1997-present Storm information at NOAA's Storm Prediction Center
Tornado Fatalities by Location (Mobil Home, Premanent Home, Vehicle, ...)
Source: Severe Weather Climatology at the Storm Prediction Center.
Storm Prediction Center - 1998 Tornado Summary
Source: U. Nebraska - Lincoln
Some Tornadoe disasters with high death tolls:
(Most were caused by a series of toradoes over 1 or 2 days)
Most of these were F4 or F5 (See below).
Year | Date | Dead | States |
1896 | May 27 | 255 | MO, IL |
1899 | June 12 | 117 | WI |
1908 | Apr 24 | 143 | LA-MS |
1925 | Mar. 18 | 695 | MO, IL, IN |
1936 | Apr 5 | 216 | MI |
1936 | Apr 6 | 203 | GA |
1947 | Apr 9 | 181 | TX-OK-KS |
1953 | June 8 | 115 | MI |
1953 | May 11 | 114 | TX |
1965? | | 256 | IN, OH, MI |
1974 ? | | 315 | 11 states in the East, South, and Midwest. Largest number of tornadoes - 148 |
1985? | | 75 | PA, OH |
1994 | | 42 | AL, GA, NC |
1997 | Mar 1 | 27 | AR, MS, TN |
1998 | Feb 22 | 42 | FL |
1998 | Apr 8 | 41 | AL, GA |
1999 | May 3 | 44 | OK, KS |
2002 | Nov 10 | 34 | OH, TN, AL |
2003 | May 4 | 33 | KS, MO, IL |
2008 | Feb. 5-6 | 55 | Tenn., Ark., Ala., Ky., Mo. |
2008 | May. 11 | 22 | Mo., Okla., Ga. |
The Top Ten US Killer Tornadoes at TornadoProject.com
The Frujita Scale of Torando Intensity:
F-Scale Number | Freq- uency | Intensity Phrase | Wind Speed | Type of Damage Done |
F0 | 39% | Gale tornado | 40-72 mph | Light Damage: Some damage to chimneys; breaks branches off trees; pushes over shallow-rooted trees; damages sign boards. |
F1 | 36% | Moderate tornado | 73-112 mph | Moderate Damage: The lower limit is The beginning of hurricane wind speed; peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off The roads; attached garages may be destroyed. |
F2 | 19% | Significant tornado | 113-157 mph | Considerable damage: Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light object missiles generated. |
F3 | 4.9% | Severe tornado | 158-206 mph | Severe Damage: Roof and some walls torn off well constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in fores uprooted |
F4 | 1.1% | Devastating tornado | 207-260 mph | Devastating damage: Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars Thrown and large missiles generated. |
F5 | <0.1% | Incredible tornado | 261-318 mph | Incredible damage: Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly Through The air in excess of 100 meters; trees debarked; steel re-inforced concrete structures badly damaged. |
F6 | * | Inconceivable tornado | 319-379 mph | These winds are very unlikely. The small area of damage They might produce would probably not be recognizable along with The mess produced by F4 and F5 wind That would surround The F6 winds. Missiles, such as cars and refrigerators would do serious secondary damage That could not be directly identified as F6 damage. If This level is ever achieved, evidence for it might only be found in some manner of ground swirl pattern, for it may never be identifiable Through engineering studies |
Source: The Frujita Scale of Torando Intensity
See examples of damage at Wikipedia
US Tornadoes by state at TornadoProject.com
Tornadoes in the Past
Tornado Safety:
Bad Myths:
- Go under a highway overpass. See UNL advice
- Open windows. [Stay away fom windows]
- The southwest corner of the house is the safest location.
[Go to the lowest level and center of house during a warning.
A small interior room like a bathroom is structurally the strongest.]
Links:
The Frujita Scale of Torando Intensity
Beaufort, Fujita, and Mach number scales.
U.S. Severe Weather Meteorology And Climatology at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
last updated 2 Mar 2008
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