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USA Tornado Facts

USA Tornado Facts
About 1,000 tornadoes hit the United States every year.

Most of these touchdowns in America’s Plains states the area affectingly known as Tornado Alley, which is generally considered to be Oklahoma, Kansas, the Texas Panhandle, Nebraska, eastern South Dakota, and eastern Colorado. Tornadoes, however, can occur almost anywhere in the United States, including west of the Rockies and east of the Appalachians.

Super cell tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3:00pm and 9:00pm in the afternoon/evening.

Current tornado warnings have a on average a 13-minute lead time and a 70% false alarm rate.

Tornadoes have been known to destroy houses, but leave light objects like plates, glasses, lamps, and even paper undisturbed on tables.
They have also been known to pluck the feathers from chickens.

In 1896, a violent tornado drove a piece of wood through the iron Eads Bridge in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tornadoes are known to carry heavy objects, such as cars, up to a distance of a mile, lighter objects, like books and clothing, up to a distance of 20 miles, and really light objects, like paper, up to a distance of 200 miles.

Tornadoes can last from several seconds to more than an hour. The longest-lived tornado in history is really unknown, since so many long-lived tornadoes that were reported before the mid-1900s are now believed to have been a series of tornadoes. Most tornadoes last less than 10 minutes. The longest-lived tornado was likely the Tri-State Tornado, also the country’s deadliest (described below), which may have lasted as long as three and a half hours.

Living in Tornado Alley:

People who live in Tornado Alley are aware that tornadoes pose a potential danger for them. Building codes in these areas require that new buildings have strong roofs and foundations that are tethered to the structure. Many people have storm cellars, underground shelters that protect people from a tornado. Many areas have neighbourhood tornado sirens that warn people of imminent tornadoes.
Top 10 Deadliest Tornadoes in American History:

1: Moore, Okla., Tuesday, May 21, 2013.

On May 20th, 2013, a massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City area, decimating the suburban town of Moore. The twister left at least 24 people dead and more than 100 injured, and flattened seemingly every building in its wake — including a hospital and at least two schools. Here, TIME takes a look back at 10 other deadly tornadoes that have wreaked havoc throughout U.S. history.

2: The Tri-State Tornado, (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana) March 18, 1925, 695 killed

A nearly four-hour twister at 62 m.p.h. (100 k.p.h.) first touched down northwest of Ellington, Mo., and then set records for speed and path length as it etched 219 miles (352 km) of devastation at a width of three-quarters of a mile. The tornado flew through Illinois — destruction was the worst in the town of Gorham — and Indiana, wiping out a series of mining towns along the way. Included in the tragic death toll were hundreds of students either on their way home from school or in one of three school buildings locked in the tornado’s trap.

3: Natchez, Miss., May 6, 1840, 317 killed

After touching down about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Natchez, Miss., the tornado quickly formed a path over the Mississippi River, likely contributing to the large death toll as the river was commonly flooded with regular boat traffic (one steamboat window flew 30 miles, or 48 km), transients and itinerant boatmen. The tornado was about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, causing damage on both the Mississippi and Louisiana shores.

4: St. Louis, May 27, 1896, 255 killed

With over a mile of whipping winds, the tornado hit about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of the Eads Bridge in St. Louis and swept east over highly populated areas. Lafayette Park, along with houses, industrial areas, hospitals and churches, was destroyed. The tornado then crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois and continued to cause destruction.

5: Tupelo, Miss., April 5, 1936, 216 killed.

The residential areas of Tupelo, Miss., experienced the worst of this tornado. More than 200 homes — including high-end homes on the west of town and low-rent structures on the east side — were hit hard. A movie theatre morphed into a makeshift hospital to care for the injured. The official death toll, as with many historic counts, didn’t reflect the extent of the destruction, as only the names of white residents were recorded.

6: Gainesville, Ga., April 6, 1936, 203 killed

Just one day after the Tupelo, Miss., tornado, two twisters spun toward Gainesville, Ga., this time hitting both residential and downtown buildings at the start of the workday. The two tornadoes eventually merged into one funnel at Grove Street. A four-block-wide area with debris 10-ft. (3 m) deep filled the downtown area. The Cooper Pants Factory lost 70 people when the tornado hit the multi-storey structure. Gainesville mail reportedly blew all the way to Anderson, S.C.

7: Woodward, Okla., April 6, 1936, 181 killed

Actually a family of tornadoes that formed into one, this storm hit Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas on the same day as the Georgia devastation extended up to two miles wide in Texas and Oklahoma. The death toll was highest in Woodward, Okla., where 107 people in the northern half of the town were killed over the span of 100 city blocks.

8: Amite, La., and Purvis, Miss., April 24, 1908, 143 killed

What started in Louisiana moved east and kept tearing apart towns on its way into Mississippi. The worst hit area at the start of the devastation was in Amite, La., where the two-mile-wide path killed 29. Things kept getting deadlier as 55 people were killed in Purvis, Miss., and most of the town was wiped out. The tornado ran through a rail yard and tossed boxcars—where workers hid—up to 150 feet.

9: Joplin, Mo., May 23, 2011, 158 killed

The town of Joplin, Mo., sat squarely in the path of a massive tornado on May 23. Once done, the twister had crushed three square miles of residential area with winds exceeding 200 mph, killing at least 117 and flattening about 1,000 houses, along with restaurants, stores of all sizes and even a school and hospital. In a town where having a basement isn’t a given, getting to cover quickly proved difficult for some. Plus, the baseball-sized hail and downpour of rain immediately following the tornado hampered immediate rescue efforts.

10: New Richmond, Wis., June 12, 1899, 117 killed

This tornado began as a waterspout on Lake St. Croix and ended horribly in the town of New Richmond, Wis. The tornado hit land east of Hudson and passed through New Richmond, where at least 1,000 extra residents had gathered for a circus. The tornado struck the centre of town, using a deadly combination of poor timing and a tough-luck location to inflict tragedy. In positive news, high visibility of the funnel may have prevented even more deaths.