An anniversary of the worst tornado in the U.S.

Spring has officially arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and the tornado season, especially in the U.S. east of the Rockies, has been ramping up. From March 13-17, over 100 twisters were reported that included three EF4 storms. Two dozen people were killed as tornadoes were spotted across 14 states from Illinois southward into Arkansas and into the Gulf Coast region.

Southern California has also seen tornado activity in 2025. Since the beginning of the year, there have been three twisters, two of them an EF0, the lowest on the intensity scale, and another one of underdetermined strength.

Tornado intensities are measured using the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with an EF5 being the most destructive, similar to the original scale that was introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita of the University of Chicago. This updated scale was implemented in early 2007 and has the same design as the original Fujita scale, which included ranges from an F0 to an F5.

There has been discussion about increasing the scale to an EF6. In U.S. history, there have been two tornadoes that briefly received an F6 before being downgraded to an F5. These twisters happened during the Super Outbreak in 1974 across Xenia, Ohio, and caused widespread devastation. Overall, this disaster hit the central and eastern U.S. and parts of Canada. There were 148 confirmed tornadoes and 335 deaths from that system.

In 2024, tornado activity in the U.S. was off to a slow start with a below-average number of twisters from January through March. However, conditions changed as an El Niño that was in place in early 2024 weakened. From late April through late May of 2024, nearly 700 tornadoes were reported, resulting in widespread destruction. The dramatic increase in twisters led to the second most active year on record in the U.S. with 1,880 reports and nearly 1,800 of them confirmed as tornadoes. The most active year was 2004 with a confirmed 1,817 tornadoes.

The U.S. receives more tornadoes than any other country. In fact, there are four times more twisters here than in Europe. In recorded history, tornadoes have been seen in all 50 states. In Alaska, there were two twisters reported, one in November 1959 and the other in August 2005. Both were on the very low end of the intensity scale. Since 1950, Hawaii has seen 40 confirmed tornadoes. The highest level of intensity ever observed in Hawaii was an EF2.

According to disastercenter.com, Washington averages 2.5 tornadoes a year, while Idaho sees about four twisters per year. Out of the 50 states, Idaho ranks 36th for the frequency of tornadoes. Most of the twisters are reported in the southern part of the state.

March 18, 2025, marked the exact 100-year anniversary of the deadliest tornado in U.S. history and the second deadliest worldwide. It was known as the “Tri-State Tornado” that began that afternoon at Ellington, Mo., a town in the southeastern portion of the state. During that afternoon and evening, the storm destroyed towns in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It’s estimated that the massive twister moved over 200 miles and was very likely to have been an F5, the highest on the Fujita scale. Wind speeds from the twister were estimated to be nearly 300 miles per hour. Once the storm had passed, 695 people were reported to have lost their lives to the huge storm.

Last June, my uncle Jim and aunt Rosemary, who live in southern Illinois, paid us a visit and presented me with a book about this disaster called “Death Rides the Sky,” by Angela Mason. The book describes some of the amazing survivor stories about the Tri-State Tornado that set the record for the most deaths, injuries and monetary damage from that major event. It’s an interesting read.

The worst tornado ever reported in history did not occur in the U.S. Instead, the deadliest twister occurred April 26, 1989, in Bangladesh. Known as the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado, the massive storm killed approximately 1,300 people as it spawned at least two dozen twisters.

In terms of our local weather, additional moisture is expected through the end of the month that may put Coeur d’Alene close to the 1.94 inches of average precipitation for March. Not much snow is expected in the lower elevations through April as these storm systems may be too warm. However, there may be enough cold air, mainly during the overnight hours, to eventually push our seasonal total to near or above 40 inches in Coeur d’Alene. Our seasonal average is 69.8 inches. At the Spokane International Airport, close to 30 inches of snow has fallen for the 2024-25 season.

With sea-surface temperatures showing signs of warming over the next several months, we believe that April and May will have moisture totals near to above normal across the Inland Northwest. The summer of 2025 is not expected to be as hot and dry as 2024, but moisture totals are forecast to once again be below normal levels. Stay tuned.

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Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com.