at peak — the widest tornado ever recorded on Earth. Documented by University of Oklahoma researcher Howard Bluestein via mobile Doppler radar. The previous record (Hallam, NE 2004) was 2.5 miles.
The Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925 traveled 219 miles across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. No confirmed single-vortex tornado since has come close. The 2011 Hackleburg tornado (132 mi) and 2021 Mayfield tornado (165 mi) are the longest of the modern era.
The Bridge Creek–Moore tornado of May 3, 1999 was clocked at 301 ± 20 mph by mobile Doppler radar operated by Josh Wurman. This remains the highest wind speed ever measured in Earth's atmosphere. El Reno 2013 came close with 296 mph.
The Tri-State tornado of 1925 killed 695 people across three states — a record that has stood for over a century and is very unlikely to be broken given modern warning systems. Full details on the 10 deadliest US tornadoes.
The Joplin, MO tornado of May 22, 2011 caused $2.8 billion in damage. Tuscaloosa 2011 ($2.4B) and Moore 2013 ($2.0B) are #2 and #3. See the full costliest tornadoes list.
The Tri-State tornado stayed on the ground for approximately 3.5 hours — from 1:01 PM in Ellington, MO to ~4:30 PM near Petersburg, IN. The Hackleburg 2011 EF5 (2 hr 30 min) is the longest of the modern era.
Murphysboro, Illinois lost 234 residents when the Tri-State tornado passed through — still the highest death toll from a single tornado in any American city. Joplin 2011 (158 killed) is the modern record.
April 27, 2011 — the peak day of the 2011 Super Outbreak — produced 216 confirmed tornadoes across the southeastern US. This is the highest single-day tornado count on record.
The 2011 Super Outbreak (April 25–28, 2011) produced 360 confirmed tornadoes over four days across 21 states. Total deaths: 324. Second-place is the 1974 Super Outbreak with 148 tornadoes over two days.
The 1974 Super Outbreak produced six F5 tornadoes on April 3, 1974 — the most in a single outbreak. The 2011 Super Outbreak had four EF5s on April 27.
Texas has recorded as many as 232 tornadoes in a single year (2015). Kansas holds the record for tornadoes per square mile in a single year.
The Jarrell, Texas F5 of 1997 moved at only 10 mph, making it the slowest-moving F5 on record. Its slow speed allowed the tornado to grind homes for 4–6 minutes rather than seconds, producing possibly the most extreme tornado damage ever documented.
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