Humanities › Geography Deadly United States Tornadoes List of the 10 Most Deadly Tornadoes in the U.S. Since the 1800s Share Flipboard Email Print Cultura Science/Jason Persoff Stormdoctor / Getty Images Geography Physical Geography Basics Political Geography Population Country Information Key Figures & Milestones Maps Urban Geography By Amanda Briney Geography Expert M.A., Geography, California State University - East Bay B.A., English and Geography, California State University - Sacramento Amanda Briney, M.A., is a professional geographer. She holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from California State University. our editorial process Amanda Briney Updated August 08, 2018 Every spring in the months from April through June, the Midwestern portion of the United States is hit by tornadoes. These storms occur in all of the 50 states but they are most common in the aforementioned Midwest and the states of Texas and Oklahoma in particular. The entire region where tornadoes are common is known as Tornado Alley and it stretches from northwest Texas through Oklahoma and Kansas. Hundreds or sometimes thousands of tornadoes hit Tornado Alley and other parts of the U.S. each year. Most are weak on the Fujita Scale, occur in undeveloped areas and cause little damage. From April through late May 2011, for example, there were about 1,364 tornadoes in the U.S., most of which did not cause damage. However, some are very strong and are capable of killing hundreds and damaging entire towns. On May 22, 2011, for instance, an EF5 tornado destroyed the town of Joplin, Missouri and killed over 100 people, making it the deadliest tornado to hit the U.S. since 1950. The Deadliest Tornadoes Since the 1800s The following is a list of the ten deadliest tornadoes since the 1800s:1) Tri-State Tornado (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana)• Death Toll: 695• Date: March 18, 19252) Natchez, Mississippi• Death Toll: 317• Date: May 6, 18403) St. Louis, Missouri• Death Toll: 255• Date: May 27, 18964) Tupelo, Mississippi• Death Toll: 216• Date: April 5, 19365) Gainesville, Georgia• Death Toll: 203• Date: April 6, 19366) Woodward, Oklahoma• Death Toll: 181• Date: April 9, 19477) Joplin, Missouri• Estimated Death Toll as of June 9, 2011: 151• Date: May 22, 20118) Amite, Louisiana and Purvis, Mississippi• Death Toll: 143• Date: April 24, 19089) New Richmond, Wisconsin• Death Toll: 117• Date: June 12, 189910) Flint, Michigan• Death Toll: 115• Date: June 8, 1953To learn more about tornadoes, visit the National Severe Storms Laboratory website on tornadoes.Sources:Erdman, Jonathan. "Perspective: Deadliest Tornado Year Since 1953." The Weather Channel. Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20110527001004/http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/deadly-year-tornadoes-perspective_2011-05-23Storm Prediction Center. (n.d.). "The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved from: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/killers.htmlWeather.com and Associated Press. 2011's Tornadoes by the Numbers. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/ Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Briney, Amanda. "Deadly United States Tornadoes." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/deadly-united-states-tornadoes-1434981. Briney, Amanda. (2020, August 27). Deadly United States Tornadoes. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/deadly-united-states-tornadoes-1434981 Briney, Amanda. "Deadly United States Tornadoes." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/deadly-united-states-tornadoes-1434981 (accessed April 11, 2021). copy citation