The Tri-State Tornado

The Tri- State Tornado

The Tri-State tornado formed on March 18, 1925. Tornadoes form when different temperatures and humidity meet. Generally, warm air rises. When the two fronts meet, the cold air can trap the warm air beneath it. Because the warm air cannot move upward, it begins to rotate. As the sun heats the ground, more warm air continues to rise, until finally the mass is strong enough to push through the cold air barrier. The rising warm air pushes the cold air beneath it, creating a rotating column that can span up to 10 miles, while twisting at speeds exceeding 200 mph The tornado went through three different states, hence the name "Tri". The tornado originated in southeastern Missouri. Then it traveled through southern Illinois. And finally it made its way into southwestern Indiana. Illinois was the hardest-hit area in the tornado’s path, with 234 deaths. There were over 2000 survivors who were left injured. The winds of the tornado were roughly 300 miles per hour. The width of the tornado was one mile. The average speed was 62 miles per hour and it reached a peak of 73 miles per hour. The tornado was even classified as a F5 tornado on the Fujita scale. The Tri State Tornado holds a series of records. It is the longest tornado track in the United States (219 miles). It has the most deaths in a single tornado (695). It also has the most injuries in a single tornado (2027). It even has the longest tornado duration (3.5 hours). It is widely considered to be the second deadliest tornado in world history/ It is also one of the largest and fastest tornadoes in United States history. A man in Parrish, Il. survived the tornado by clinging to a railroad track while the town was destroyed. In West Frankfort, Il. a farmer found a barber chair from some other town, and a bond. A man in Griffin, IN reported that he grabbed a door-handle and the house blew away, leaving the door handle with him. A popcorn man in Murphysboro, Il. was reportedly tossed up in the air “to the height of a one story building” then set back down a block away. His popcorn stand moved three feet and was still on it’s wheels.