There are around 2,000 tornadoes that occur worldwide each year. Most of these tornadoes are rated EF2 or weaker on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. However, while rare, a monstrous EF4 or EF5 tornado forms and create catastrophic damage and loss of life. In fact, many of those EF4 and EF5 tornadoes end up setting one of the many weather records related to tornadoes. Some of them are so powerful, they set multiple records, like the 1925 Tri-State Tornado.
This web page contains some of the most jaw dropping weather records set by a tornado. All the tornado records listed below were certified by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). There are several debates about the tornadoes listed for these records, mostly related to how the data was collected and recorded. Scroll down below to see which tornadoes became infamous in history by their record setting stats.
Below is a list of tornado related weather records, set by some of the most infamous and violent tornadoes in recorded history.
The deadliest tornado in world history was the 1989 Daulatpur–Saturia Tornado that killed ~1,300 people in Manikganj District, Bangladesh, Asia on April 26th, 1989.
The deadliest tornado in United States history was the 1925 Tri-State Tornado that killed 695 people in three different U.S states on March 18th, 1925.
The deadliest tornado in Canadian history was the Regina Tornado of 1912 that killed 28 people in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on June 30th, 1912.
The costliest tornado in United States history in raw unadjusted numbers was the 2011 Joplin Tornado, which caused $2.8 billion (2011 USD) in damages on May 22nd, 2011.
The costliest tornado in United States history in adjusted for inflation was the 2011 Joplin Tornado, which caused $3.373 billion (2021 USD) in damages on May 22nd, 2011.
The largest tornado outbreak ever recorded was the 2011 Super Outbreak, which spawned 360 tornadoes between April 27th and 28th in 2011.
The most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded was the 1974 Super Outbreak, which spawned (23) F4 tornadoes and (7) F5 tornadoes between April 3rd and 4th in 1974.
The tornado with the longest duration ever recorded was the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, with a duration of 3 hours and 45 minutes on March 18th, 1925.
The tornado with the longest damage path ever recorded was the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, with a damage path of 219 miles on March 18th, 1925.
The tornado with the widest damage path ever recorded was the 2013 El Reno Tornado, with a damage path width of 2.6 miles at its peak on May 31st, 2013.
The tornado with highest wind speeds ever recorded was the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore Tornado, with recorded speeds estimated at 302 miles per hour on May 3rd, 1999.
The tornado with the fastest forward speed ever recorded was the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, with a maximum forward speed of 73 miles per hour on March 18th, 1925.
The tornado with the greatest pressure drop ever recorded was the 2003 Manchester Tornado, with a pressure drop of 2.95 inHg (100 millibars) on June 24th, 2003.
The hurricane to spawn the most tornadoes was 2004 Hurricane Ivan, which spawned 120 confirmed tornadoes.
The first tornado ever to be photographed was an F4 tornado that occurred on August 28th, 1884, by photographer F. N. Robinson.
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