10 of the Most Terrifying Tornadoes in History

Tornadoes can (and do) happen anywhere. But the United States gets hit hardest, with an average of around 1150 tornadoes annually—more than Canada, Australia, and the entire European continent combined. All U.S. states have had at least one tornado (Texas has the highest average of 124 a year), where time of day, topography, and typical weather features factor into the outcome. If a tornado strikes in the middle of the night, if there are obstructions such as trees and hills, or if there’s an element making it move more quickly (like a jet stream), there can be little warning for people in its path.

Several scales exist to measure storm severity, such as the EF (Enhanced Fujita), which was put in place in 2007 and is used by the U.S. National Weather Service. There’s also the T Scale (International Tornado Intensity Scale) developed in 1972 and employed throughout Europe. And there are other aspects of a tornado that can make one more notable than another, including distance traveled, width of the path, and duration.

Spring is tops for U.S. tornadoes, summer for central and northern Europe, and autumn for parts of the Mediterranean, but wherever you are in the world, you can’t run from the possibility completely. Reflecting on all the possible results—death, destruction, and more—here are 10 of the most terrible twisters to ever take a turn on Earth.

Valletta Tornado of the 1550s // Malta

One of the first recorded European tornadoes is also one of the deadliest. Starting at sea as a waterspout—which can form in fair weather or result from traditional thunderstorm conditions—the Valletta tornado struck the Mediterranean archipelago of Malta in the 1550s (records conflict on the exact year). The twister moved on Malta’s Grand Harbor, capsizing several ships and killing an estimated 600 people, who were primarily aboard an assembled armada. As measured by the T Scale, this storm caused T7-level damage, which is considered “strongly devastating” and capable of tipping a locomotive. 

Today, it’s known as the Valletta tornado, but that fortified city of honey-hued limestone didn’t actually exist at the time. Valletta wasn’t founded until 1566 as a response to the 1565 Siege of Malta.

Terrible Tempest of 1674 // The Netherlands 

The Terrible Tempest (het Schrickelik Tempeest) took a toll on several Dutch provinces and nearly tore down the entire city of Utrecht [PDF]. It began when an active cold front moved over the Low Countries (Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg) on August 1, 1674. In a short but shattering turn—sources say the storm passed in 15 to 30 minutes—the tempest packed a punch. Records failed to capture the loss of life, but the tornado decimated Utrecht, tearing the roofs off homes and toppling towers on churches. Utrecht’s cathedral was destroyed (except for its Dom Tower, which still stands today). 

Experts debate whether the damage was caused by one tornado or a “bow echo,” which describes how bands of thunderstorms “bow out” when a storm’s strong winds reach the Earth’s surface and spread. It may have been a combination of both destructive forces. The Terrible Tempest also touched other parts of northwestern Europe.

Kolkata Tornado of 1838 // India

On April 8, 1838, the first tornado on record in India punished portions of eastern Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta). Half a mile wide and moving slowly for 16 miles, it took approximately 2.5 hours to wreak its havoc—the lazy pace of this tornado is named as a cause for the severity of the damage done. The Kolkata tornado destroyed entire villages, tore trees out of the ground, and killed an estimated 215 people. 

An eyewitness named John Floyd relayed an account of the aftermath: “Such was the violence of the wind that cocoanut and date trees were twisted out of the ground and hurled to a distance of two or three hundred feet; granaries out of number have been swept away, and life both of man and beast destroyed” [PDF].

The Great St. Louis Tornado of 1896 // Missouri, Illinois

Striking St. Louis on May 27, 1896, this tornado is considered the third deadliest in American history. In less than 30 minutes, the three-mile-wide storm roared up to 260 miles per hour, razing multiple blocks of homes, ripping up trees, and sinking steamboats in the Mississippi River. Even the steel-truss Eads Bridge, built in 1874 and deemed “tornado-proof,” was damaged. Sections of the bridge weighing more than a few tons were found as far as 100 feet away. 

A total of 255 people died in the tornado, with an additional 1000 injured in Missouri and Illinois, and damage in dollars was reported to be $25 million (or $935 million today). Today’s EF scale likely would rate this one an EF4 due to its wind speed and destruction.

Tri-State Tornado of 1925 // Missouri, Illinois, Indiana

Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana don’t receive the highest numbers of tornadoes annually (53, 57, and 27, respectively), but when the Midwest does get hit, it hurts. On March 18, 1925, the Tri-State Tornado slammed into the region, starting in Missouri and then moving through Illinois and Indiana. It’s the deadliest in U.S. history, taking the lives of 695 people, mostly in Illinois, and injuring 2027. Damages were estimated at $16.5 million (more than $296 million today), and sources suggest it would be classified as an EF5, the highest rating on that scale.

This twister also holds the record for duration and distance, traveling at speeds of 300 miles per hour for 3.5 hours over nearly 220 miles.

Super Outbreak of 1974 // Central and Eastern U.S., Canada

The 1974 Super Outbreak saw 148 tornadoes turn up on April 3 through the following day. This outbreak remains the most intense in history as measured by the outbreak intensity score (OIS), developed in 2023 by American tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis. The OIS evaluates “significant tornados” and awards points for tornado strength: two points for EF2s, five points for EF3s, 10 for EF4s, and 15 for EF5s. The 1974 series tallied a score of 578. 

The event had the most EF5 tornadoes in a single outbreak and the second-highest number of tornadoes—more than 100—in a 24-hour period. The individual storms traveled a total distance of 2598 miles. An estimated 335 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured in 13 states, and approximately $600 million in damage ($3.8 billion today) was incurred.

Jordan Tornado of 1976 // Iowa

Iowa sees an average 53 tornadoes each year, but its worst one pummeled the state on June 13, 1976. It was notable due to its intensity and its structure: the main cyclonically rotating tornado (which rotates counterclockwise north of the equator, and clockwise south of it) had a second anticyclonically rotating tornado along with it for 25 minutes. The sister twisters took atypical cycloidal paths, carving large circles in the ground as they moved, combined with dramatic directional shifts. Yet another unusual factor was the relatively weak synoptic forcing, or strength of the air pushing upward, required to get the tornado going. 

Rated an EF5 (wind speeds exceeded 200 mph), the 1-mile-wide Jordan tornado ran for nearly 26 miles. No people were killed, but the storm took a toll on the town of Jordan’s homes, crops, and livestock. Damage was estimated at around $20 million ($110 million today).

Saturia–Manikganj Sadar Tornado of 1989 // Bangladesh

The Saturia-Manikganj Sadar tornado, striking Bangladesh on April 26, 1989, is considered the deadliest in recorded history, killing about 1300 people and injuring another 12,000. A mile wide and traveling approximately 10 miles, it didn’t last long—but it managed to destroy entire towns. It’s also only one of many devastating tornadoes to affect Bangladesh, with five other twisters since 1964 taking an estimated 2500 lives. 

Outside of the U.S., Bangladesh experiences some of the strongest and most lethal tornadoes though it averages only six per year. The much higher loss of life is believed to result from a higher population density, lower quality building construction, and, in past decades, a lack of effective warning systems. Bangladesh today has a network of weather stations constantly measuring air pressure and humidity to better monitor events and provide advance warning.

Hurricane Ivan Tornadoes of 2004 // U.S. East Coast

Tornadoes can be born from hurricanes, adding insult to injury. Roughly two-thirds of all U.S. tornadoes occurring in August and September, between 1994 and 2014, resulted from Atlantic hurricanes. These tornadoes rapidly form 50 to 250 miles from a storm’s center, leaving little time for warning, but they’re often lower on the severity scale. For example, most tropical storm tornadoes are rated EF0 to EF1 (like 91.5 percent of the tornadoes in the 2004-2005 hurricane season) and don’t last long.

Between September 15–17, 2004, Hurricane Ivan delivered 120 tornadoes, unseating 1967’s Hurricane Beulah (which spawned 115) as the biggest producer in U.S. history. Ivan’s tornadoes hit states from Florida to Pennsylvania; Virginia received the most (37), followed by Georgia (25) and Florida (18). Damage and injuries occurred in some areas as a direct result of the tornadoes, but there were no fatalities from the twisters. The strongest tornado Ivan spun off was an F3.

Spring Tornado Outbreaks of 2011 // Eastern, Central, and Southern U.S.

The 2011 tornado outbreaks started on April 16 and continued until late May, with the worst activity taking place April 25–28. It remains the most extensive series on record.

Outbreaks began with 30 tornadoes in the Carolinas and Virginia, followed by two supercell thunderstorms near St. Louis delivering five tornadoes, one of which was an EF4. Then, over the four-day period of April 25–28, more than 360 tornadoes (earning an OIS score of 378) tore through states from Texas to New York, with 175 of them terrorizing Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. April 27 marked the deadliest day when 122 tornadoes killed 319 people and injured more than 3000. The four-day peak cost $12 billion ($16.7 billion with inflation), making it one of the highest-priced weather disasters on record. 

The final tornado of the spring outbreaks occurred on May 22, with a multi-vortex (two or more cyclones swirled within one funnel cloud) EF5 and one of America’s top 10 deadliest tornadoes striking Joplin, Missouri—causing the deaths of 158 people and injuring 1000.

Scientists say it’s not a matter of if, but when the U.S. will see another super outbreak. With climate change, growing population centers, and bigger built environments, there are ever more people and places positioned within a tornado’s unpredictable path.

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