When you are securely protected by the walls of your home, it is hard to believe that the wind can kill a person. But that's exactly what happens when it comes to tornadoes. The most destructive tornadoes in history, which we will now tell you about, claimed hundreds of human lives in a matter of minutes.
10. Great tornado in Natchez, USA
Number of dead: 317 people.
Considered the only tornado in the United States that killed more people than it injured. The tornado arose in May 1840, it went straight along the Mississippi River, breaking trees from both banks. Not surprisingly, most of the victims of the elements were on flat-bottomed boats. The number of wounded reached 109 people.
However, the actual number of those killed by the Great Tornado could be much higher, because the death of slaves was not included in the overall sad account.
9. Tornado Narail Magura, Bangladesh
Number of dead: about 500 people.
The first, but not the last tornado "comes" from Bangladesh in the ranking of the most terrible tornadoes of all time. In 1964, the fury of the elements devastated two cities and seven settlements, and 400 people from the village of Bhabanipur were never found and are presumed dead.
8. Tornadoes in the Comoros, Africa
The death toll: over 500 people.
One of the poorest countries in the world and a former French colony in the middle of the 20th century (in 1951) survived the impact of a giant tornado. It originated above the surface of the water, and then, gaining strength and intensity, reached the land, scattered light buildings like chips and killed about 500 people, both natives and visiting French.
Other details of this incident are unknown as the island nation was still under foreign administration at this time.
7. Sicilian tornado, Italy
Death toll: Approximately 600 people.
After years of prescription, no one will say how many human lives this terrible tornado claimed. Like the tornado from the Comoros, the Sicilian tornado originated above the surface of the water, and only then "came" to land.
Perhaps it was not one, but two tornadoes at once, which merged into a "megatornado". This is one of the hypotheses of why such a large number of local residents died from tornadoes in Sicily.
6. Tornado La Valetta, Malta
Number of dead: about 600 people.
The island of Malta is usually associated with a pleasant holiday, sun, sea, but not with horror and destruction. But it turns out that hellish days happen in the earthly paradise. One of them was issued on September 23, 1551 or 1556 (different sources indicate different years).
Having arisen over the Mediterranean Sea, the tornado moved towards the Grand Harbor Bay. During the tornado rampage, at least four ships of the Order of Malta were overturned, and many others were badly damaged. But even more than the ships went to the inhabitants of Malta, many of whom died, and the exact number of the wounded is unknown.
Despite the name of the tornado, the capital of Malta - Valletta - did not exist at that time, since the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta personally laid the first stone in its foundation on March 28, 1566, ten to fifteen years after the disaster.
5. Tornado in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Pakistan at the time of the incident)
Number of dead: 660 people.
In 1969, when the city of Dhaka was still under the jurisdiction of Pakistan, and not Bangladesh, a terrible tornado swept through its northeastern, densely populated suburb.
He killed approximately 660 people, and the number of wounded reached 4,000 people. But as terrible as this tragedy was, it was only one of two deadly tornadoes that struck Bangladesh on April 14, 1969.
A second tornado appeared in the Comilla district of Chittagong, Bangladesh on the same day. Both tornadoes were part of the same storm system but separated from each other.
If we consider the total number of deaths (883 people) from two tornadoes, then this day is one of the deadliest in world history.
4. Tornado Manikganj-Singair-Nawabganj, Bangladesh
Number of dead: 681 people.
One of the most destructive tornadoes was named after the three main areas it destroyed on April 17, 1973. Overall, the tornado destroyed most of the nine cities.
In some unofficial lists, the death toll reaches 1,000 people. According to reports at the time, two tornadoes merged into one supertornado that swept through much of Bangladesh.
3. Tri-State Tornado, USA
Number of dead: 695 people.
Given the large number of victims, this tornado is considered the deadliest in US history. And its 352-kilometer path through Missouri, Indiana and Illinois is the longest tornado path in world history.
The death toll for March 18, 1925 was 695 people, more than two thousand were injured, and 15 thousand houses were destroyed. Several small towns (such as De Soto and Parrish) were completely devastated. Most of the deaths were recorded in southern Illinois.
At that time, there was no effective disaster warning system, and people were taken by surprise. In addition, a very fast moving tornado at times had an unusual appearance. Witnesses often described tri-state tornadoes as amorphous rolling fog or boiling clouds on the ground, and many people didn't sense danger until it was too late to run. It was also reported that the funnel of this tornado was sometimes obscured by a cloud of dust and debris, making it obscure and less recognizable.
2. Madarganj-Mrizapur tornado, Bangladesh
Number of dead: about 700 people.
In the small state of Bangladesh, dangerous tornadoes are not uncommon. But the one that hit the country on May 13, 1996, became one of the most catastrophic for the entire existence of the country. The exact number of wounded is unknown, and in terms of the number of deaths, this tornado became the second deadliest in history.
1. Tornado Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangladesh
Number of dead: about 1300 people.
April 26, 1989 in the Manikganj region, in central Bangladesh, the worst tornado in the history of mankind appeared. Within 6 km² of its path, countless trees were uprooted, and all dwellings within this area were completely destroyed.
The strength of the resulting wind was in the range from 180 to 350 km / h. According to experts, the width of the tornado reached an incredible size - 1.5 km, and it passed through the poor areas of the country, leaving behind a path of death and chaos 80 km long. In addition to the huge number of deaths, 12,000 people were injured, and 80,000 were left homeless.
“I saw black clouds gathering in the sky,” said Saida Begum, a 30-year-old resident of Saturia. "After a few minutes, I found myself flying with the house."
The tornado season in Bangladesh is not very long, but it is extremely deadly. This is due to the lack of a sophisticated warning system, as well as the lack of shelters from tornadoes and the small number of buildings that can withstand destructive winds. That the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado struck in the month of April was no surprise. Just at this time, the peak of the appearance of tornadoes falls in the country, especially in the Manikganj district, a severe drought raged for six months, which could accelerate the formation of tornadoes.
December 15, 2013
Tornado in the USA in 1958
A tornado (hurricane) is a whirlwind that occurs in a thundercloud. From this cloud to the sea, an exhaust process resembling a trunk is formed, the water under this whirlwind worries, and then rises cone-shaped towards the cloud.
The most powerful tornado in the world occurred in the United States of America in the city of Wichita Falls (Texas). This phenomenon was recorded on the second of April, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight. It was entered into the Guinness Book of Records. There has never been another hurricane like it. He moved with the maximum wind speed: four hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.
This tornado belongs to the category of destructive whirlwinds. He not only destroys strong houses, but also displaces them from their place, moves them, lifts them into the air. The hurricane also sucks in various debris, debris, trees. All this he can carry over a long distance. In addition to the topsoil, it blows away cars and other heavy objects.
Hurricane Camille
The second strongest tornado in the last century is Hurricane Camille. It occurred in the year 1969 (August fourteen) in the Atlantic Ocean (United States of America), caused landslides and destruction in the Mississippi River area.
His speed was three hundred and ten kilometers per hour. But it was not immediately like this: initially, the speed of the wind was two hundred and fifty-six kilometers per hour. The storm started in the third category and very quickly gained the power of the fifth category (on the Saffir Simpson scale). As for the atmospheric pressure, it was very low: six hundred and seventy-nine millimeters of mercury. He rapidly increased the intensity, came through the coast of Cuba, and then reached the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Tornado Mitch
The tornado caused enormous destruction of infrastructure near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The entire coastal area was washed out. Camilla caused landslides, floods, and claimed two hundred and fifty-nine lives. The damage was inflicted in the amount of one and a half billion dollars. Until now, researchers - meteorologists do not understand what was the reason for such a sharp and rapid occurrence of this hurricane.
The third strongest tornado is called Mitch. It took place in October 1998 in the Atlantic (Caribbean) and was very powerful. He was awarded the fifth category, which is considered the highest. The wind speed of this hurricane reached three hundred and twenty kilometers per hour. The tornado affected a lot of territories: Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and many others.
Grand victims of the tornado
He claimed a lot of human lives: according to official figures - about twenty thousand people. Most of them died from mud flows, strong winds, and waves that rushed to the shore. The waves were six meters high. Several hundred people died, more than one million people lost their homes, several hundred needed medical treatment. Many lives were taken not only by the disaster, but also by the consequences after it, as the growth of infectious diseases increased. People needed water, but there was not enough of it. That is why they began to fall ill with various infectious diseases.
In conclusion, it should be noted that over the past hundred years there have been a lot of tornadoes, hurricanes, tornadoes in the world. However, Wichita Falls, Mitch and Camille are considered the most powerful in the entire world.
As a result of a tornado in Oklahoma, 91 people died, but this natural disaster was not the most destructive tornado. What are the 5 worst tornadoes in American history?
Moscow. May 21st. website - According to the latest data, 24 people became victims of the destructive (91 dead were reported earlier), a significant part of them are children. However, the impact of the elements, which fell on the suburbs of Oklahoma City, did not become the most powerful in US history.
The five most destructive tornadoes to ever hit American cities claimed more than 1,800 lives in total. Entire cities were destroyed, the budget suffered damage in the millions of dollars.
1. A tri-state tornado in 1925.
As the name suggests, this tornado hit three states at once on March 18, 1925. The states of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri were affected. This tornado was rated F5 on the Fujita scale.
This tornado went down in US history as the most "expensive" - the damage amounted to more than $10 million in 1986 prices, that is, almost $3 billion in today's prices. In 2011, he was overtaken by a tornado in Joplin, Missouri.
5. A series of tornadoes in the southwestern United States in 1947.
On April 9, 1947, several tornadoes hit the southwestern US states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
The most destructive was Glazier-Higgins-Woodward (so named for the cities it destroyed). He covered more than 250 km, and along the way he claimed the lives of 181 people, injuring almost a thousand.
Modern researchers believe that there could have been several tornadoes, but the strongest was category F5.
First, the tornado hit the small town of Glazier in Texas. Local newspapers reported about two people who were nearby during the tornado strike - the elements threw them 5 km apart.
Glazier was almost completely destroyed, as was most of Higgins.
The maximum speed was 80 km / h, and the width of the funnel reached 2.9 km.
The most powerful tornado in world history
But even in sum, these five cannot be compared with the tornadoes in Daulatpur and Saturia (Bangladesh). On April 26, 1989, an atmospheric vortex killed 1,300 people and injured more than 12,000 people. Given the lack of information, these data are approximate.
It is not possible to evaluate it on the Fujita scale, since the small houses of the poor population fell under the blow of the elements, and it is very difficult to assess the stability of which. The design of the buildings is such that even a relatively weak gust of wind can turn them over.
Great tornado in three states
The deadliest tornado hit the United States on March 18, 1925, killing 695 people. He walked at a speed of 96-117 km / h and covered the longest path - 352 km - through the states of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. That day also set a record for the number of victims in one city - 234 people died in Morphysboro. The elements raged for 3.5 hours. More than 15,000 homes were destroyed and damage was estimated at $16.5 million. People were left homeless and without food, and fires and looting exacerbated the situation. However, it was only one of several tornadoes; on that day, tornadoes also took place in the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama and Kansas. In total, the number of victims was 747 people, almost 2,300 people were injured.
Great tornado in Natchez
The second most powerful tornado in US history occurred in the state of Mississippi in the city of Natchez on May 7, 1840. It formed southwest of the city around 1 pm local time, then moved northeast along the Mississippi River, uprooting trees on both banks. First, the tornado hit the boats and buildings on the coastal territory of Natchez, lifting ships with passengers into the air and throwing them to the ground, and then moved into the city itself, destroying dwellings. As a result, 317 people died (48 people on the ground and 269 on the river), 109 people were injured. At the same time, dead slaves were not included in the statistics at that time, so the exact number of victims remains unknown. The resulting damage amounted to a colossal amount for the XIX century - $ 1.26 million.
Tornado in St. Louis
The May 27, 1896 tornado in St. Louis also went down in history. It formed near the town of Belleflower, Missouri, and killed a woman, then around 6:15 pm local time, three students at a school in Audrain County. A few minutes later, another person died at another school. As early as 6:30 p.m., the tornado split into two funnels and moved into St. Louis, destroying farms along the way. The tornado passed through the city center, leaving behind a trail of destroyed houses, schools, factories, churches, parks and railway tracks. The width of this track reached 1.6 km. At least 137 citizens died. From St. Louis, the tornado moved to Illinois, where it was smaller but more intense. In total, according to official figures, 255 people were killed, according to unofficial figures, this figure exceeded 400. More than a thousand people were injured, the damage was estimated at $ 10 million. In general, 1896 was the deadliest year in the history of the United States: from April 11 to November 26, 40 killer tornadoes.
Tornadoes in Tupelo and Gainesville
Tornadoes in Tupelo, Mississippi and Gainesville, Georgia are tied for fourth and fifth places. Both tornadoes passed in 1936 in the states with a difference of one day. Around 8:30 pm local time on April 5, 1936, a tornado hit Tupelo, destroying homes and killing entire families. A large number of bodies were found in a pond in the city center, on the site of which a park was subsequently formed. Interestingly, the world-famous singer, who turned one year old that year, survived this disaster. The tornado then leveled 48 city blocks to the ground, destroyed more than 200 houses, 216 people were listed in the official lists of the dead, and more than 700 local residents were injured. A Mississippi state geologist put the final death toll at 233, but due to racial discrimination, newspapers only published the names of white people, so black deaths were not included in the statistics.
After Tupelo, the tornado crossed Alabama during the night and reached Gainesville around 8:30 am. The debris on the streets of the city reached three meters in height. The worst damage was done to the city's factory filled with young workers. The multi-storey building collapsed and caught fire, claiming 70 lives. Because of the fires, the final death toll is not known, the published lists contain the names of 203 people, another 40 are considered missing. Damage was estimated at $13 million, equivalent to $200 million in 2011.
Glazier-Higgins-Woodward tornado
In 1947, a series of tornadoes swept through the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas (according to various estimates, five or six). However, most of the damage was done by a tornado called Glazier-Higgins-Woodward (after the cities it destroyed). He traveled almost 205 km from Texas to Oklahoma. When the tornado struck the tiny city of Glazier, it was 3 km wide. The city was completely destroyed. The tornado then moved to the city of Higgins. Having defeated this city as well, on April 9 he reached Woodward, where he destroyed 100 quarters and killed 107 people. In total, the tornado claimed the lives of 181 people and injured 970.
Tornado in Joplin
On May 22, 2011, a powerful tornado hit the city of Joplin, Missouri. Strong winds overturned cars, tore off the roofs of houses, lifted small buildings into the air. Ron Richard, senator from the city of Joplin, circled the affected area and said the tornado "went through the land like a lawn mower through tall grass." The greasy brown trail—the top layer of the earth was literally crushed—was clearly visible from the air. The width of the tornado reached 1.6 km. During the disaster, 158 people were killed, 1,100 were injured, and losses reached enormous proportions - up to $ 2.8 billion. The tornado became the most expensive in US history.
1908 Southern US tornado
A series of tornadoes from April 23-25, 1908 claimed the lives of 143 people in the southern United States. At least 29 tornadoes were recorded in 13 states. Three of them became the most powerful, the total length of which was 426 km. They caused injuries of varying severity to more than 1.3 thousand people. In cities, they claimed the lives of only 84 people, most of the dead are in rural areas. At the same time, African Americans were not included in the official lists. Tornadoes swept the states of Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and others.
Tornado in New Richmond
On June 12, 1899, a tornado nearly wiped out New Richmond, Wisconsin, killing 117 and injuring 125 people. The damage amounted to more than $300,000. On that day, the circus of the Gollmar brothers staged a performance in the town, which was attended by 2.5 thousand residents and hundreds of guests from the surrounding area. Around 15.00, clouds thickened over the city, the sky darkened. Toward the end of the show, around 4:30 p.m., it began to rain heavily with hail. The rain continued until 17.00, and people began to go home. At 18.00 the streets were still filled with tourists. By this time, the town was overtaken by a tornado that arose at 15.30, 24 kilometers from the settlement on Lake Sainte-Croix. Most people could not find shelter, many buildings were destroyed right down to the ground.
Flint Worcester tornado
In 1953, two tornadoes hit the cities of Flint (Michigan) and Worcester (Massachusetts) with a difference of one day - on June 8 and 9. Tornadoes are known for being discussed for a short period of time in. Some congressmen were sure that this phenomenon was not caused by a natural disaster, but by testing an atomic bomb in the upper atmosphere. They demanded a government report on what had happened, but meteorologists quickly dispelled these fears. The tornado reached Flint on June 8 at 8:30 pm. Motorists in a panic abandoned their cars, creating traffic accidents. Some areas were razed to the ground. The element claimed the lives of 116 people. The next day, another tornado hit Worcester, where 94 people died.
Tornado in Waco
The tornado hit Waco, Texas at 4:36 p.m. on May 11, 1953 and swept through the city center. The buildings were not strong enough to withstand strong gusts of wind and collapsed almost immediately. Dozens of people died under the ruins, fleeing from the rain that hit the inhabitants before the arrival of the tornado. As a result, 114 people died, 597 were injured. The damage reached more than $41 million.
