Tornado Rankings
A comprehensive ranking of historical extreme weather events derived from our database. Explore the records for the strongest, widest, longest-tracked, costliest and deadliest tornadoes.
Highest Wind Speeds
The strongest tornadoes in history, featuring DOW measurements.
Widest Tornadoes
The physically largest storm vortices ever recorded by the NWS.
Longest Path Lengths
The continuous ground-scars of monsters that refused to lift.
Costliest Tornadoes
Billion-dollar severe weather disasters and their total financial impact.
Deadliest Tornadoes
Ranked by confirmed fatalities, from the 1925 Tri-State tornado onward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the strongest tornado in history?
The strongest tornado ever recorded is the May 3, 1999, Bridge Creek-Moore tornado in Oklahoma. A mobile Doppler radar (Doppler on Wheels) measured a world-record wind speed of 318 mph (512 km/h) high within the tornado's vortex. The storm was officially rated F5 and caused catastrophic damage.
What is the widest tornado in history?
The widest tornado on record is the May 31, 2013, El Reno tornado in Oklahoma. At its peak, the tornado's damaging wind swath measured an incredible 2.6 miles (4.2 km) wide. Despite its immense size and intensity, it received an EF3 rating because the strongest winds occurred over open fields rather than impacting structures.
What is the longest tornado path in history?
The historic Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925, holds the record for the longest continuous path length at 219 miles (352 km). It tore across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana over the course of three and a half hours, becoming the deadliest single tornado in U.S. history with 695 fatalities.
What is the costliest tornado in history?
When adjusted for inflation and wealth normalization, the May 27, 1896, St. Louis-East St. Louis tornado is considered the costliest in U.S. history, with normalized damage estimated at $5.36 billion. In terms of nominal, unadjusted costs, the 2011 Joplin, Missouri EF5 tornado is the most expensive, causing approximately $2.8 billion in direct damages at the time.