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→‎Official F5 tornadoes: Worcester tornado was an F4, occurred on June 9 (not June 8), and killed 90 people (not 116).
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| {{dts|May 29, 1953}} || [[Fort Rice|Fort Rice, North Dakota]] || 2 || ||
| {{dts|May 29, 1953}} || [[Fort Rice|Fort Rice, North Dakota]] || 2 || ||
|-
|-
| {{dts|June 8, 1953}} || [[Worcester Massachusetts]] || 116<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/1953beecher/ | title=1953 Beecher Tornado |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | accessdate=2007-01-03 }}</ref> || [[Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence]] || 10,000 homeless, 2000 injured, 90+ killed.
| {{dts|June 8, 1953}} || [[Flint, Michigan]] || 116<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/1953beecher/ | title=1953 Beecher Tornado |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | accessdate=2007-01-03 }}</ref> || [[Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence]] ||
|-
| {{dts|June 8, 1953}} || [[Flint, Michigan]] || 116<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/1953beecher/ | title=1953 Beecher Tornado |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | accessdate=2007-01-03 }}</ref> || [[Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence]] || Flint is no where near Worcester. List separately.
|-
|-
| {{dts|June 27, 1953}} || [[Adair, Iowa]] || 1 || ||
| {{dts|June 27, 1953}} || [[Adair, Iowa]] || 1 || ||

Revision as of 19:39, 7 March 2012

Parkersburg, Iowa EF5 tornado on May 25, 2008

This is a list of all official rated and authoritatively suggested probable F5 tornadoes ever recorded. Also included are the official Enhanced Fujita Scale EF5 tornadoes – the replacement of the older tornado classification system in the United States – which came into effect in February 2007. Since 1950, there have been 57 confirmed tornadoes rated F5 or EF5 in the United States and one in Canada.

Since structures are completely destroyed in both cases, the identification and assignment of scale between an EF4 tornado and an EF5 is often very difficult.[1]

Official F5 tornadoes

F5 damage at Moore, OK, May 1999

The tornadoes on this list have been officially rated F5 by an official government source. Unless otherwise noted, the tornadoes on this list have been rated F5 by the National Weather Service, as shown in the archives of the Storm Prediction Center and National Climatic Data Center.[2]

No tornadoes before 1950 were officially ranked F5, due to inadequate engineering data and other information on the historical tornadoes. From 1950 - 1970 tornadoes were assessed retrospectively, primarily using information recorded in government databases, and newspaper photographs and descriptions. Beginning in 1971, tornadoes were rated by the NWS using on-site damage surveys.[3]

For United States tornadoes as of February 1, 2007, the Fujita scale has been recalibrated to more accurately match tornado speeds with their damage and to augment and refine damage descriptors. The new system is called the Enhanced Fujita scale. No earlier tornadoes will be reclassified, and no new tornadoes in the United States will be rated F5.

In all, 50 tornadoes have been officially rated F5:

Date Location Death Toll Wikipedia article Disputed?
May 11, 1953 Waco, Texas 114 1953 Waco tornado outbreak
May 29, 1953 Fort Rice, North Dakota 2
June 8, 1953 Flint, Michigan 116[4] Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence
June 27, 1953 Adair, Iowa 1
December 5, 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi 38 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado outbreak Yes, destroyed structures were frail[5]
May 25, 1955 Blackwell, Oklahoma 20 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak
May 25, 1955 Udall, Kansas 82 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak
April 3, 1956 Grand Rapids - Hudsonville, Michigan 18 April 1956 Hudsonville-Standale tornado
May 20, 1957 Kansas - Missouri 44 May 1957 Central Plains tornado outbreak
June 20, 1957 Fargo, North Dakota [1] 10 1957 Fargo tornado
December 18, 1957 Murphysboro, Illinois 1
June 4, 1958 Menomonie, Wisconsin 20 Colfax, Wisconsin tornado outbreak
May 5, 1960 Prague, Oklahoma 5
April 3, 1964 Wichita Falls, Texas 7
May 5, 1964 Bradshaw, Nebraska 4[6]
May 8, 1965 Gregory, South Dakota 0
March 3, 1966 Jackson, Mississippi 57 Candlestick Park tornado
June 8, 1966 Topeka, Kansas 16 1966 Topeka tornado
October 14, 1966 Belmond, Iowa 16 Yes[5]
April 23, 1968 Gallipolis, Ohio 7 Wheelersburg, Ohio tornado outbreak Yes, destroyed structures were not swept away[5]
May 15, 1968 Charles City, Iowa 13 May 1968 tornado outbreak
May 15, 1968 Oelwein, Iowa 1 May 1968 tornado outbreak
June 13, 1968 Tracy, Minnesota 9 1968 Tracy tornado
May 11, 1970 Lubbock, Texas 26 Lubbock tornado
February 21, 1971 Delhi, Louisiana 46 February 1971 Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak
May 6, 1973 Valley Mills, Texas 0
April 3, 1974 Hanover - Depauw, Indiana 6 Super Outbreak
April 3, 1974 Brandenburg, Kentucky 31 Super Outbreak
April 3, 1974 Xenia, Ohio 32 Super Outbreak
April 3, 1974 Sayler Park (Cincinnati, Ohio) 3 Super Outbreak
April 3, 1974 Tanner, Alabama 28 Super Outbreak
April 3, 1974 Guin, Alabama 30 Super Outbreak
March 26, 1976 Spiro, Oklahoma 2
April 19, 1976 Brownwood, Texas 0
June 13, 1976 Jordan, Iowa 0
April 4, 1977 Jefferson County, Alabama 22 April 1977 Birmingham tornado
April 2, 1982 Broken Bow, Oklahoma 0
June 7, 1984 Barneveld, Wisconsin 9 Barneveld, Wisconsin tornado outbreak
May 31, 1985 Niles, Ohio - Wheatland, Pennsylvania 18 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak
March 13, 1990 Hesston, Kansas 1 March 1990 Central US tornado outbreak
March 13, 1990 Goessel, Kansas 1 March 1990 Central US tornado outbreak
August 28, 1990 Plainfield, Illinois 29 1990 Plainfield tornado
April 26, 1991 Andover, Kansas 17 Andover, Kansas tornado outbreak
June 16, 1992 Chandler, Minnesota 1 Mid-June 1992 tornado outbreak
July 18, 1996 Oakfield, Wisconsin 0 Oakfield tornado
May 27, 1997 Jarrell, Texas 27 Central Texas tornado outbreak
April 8, 1998 Jefferson County, Alabama 32 April 1998 Birmingham tornado
April 16, 1998 Lawrence County, Tennessee 3 1998 Nashville tornado outbreak
May 3, 1999 Bridge Creek - Moore, Oklahoma 36 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak
June 22, 2007 Elie, Manitoba[7] (assessed by Environment Canada) 0 Elie, Manitoba tornado


Official EF5 tornadoes

A map detailing all of the F5 and EF5 tornadoes in the United States from 1950 to 2011.

As of February 1, 2007, all tornadoes within the United States are rated with the Enhanced Fujita Scale which replaced the Fujita Scale. There have been eight tornadoes officially rated EF5 since February 1, 2007 in the United States.

Date Location Death Toll Path Length Wikipedia article
May 4, 2007 Greensburg, Kansas [8] 11 26 miles (42 km) May 2007 tornado outbreak
May 25, 2008 Parkersburg - New Hartford, Iowa [9] 9 43 miles (69 km) Late-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence
April 27, 2011 Philadelphia, Mississippi [10] 3 29 miles (47 km) April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
April 27, 2011 Hackleburg, AL - Huntland, TN [11] 72 132 miles (212 km) April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
April 27, 2011 Smithville, MS - Shottsville, AL[12] 22 75 miles (121 km) April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
April 27, 2011 Rainsville, Alabama [13] 26 33.8 miles (54.4 km) April 25-28, 2011 tornado outbreak
May 22, 2011 Joplin, Missouri [14] 161 22.1 miles (35.6 km) [15] 2011 Joplin tornado
May 24, 2011 Calumet - El Reno - Guthrie, Oklahoma [16] 9 65 miles (105 km) May 21–26, 2011 tornado outbreak sequence

Possible F5 or EF5 tornadoes

These are tornadoes that were reported to have been, or have had the characteristics of, an F5 or EF5 by an authoritative source.

Date Location Death Toll Wikipedia article EF5 evidence
June 29, 1764 Woldegk, Germany 1 Based on newspaper report[17][18]
April 23, 1800 Hainichen, Germany 0 Based on newspaper report[17]
April 24, 1880 Christian County, Illinois 6-11 Homes were leveled, farms vanished[5]
June 12, 1881 Nodaway County, Missouri 2 1881 Hopkins tornado Two farms completely swept away[5]
June 17, 1882 Boone - Story - Marshall - Jasper - Poweshiek County, Iowa 68 Several farms leveled, town of Grinnell devastated[5]
August 21, 1883 Rochester, Olmsted County, Minnesota 37 1883 Rochester tornado Ten farms outside the town leveled[5]
April 1, 1884 Oakville, Indiana 8 Parts of the town "vanished"[5]
August 19, 1890 Vallée de Joux, France/Switzerland 5 [2]
June 15, 1892 Faribault - Freeborn - Steele County, Minnesota 12 1892 Southern Minnesota tornado Several farms destroyed[5]
May 22, 1893 Darlington, Wisconsin 3 Two farm complexes swept away[5]
July 6, 1893 Cherokee - Buena Vista - Pocahontas - Calhoun County, Iowa 71 Homes swept away in all four counties[5]
September 21, 1894 Iowa - Minnesota 14 Five farms and a home were swept away leaving little trace[5]
May 1, 1895 Sedgwick County, Kansas 8-11 Farms "entirely vanished"[5]
May 3, 1895 Sioux County, Iowa 9-15 Farms swept away[5]
May 15, 1896 Sherman, Grayson County, Texas 73 May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence Farms, 20 homes leveled[5]
May 17, 1896 Nemaha - Brown County, Kansas - Nebraska 25 May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence Opera house in Seneca swept away, along with some farms[5]
May 25, 1896 Oakland County, Michigan 47 May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence Houses and farms leveled.[5]
May 18, 1898 Marathon County, Wisconsin 12 Twelve farms destroyed[5]
June 12, 1899 St. Croix County - New Richmond, Wisconsin 117 New Richmond tornado Leveled several buildings, destroyed the town[5]
May 10, 1905 Snyder, Oklahoma 97 Snyder, Oklahoma tornado Many structures swept away[5]
June 5, 1905 Colling, Michigan 5 Three farms "wiped out of existence"[5]
April 23, 1908 Pender, Nebraska 3 Well-built home swept away[5]
June 5, 1908 Carleton, Nebraska 11 Farms vanished[5]
June 15, 1912 Creighton, Missouri 5 Two large homes swept away[5]
June 11, 1915 Mullinville, Kansas 0 One farm blown away[5]
May 25, 1917 Sedgwick, Kansas 23 Many structures swept away[5]
May 26, 1917 Monroe County, Indiana 0 Three farms leveled[5]
May 21, 1918 Boone County, Iowa 9 At least two farms swept away[5]
May 21, 1918 Denison, Iowa 4 Homes swept bare to the foundations[5]
June 22, 1919 Fergus Falls, Minnesota 57 1919 Fergus Falls tornado Three block-wide swath swept away, house thrown into a lake[5]
April 20, 1920 Winston County, Alabama 20 Many homes swept away[5]
July 22, 1920 Frobisher - Alameda, Saskatchewan 4 "Splendid homes" swept away[5][19]
March 11, 1923 Pinson, Tennessee 20 An entire section of the town swept away[5]
May 14, 1923 Big Spring, Texas 23 A large home and farms were swept away[5]
September 21, 1924 Clark County - Taylor County, Wisconsin 18 Twenty farms destroyed, some flattened[5]
March 18, 1925 Missouri - Illinois - Indiana 695 Tri-State Tornado Thousands of destroyed structures (rating is widely accepted) [5]
June 3, 1925 Pottawattamie - Harrison County, Iowa 0 Nearly the same path as the next tornado, see below
June 3, 1925 Pottawattamie - Harrison County, Iowa 0 Parts of two farms and some homes swept away, but they may have been hit by both tornadoes[5]
April 12, 1927 Rocksprings, Texas 74 Swept away more than 90% of the town[5]
May 7, 1927 McPherson, Kansas 10 Some farms swept away[5]
April 10, 1929 Sneed, Arkansas 23 Destroyed the community[5]
July 24, 1930 Montello area, Veneto, Italy 23 Gusts of about 500km/h, levelled masonry buildings[20]
July 20, 1931 Lublin, Poland 6 Unverified F5 rating by severe weather expert[17]
May 22, 1933 Tryon, Nebraska 8 Two farms swept away[5]
July 1, 1935 Benson, Saskatchewan 1 Several structures leveled[5][19]
April 5, 1936 Tupelo, Mississippi 216 Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak Leveled many well-constructed houses[5]
April 26, 1938 Oshkosh, Nebraska 3 School disintegrated, two farms swept away[5]
June 10, 1938 Clyde, Texas 14 Nine homes swept away[5]
April 14, 1939 Vici, Oklahoma - Kiowa, Kansas 7 Homes swept away[5]
June 18, 1939 Anoka, Minnesota - Champlin, Minnesota 9 Mississippi River temporarily sucked dry[21][22]
July 15, 1940 Borzymmen (Borzymy), Mazury, Poland 1 Rated as F4, unverified report cited damage as F4-F5[17]
March 16, 1942 Lacon, Illinois 7 March 1942 tornado outbreak Many homes swept away[5]
April 28, 1942 Crowell, Texas 11 Many homes "vanished"[5]
April 29, 1942 Oberlin, Kansas 15 Three farms scoured from the earth[5]
June 17, 1944 Summit, South Dakota 8 Farms swept away with no visible debris[5]
April 12, 1945 Antlers, Oklahoma 69 Six hundred buildings destroyed[5]
June 17, 1946 Windsor, Ontario 17 1946 Windsor-Tecumseh, Ontario tornado Hundreds of houses destroyed, some with their foundations removed. Officially an F4, but some speculated F5 damage was caused.[23]
August 20, 1946 Klodzko Slaskie, Poland ? Unverified damage report cited "F4-F5" damage[17]
April 9, 1947 Woodward, Oklahoma 181 Glazier-Higgins-Woodward tornadoes Several towns partially or totally destroyed[5]
May 31, 1947 Leedey, Oklahoma 6 Many structures swept away leaving no debris[5]
September 26, 1951 Waupaca, Wisconsin 6 Three farms swept away[5]
June 9, 1953 Worcester, Massachusetts 94 Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence Many strong multi-level structures levelled, some houses swept away[5]
May 1, 1954 Crowell - Vernon, Texas - Snyder, Oklahoma 0 Vehicles thrown more than 100 yards[5]
June 16, 1957 Robecco Pavese, Valle Scuropasso, Italy ? According to report, it was not clear if damage was F4 or F5[17]
June 10, 1958 El Dorado, Kansas 15 Car was thrown 100 yards, damage photographs inconclusive[5]
May 19, 1960 Wamego, Kansas 0 Two farms swept away[5]
May 20, 1960 Niechobrz and Rzeszów, Poland 4 Unverified report of "F4-F5" damage[17]
May 30, 1961 Anselmo, Nebraska 0 All buildings and machinery swept away from farm[5]
April 11, 1965 Dunlap, Indiana 36 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak Truck stop and house leveled[5]
April 11, 1965 Strongsville, Ohio 18 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak Homes swept away[5]
May 8, 1965 Primrose, Nebraska 4 90% of the town demolished[5]
January 1, 1970 Bulahdelah, New South Wales, Australia 0 Bulahdelah tornado Left a damage path 21 kilometres (13 mi) long and 1–1.6 km (0.6–1 mi) wide through the Bulahdelah State Forest. According to reports, it threw a two ton tractor 100 m (328 ft) through the air, depositing it upside down. It is estimated that the tornado destroyed over one million trees.[24]
April 3, 1974 Mount Hope, Alabama 22 Super Outbreak Some NWS sources list this tornado as an F5.[2]
July 31, 1987 Edmonton, Alberta 27 Edmonton Tornado Officially a "Strong F4", may have briefly attained F5 status. Canada's second deadliest tornado to date.[25]
April 26, 1991 Red Rock, Oklahoma 0 Andover, Kansas tornado outbreak Doppler radar used by storm chasers indicated a wind speed in the F5 range[5]
June 8, 1995 Kellerville, Texas 0 VORTEX surveyed to be F5, one home was so obliterated that NWS survey likely missed it[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f5torns.html F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States - 1950-present (SPC)
  3. ^ McDonald, James R. (2001). "T. Theodore Fujita: His Contribution to Tornado Knowledge through Damage Documentation and the Fujita Scale". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 82 (1). American Meteorological Society: 63–72. Bibcode:2001BAMS...82...63M. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(2001)000<0063:TTFHCT>2.3.CO;2. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "1953 Beecher Tornado". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001). F5-F6 Tornadoes. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project.
  6. ^ http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19640505.31.14
  7. ^ Elie Tornado Upgraded to Highest Level on Damage Scale: Canada's First Official F5 Tornado Environment Canada Accessed May 27, 2008.
  8. ^ ** Greensburg Tornado Rated EF-5 (updated May 22)
  9. ^ Parkersburg Tornado Rated EF5 (updated map Wed. afternoon)
  10. ^ "NWS Jackson, MS April 25-27, 2011 Severe Weather Outbreak-Neshoba/Kemper/Winston/Noubee Counties EF-5 Tornado". NOAA's National Weather Service. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  11. ^ "National Weather Service Huntsville Alabama -- Franklin AL, Lawrence AL, Limestone AL, Madison AL, Frankin TN Tornado Survey Information". NOAA's National Weather Service. 2011-05-02. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  12. ^ "Preliminary rare EF-5 tornado in Monroe county Mississippi". Srh.noaa.gov. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  13. ^ "Dekalb (AL) - Lakeview to Rainsville to Cartersville". NOAA's National Weather Service. 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  14. ^ "Storm Event Summary". National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Springfield, MO. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  15. ^ "Storm Event Survey"
  16. ^ "Storm Event Summary". National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Norman, OK. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g "European Severe Weather Database".
  18. ^ Gottlob Burchard Genzmer (1765). "Beschreibung des Orcans, welcher den 29. Jun. 1764 einen Strich von etlichen Meilen im Stargardischen Kreise des Herzogthums Mecklenburg gewaltig verwüstet hat. (in German)" (PDF).
  19. ^ a b Meteorological Service of Canada
  20. ^ Super-tornadoes in Italy
  21. ^ "1998-1999 Tornadoes and a Long-Term U.S. Tornado Climatology" (PDF). National Climatic Data Center. 2000. Retrieved 2008-04-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Seeley, Mark (2006). Minnesota Weather Almanac. Minnesota Historical Society press. ISBN 0-87351-554-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |middle= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Environment Canada account of the tornado with additional clips from The Windsor Star
  24. ^ Observing tornadoes, dust devils, whirl winds, water spouts and land spouts
  25. ^ http://www.meteo.mcgill.ca/195-250/2008/html/tornadoes/img70.html

External links

Canadian sources

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