f5 was the worst tornado to hit the united states.
f5 was the worst tornado to hit the united states.
what was the worst tornado to hit the united states?
f5
the tornado outbreak sequence of may 1896 was a series of violent and deadly tornado outbreaks that struck much of the central and southern united states from may 15 to 28, 1896. it is considered one of the worst tornado outbreak sequences on record with tornado expert tom grazulis stating that the week of may 24–28 was "perhaps the most violent single week of tornado activity in united states history". there were four particularly notable tornado outbreaks during the two-week period. it produced three f5 tornadoes as well as the third deadliest tornado ever in united states history. a total of 484 people were killed during the entire outbreak sequence by at least 38 different tornadoes which struck texas, oklahoma, kansas, nebraska, illinois, missouri, iowa, kentucky, and michigan.
tornado outbreak sequence of may 1896
this violent early morning tornado produced devastating damage and fatalities in harrisburg, illinois, and caused additional severe damage in the neighboring town of ridgway shortly before sunrise on february 29, 2012. the harrisburg/ridgway tornado was spawned by a semi-discrete supercell thunderstorm embedded within a larger squall line of storms that was racing through southern illinois at the time. touching down to the southwest of carrier mills at 4:51 a.m., the tornado initially snapped tree limbs at ef0 intensity as it moved to the northeast and clipped the northern edge of town. a church in this area had its steeple bent over and one of its exterior walls bowed out. ef0 damage continued to the north of ledford, with a home sustaining minor damage in that area. past ledford, the tornado strengthened to ef1 intensity as it uprooted large trees and moved through the liberty community at the southwest edge of harrisburg, where it caused minor damage to harrisburg middle school. the tornado continued to intensify as it entered the southwestern edge of the city at 4:56 a.m., tearing through the dorrisville neighborhood at ef2 strength, where many homes sustained significant damage and numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. a few small homes were destroyed, and a farm service business in this area sustained heavy damage. the tornado then rapidly intensified into a violent ef4 as it crossed south commercial street, where some businesses were completely leveled with only piles of rubble left behind. several other businesses were damaged, and the large christ lutheran church was flattened with debris wind-rowed long distances through a nearby field. a paper check from the church was later found in the yard of a residence 45 miles away. continuing at ef4 strength, the tornado proceeded to level a large strip mall just to the south of the walmart supercenter, with large amounts of debris strewn into a nearby retention pond. ef4 damage continued as the tornado entered the gaskins city neighborhood, where devastating damage occurred. numerous homes in this area were badly damaged or destroyed, several of which were leveled or swept from their foundations. seven people were confirmed dead in this area, with most of the fatalities occurring at a small apartment complex along brady street, where small one-story apartment buildings were swept away and destroyed. on june 3 another victim died in the hospital from their injuries, raising the death toll to 8. vehicles were tossed and destroyed, many trees and power lines were downed, and metal fence posts were bent to the ground in this area as well. harrisburg medical center also sustained major damage as the tornado exited harrisburg and continued off to the northeast. peak winds in harrisburg were estimated to have been about 180 mph, and the width of the tornado path was . about 200 homes and about 25 businesses within the city were destroyed or severely damaged, with many other structures being damaged to a lesser degree. in addition to the 8 fatalities, 95 other people were injured, some critically. the following night, a mandatory curfew was in place in the affected areas; 5pm wednesday afternoon through 7am thursday morning. counting damage and death toll, it was reported to be the worst tornado related disaster in the united states since the joplin, missouri tornado of 2011. harrisburg unit 3 schools were closed until 5 march 2012 and upon reopening offered trauma counseling to its students. westboro baptist church commented on the event, which prompted locals to create a "shield of support" around the funeral processions with thousands attending, standing in large groups around the city. the federal emergency management agency (fema) and iema began doing preliminary damage assessments on 5 march 2012 to determine the need for public assistance from fema. the tornado damage in harrisburg dominated national airwaves for several days with both anderson cooper, and diane sawyer doing special reports. both the "new york times" and "chicago tribune" wrote articles on the resilient history and nature of harrisburg in the wake of the tornado and floods that have hit the city since its founding in 1889.
2012 leap day tornado outbreak