March 18, 1925: The Deadliest Tornado in U.S. History

Tornado season is officially here, and its presence has not gone unnoticed. The NWS reports 112 confirmed twisters touched down during the major tornado outbreak March 13-16. The severe weather event featured 9 EF-3 and 3 EF-4 tornadoes, resulting in at least 43 fatalities, 29 injuries, and significant property damage across eight U.S. states.

With the start of spring's severe weather, we take a moment to acknowledge the wrath and unpredictability of nature. March 18, 2025, marked the 100th anniversary of the infamously catastrophic tri-state tornado. This twister of unmatched scale carved a path of destruction across three states, traveling 219 miles from Ellington, Missouri, to Princeton, Indiana—the longest single tornado track in the world.

Although local weather forecasters were aware of the brewing storm's intensity, no one could have possibly anticipated the devastation and horror that unfolded on March 18, 1925. The Tri-State twister earned the title of the deadliest tornado in the U.S. and the second deadliest ever recorded worldwide— claiming the lives of at least 695 women, men, and children and injuring nearly 3,000 others.

Meteorological Conditions Leading to the EF-5 Tornado

Severe weather and tornadic activity today are well forecasted because of the data collected and inserted into modern computer weather prediction programs. These programs allow meteorologists to observe the factors that initiated treacherous weather events in the past.