Seven-Tenths of tornadoes are labelled as “weak” tornadoes because they do not cause much damage. The remaining three-tenths are devastating. At its strongest, a tornado can level a well-built house and suck a fully laden juggernaut into the air.
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air from a thunderstorm that reaches the ground. Tornadoes usually occur east of the Rocky Mountains during the spring and summer. May is typically the worst month.
On average, 800 tornadoes hit the United States each year. They kill 80 people and injure 1,500 more. Since 2008, that average has increased to more than 1,300 injured a year. The most violent tornadoes have wind speeds of more than 250 mph and leave a damage path a mile wide and 50 miles long.
In 2017, there were 1,400 tornadoes. The first quarter was the worst for insurers in 20 years. Tornadoes were a large part of that. There were 425 tornadoes between January and March. That’s more than double the 205 tornadoes during the same period in 2016. On average, there were 93 tornadoes in each the first quarters of 2014 through 2016. It’s unusual for tornadoes to occur that early in the year. Fortunately, only 35 people died.
The opposite was true in 2018. The first six months saw half the normal amount.
In May 2019, storms, flash floods, and 50 tornadoes, hit the Southern Plains. On May 22, tornadoes killed three people and injured 24 in Missouri. These states were already suffering from March flooding.
Worst Tornado
The most damaging tornado ever was May 22, 2011, in Joplin, Missouri. It cost $2.8 billion. That’s $3.2 billion when adjusted for inflation. This tornado was the deadliest since 1950. It killed161 people and injured more than 1,000. It also damaged more than 500 businesses, affecting 5,000 workers.
The EF-5 tornado was one-half mile wide when it touched down in the western part of the city. It expanded to three-fourths mile in width. Winds were 200 miles per hour. The tornado covered 13 miles in all, hitting the City of Duquesne as well. It traveled about 10 miles per hour.
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