MURPHYSBORO, Ill. – Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of the Tri-State tornado, the deadliest tornadic event in United States history.
On March 18, 1925, hundreds of people died as a massive tornado raced across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana for several hours. Unlike most tornado outbreaks, this was a single, long-tracked twister, ripping primarily through southern Missouri and Illinois. Historians refer to this catastrophe as the Tri-State tornado.
A newspaper headline from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch initially read: “TORNADO DEATH LIST 800 OR MORE.” Officials eventually confirmed 695 deaths, which is still a U.S. record for one single tornado.
The tornado formed near Ellington, Missouri, and it didn’t dissipate until just southwest of Petersburg, Indiana. The path covered roughly 220 miles of land, while the twister tracked top speeds of 73 miles per hour and lasted nearly three and a half hours.
The worst of the damage came just south of the St. Louis metro. The village of Biehle, Missouri, was 100% destroyed. Around 230 people died from the tornado’s impacts in Murphysboro, Illinois.
Officials also confirmed around 2,000 injuries and 15,000 homes destroyed from the tornado.
The Tri-State tornado struck without warning as elaborate storm forecasting systems and warning alerts did not exist in 1925. The disaster was fueled by a clash of atmospheric conditions as a low-pressure system formed near the Missouri-Arkansas border and intensified as it moved northeast.
According to the Associated Press, by modern standards, the tornado would be classified as an EF5 with a mile-wide funnel and speeds exceeding 260 mph.
NOTE: Video is from FOX 2’s March 2024 on-air segment on the Tri-State tornado.