When was the most deadly tornado

Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news? Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte Enter your email address Please enter a valid email. Want a daily digest of the top Nashville news? Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Nashville newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Columbus news? Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Columbus newsletter.

Want a daily digest of the top Dallas news? Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Dallas newsletter. Want a daily digest of the top Austin news? Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Austin newsletter. Want a daily digest of the top Atlanta news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Atlanta newsletter. Want a daily digest of the top Philadelphia news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Philadelphia newsletter. Want a daily digest of the top Chicago news? Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Chicago newsletter. Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters Enter your email address Please enter a valid email.

Want a daily digest of the top DC news? Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios DC newsletter. May 25, - Science The deadliest tornadoes in U.

Great St. Flint-Beecher tornado — June 8, People killed: People injured: Rating: EF-5 States affected: Michigan 1 world thing: The deadliest tornado in the world hit Bangladesh on April 26, and killed an estimated 1, people and injured another 12, people.

Go deeper : The states where the most tornadoes hit How tornadoes are measured. Go deeper. Shawna Chen. Jacob Knutson , Shawna Chen. The most deadly tornado to ever strike within the borders of the state of Oklahoma occurred on Wednesday, April 9, in the city of Woodward. The Woodward tornadic supercell thunderstorm began in the Texas Panhandle during the afternoon of April 9, , and produced at least six tornadoes along a mile path that stretched from White Deer, TX northeast of Amarillo to St.

Leo, KS west of Wichita. While it is still officially attributed to have traveled in a single long track through 3 states, work done by Tom Grazulis of the Tornado Project, and research scientist Don Burgess indicates that a separate tornado occurred near White Deer, TX, and 4 or more tornadoes occurred near the Oklahoma state line and into Kansas.

In addition, the Woodward tornado may have begun closer to Pampa, TX, but there is no corroborating evidence to confirm a damage path in the area. What is known is that the violent tornado that struck Woodward had a confirmed path that started 3 miles northwest of Canadian, TX.

The tornado moved northeast, and continued on the ground continuously for about 98 miles, before ending in Woods County, Oklahoma about 10 miles west of Alva. The tornado was massive, up to 1. It first struck Glazier and Higgins in the Texas Panhandle, devastating both towns and producing at least 69 fatalities in Texas before crossing into Oklahoma. In Ellis County, Oklahoma, the tornado did not strike any towns, passing to the southeast of Shattuck, Gage, and Fargo.

Even though no towns were struck, nearly 60 farms and ranches were destroyed and 8 people were killed with 42 more injured. Moving into Woodward County, one death was reported near Tangier. The violent tornado F5 on the Fujita Scale unleashed its worst destruction on Woodward, striking the city without warning at pm CST.

Over city blocks on the west and north sides of the city were destroyed with lesser damage in the southeast portion of the town. Confusion and fires reigned in the aftermath with over homes and businesses destroyed, at least people killed in and around Woodward, and nearly additional injuries.

Normal communications between Woodward and the outside world were not restored for some time and there was great uncertainty as to victim status. In fact, the bodies of three children were never identified, and one child who survived the tornado was lost and never reunited with her family. Help for Woodward came from many places, including units from as far away as Oklahoma City and Wichita. Beyond Woodward, the tornado lost some intensity, but still destroyed 36 homes and injured 30 people in Woods County before it dissipated.

The supercell thunderstorm would produce at least another 4 tornadoes near the Oklahoma State line and in southern Kansas. In all, at least lives were lost in Oklahoma on that fateful night with another 68 deaths occurring in Texas.

Never before or since has a tornado been so costly to human life in the Sooner State. Another people were in Oklahoma with injuries occurring in Texas. The tornado destroyed structures and damaged more in Oklahoma. A total of structures were destroyed and another were damaged in Texas. Because of the Woodward tornado and other devastating tornadoes in the late 's and early 's, and because of new technologies available after World War II, the Weather Bureau now the National Weather Service began a tornado watch and warning program in Since then, the warning system composed of the National Weather Service, local civil preparedness agencies, and the media has continued to mature and provide better and better information to citizens to help them protect themselves from tornadoes.

Because of the strengths of the warning system, tornado death tolls in Oklahoma, and nationwide, have dropped considerably with each passing decade and, hopefully, will continue to decrease. Homes were swept away about 14 miles southeast of Altus. From its inception, this tornado moved east-northeast crossing the North Fork of the Red River near the mouth of Otter Creek.

The tornado followed very close to Otter Creek curving to the northeast through what is now northern Tillman County but was still part of Kiowa County at the time. Three people were killed about 6 miles southwest of Snyder. As the tornado continued northeast it struck the city of Snyder at around pm CST. The tornado struck the Snyder beginning in the southwest corner of town and destroyed or damaged homes and other buildings west of Main Street and from 6th Street northward through the city.

There are also other oddities on the map. The furthest west an F5 tornado was documented was in the Texas Panhandle in Lubbock, Texas, in The furthest east F5 tornado was in Niles, Ohio in The southernmost was the monster and slow-moving Jarrell, Texas tornado in May The northernmost was in Fargo, ND in Other oddities include two cities that were struck twice: Waco, Texas and Moore, Oklahoma.

Waco, TX had F5 tornadoes in killing and in May on the ground only yards and causing no injuries or fatalities. The "Tupelo Tornado" killed people and injured on April 5, , in the northeastern Mississippi city. The "Gainesville Tornado" was a pair of storms that converged April 6, , in Gainesville, Georgia, killing people and injuring 1, The tornado destroyed four blocks and houses in the northern Georgia town.

The storm, which killed people and injured , reportedly was more than a mile wide in places. The tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri , on May 22, , killed people and injured more than a thousand.