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Here are some notable tornado records that remain unbroken.
Deadliest single tornado in the world:
April 26, 1989 - Bangladesh - A massive tornado claimed 1,300 lives.
The 10 Deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history:
- Tri-State Tornado - March 18, 1925 - 695 dead.
- Great Natchez Tornado - May 7, 1840 - 317 dead.
- East St. Louis Tornado - May 27, 1896 - 255 dead.
- Tupelo Tornado - April 5, 1936 - 233 dead.
- Gainesville Tornado - April 6, 1936 - 203 dead.
- Glazier-Higgins-Woodward Tornadoes - April 9, 1947 - 181 dead.
- Amite-Pine-Purvis Tornadoes - April 24, 1908 - 143 dead.
- New Richmond Tornado - June 12, 1899 - 117 dead.
- Flint Tornado - June 8, 1953 - 115 dead.
- Waco Tornado - May 11, 1953 - 114 dead.
Biggest outbreak of tornadoes:
The Super Outbreak, in which 148 tornadoes affected 13 states on April 3 and 4, 1974.
Biggest single tornado:
The Hallam, Nebraska F4 tornado from May 22, 2004. It was said to have been 2 1/2 miles wide!
Highest winds in a tornado:
The F5 tornado that moved into Oklahoma City on May 3, 1999. A doppler radar near the tornado measured winds of up to 318 mph inside the cyclone.
Fastest ground speed:
73 mph (117 km/h) from the Tri-State Tornado
Slowest ground speed:
Less than 10 mph (16 km/h) during the Jarrell Tornado.
Costliest tornado:
A tornado in central and northern Georgia caused $1.25 billion ($5.175 billion in 2004 dollars).
Last tornado to kill more than 40 people:
April 10, 1979 - Wichita Falls, Texas - 45 dead.
First confirmed tornado in the U.S.:
July 8, 1680 - Cambridge, Massachusetts - 1 dead.
Deadliest tornado of the 80s:
May 22, 1987 - Saragosa, Texas - 23 dead.
Biggest outbreak in the fall:
143 tornadoes broke out in 41 hours of continuous tornado activity from November 21 to 23, 1992.
Longest span without an F5 tornado:
Probably as of this writing. As of February 7, it has been 4 years 280 days since the United States has had a F5 tornado. The last hit in Oklahoma City during the May 3, 1999 event.
Latest in the year without a tornado:
The first confirmed tornado of 2003 hit in Mississippi on February 15.
Slowest years for tornado outbreaks:
Probably the 10 most insignificant years of the last 50 for tornado outbreaks were 1994, 1988, 1986, 1983, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1972, 1969, and 1954.
Most tornadoes spawned from a hurricane:
117 tornadoes spun out of Hurricane Frances upon landfall in Florida in September 2004. The old record was 115 from Hurricane Beulah in 1967.
Most significant coincidence:
A small town in Kansas called Codell was hit by a tornado on the same exact day three years straight! A tornado hit on May 20, 1916, 1917, and 1918. The U.S. gets 100,000 storms a year; only 1% produces a tornado. The odds of this coincidence occurring again is practically infinitesimal to nonexistent.
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