FUNNEL                                                                      FUNNEL         

 

When a tornado forms, it is called a funnel. It has not reached the ground, but it will eventualy. At first, there is a small funnel cloud. Then there is a medium-sized funnel cloud, then a full-sized tornado .

 

                             F-SCALE OF TORNADO INTENSITY                                                       F-0 Wind speed: 40-72 mph  Damage: light Observed effects: some windows broken                                                          F-1
Wind speed: 73-112 mph Damage: moderate Observed effects: roofs damaged  F-2 Wind speed: 113-157 mph Damage: considerable Observed effects: widespread destruction  F-3

Wind speed: 158-206 mph Damage: severe Observed effects: collapse of outer walls  F-4
Wind speed: 207-260 mph Damage: devastating Observed effects: reduces buildings to rubble  F-5
Wind speed: 261 mph or more 
Damage: incredible/complete
Observed effects: obliterates most structures and removes most of the debris

One tornado that caused widespread destruction occurred April 26, 1991. Touching down at about 5:00 PM, this tornado traveled a course on the ground for over 75 miles through two counties in Kansas. Twenty deaths were claimed by the storm and an estimated one thousand people were left homeless. McConnell Air Force Base and the town of Andover were the hardest hit. 

Five days of severe thunderstorms spawned 200 tornadoes across the nation in June 1992. Property damage was widespread, from Texas to Wisconsin.

The largest concentration of tornadoes on record in a 24 hour period was 148 on April 3-4, 1974. Three-Hundred fifteen people died. Fifty-five hundred injuries were reported. One half-billion dollars of property damage was recorded from Alabama to Ohio.
 

 

Some of the Most Deadly U.S. Tornadoes
 

Year  Location Number of Deaths
1917 
This tornado had a path 293 miles long.		 Missouri, Indiana, Illinois   Unknown
1925 Missouri, Illinois, Indiana  695
1927 Rock Springs, Texas 74
1927 Arkansas, Missouri  92
1927 St. Louis, Missouri  90
1930 Texas  41
1932  Alabama  268
1936  Mississippi. Georgia  455
1938  Charleston, South Carolina  32
1942  Mississippi  25
1944  Ohio, Pennsylvania, W Virginia, Maryland  150
1945  Oklahoma, Arkansas  102
1947  Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas  169
1948  Illinois  33
1952  Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee  208
1953  Waco, Texas  114
1953  Michigan, Ohio  142
1953  Massachusetts  90
1953  Vicksburg, Massachusetts  38
1955  Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas  115
1957  Kansas, Missouri  48
1958  Wisconsin  30
1959  St. Louis, Missouri  21
1960  Oklahoma, Arkansas  30
1965  Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin  271
1966  Jackson, Mississippi  57
1967  Illinois, Michigan  33
1968  Mid-western states  71
1969  Mississippi  32
1971  Mississippi  110
1973  South and mid-west states  47
1974  Alabama, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky  315
1977  Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia  22
1979  Texas and Oklahoma.  60
1980  Grand Island, Nebraska  4
1982  Illinois  10
1983  Texas  12
1984  North and South Carolina  67
1984  Oklahoma to Minnesota  17
1985 
This violent tornado lifted a 75,000 pound oil tank off of its anchored pad.		 New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio  87
1987  Saratoga, Texas  29
1989  Huntsville, Alabama  18
1989  Newburg, New York  9
1990  Mid-west Great Lakes  13
1992 (5 days in June) 
Over 200 tornadoes were documented.		 Texas to Wisconsin.  none
1992 
Tornadoes due to Hurricane Andrew.		 Florida to Louisiana.  none
1992  Mid-west, east coast, Mississippi  20
1997
1998 Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia 40
1999
20,000 homes were destroyed. Several F-4 and F-5 tornadoes documented. One massive F-5 tornado in Oklahoma City stayed on the ground 4 hours.		 Oklahoma