| 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak | |
| Type: | Tornado outbreak |
| Active: | April 5–6, 1936 |
| Tornadoes: | ≥ 14 |
| Fujitascale: | F5 |
| Tornado Duration: | 18 hours |
| Casualties: | ≥ 454 fatalities, >2,498 injuries |
| Damages: | ≥ $15.9 million (1936 USD) ≥ $ (USD) |
On April 5–6, 1936, an outbreak of 14 (or more) tornadoes struck the Southeastern United States, killing at least 454 people (with 419 of those deaths caused by just two tornadoes) and injuring at least 2,500 others. Over 200 people died in Georgia alone, making it the deadliest disaster ever recorded in the state.[1]
Although the outbreak is often centered on the violent tornadoes in Tupelo, Mississippi (with an estimated F5 rating), and Gainesville, Georgia (estimated F4 rating), there were other destructive tornadoes in the cities of Columbia, Tennessee; Acworth, Georgia; and Anderson, South Carolina. One long-track F4 tornado killed six people in rural parts of Tennessee, and two other long-track tornadoes (rated F3) killed an additional 13 people in southern Tennessee and northern Alabama. Another pair of F3 tornadoes touched down in Mississippi, claiming an additional eight lives.
This is the second deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history (after that of the Tri-state tornado in 1925) and the only one in which two separate tornadoes killed more than 200 people each.[2]
| Location | County / Parish | State | Time (UTC) | Path length | width | Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=# | F3 | LaCrosse–Larkin | Izard | AR | 21:00–? | 6abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 400abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1 death – An intense tornado destroyed a dozen homes approximately 7miles north-northeast of Melbourne. Four or five people were injured, depending on the source, and estimated losses were $40,000 | |
| bgcolor=# | F4 | N of Waynesboro to S of Hohenwald | Hardin, Wayne, Lewis | TN | 01:45–? | 35abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 300abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 6 deaths – A violent tornado leveled homes and destroyed other buildings in several communities. The mining village Smith's Branch was obliterated, with four deaths and 27 injuries. Eight other injuries were also reported, for a total of 35, and damages totaled between $150,000 and $200,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | Northwestern Booneville | Prentiss | MS | 02:05–? | 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 400abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 4 deaths – This tornado wrecked spacious homes, killing three people in one of them. The tornado also destroyed a number of smaller homes. Twelve people were injured and losses totaled $20,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | Bryant | Yalobusha | MS | 02:10–? | 18abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 400abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 4 deaths – This, the first member of the Tupelo tornado family, touched down south of Coffeeville. It splintered hundreds of pine trees and wrecked five homes. All known fatalities were in one of the homes. Seven people were injured and losses totaled $10,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | NW of Columbia | Maury | TN | 02:30–? | 5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 300abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 5 deaths – An intense tornado leveled hovels and large homes alike in a mining village. A total of approximately 30 homes were destroyed or damaged, with losses estimated at $50,000. 30 injuries occurred. | |
| bgcolor=# | F5 | Northern Tupelo | Lee, Itawamba | MS | 02:55–? | 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1000abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 216+ deaths – See section on this tornado – At least 700 injuries were reported, with damages of up to $3 million. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | Red Bay, AL to W of Frankfort, AL | Itawamba (MS), Franklin (AL), Colbert (AL) | MS, AL | 03:02–? | 25abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 8 deaths – This tornado formed from the same storm as the Tupelo F5 and may have been an extension of the latter tornado. It destroyed or damaged 30 homes in Red Bay, killing four people. Three additional deaths took place in a filling station and a fourth in another home. 55 injuries occurred and losses totaled $145,000. | ||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | E of Rogersville, AL to Shady Grove, TN | Lauderdale (AL), Limestone (AL), Madison (AL), Lincoln (TN) | AL, TN | 04:15–? | 50abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 200abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 5 deaths – This intense tornado family formed from the same storm as the Tupelo F5. It produced most of its damage to farms near Elkmont, Alabama, where four people died in a pair of homes that were obliterated. Papers marked from Tupelo, Mississippi, landed in fields near Flintville, Tennessee. 13 people were injured and losses totaled $40,000. |
| Location | County / Parish | State | Time (UTC) | Path length | width | Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=# | F3 | NE of Acworth | Cobb, Cherokee | GA | 12:22–? | 8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 100abbr=onNaNabbr=on | An intense tornado destroyed several homes, a store, and a gristmill with damage to other structures also reported. Five people sustained injuries. | |
| bgcolor=# | FU | Northern Gainesville to New Holland | Hall | GA | 13:27–? | This was the first of three destructive tornadoes to strike Gainesville. It hit Brenau College, which is now a university, and continued eastward into New Holland. Trees and buildings on the campus sustained minor damage. | |||
| bgcolor=# | F4 | Downtown Gainesville | Hall | GA | 13:37–? | 7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 400abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 203+ deaths – See section on this tornado – 1,600 people were injured. These were the most destructive tornadoes of the outbreak, with $12.5 million in losses. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Northwestern Anderson | Anderson | SC | 14:55–? | 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 400abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1 death – This strong tornado, formed by the same storm as the Gainesville tornado, felled a number of trees and destroyed 50 homes as well as multiple farmhouses and a couple of mills. An elderly farmer was killed by falling bricks, and 30 other people were injured. Letters marked as being from Gainesville were found nearby. Total losses were estimated at $250,000-300,000. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | W of Carnesville to Lavonia | Franklin | GA | 15:00–? | 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 200abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1 death – This strong tornado destroyed nine homes and damaged 15 others. Six injuries were reported along with $25,000 in losses. |
| Tupelo, Mississippi | |
| Fujitascale: | F5 |
| Casualties: | ≥ 216 fatalities, ≥ 700 injuries |
| Damages: | $3 million (1936 USD) $ (USD) |
Around 8:30 p.m., April 5, 1936, the Tupelo tornado, the fourth-deadliest tornado in United States history, Making its way toward Tupelo, the massive tornado killed a family of 13 as their house was swept away, and injured many more before reaching Tupelo's west side. Retroactively rated F5 on the modern Fujita scale, it caused total destruction along its path through the Willis Heights neighborhood. Dozens of large and well built mansions were swept completely away in this area. Although missing the business district, the tornado moved through the residential areas of north Tupelo, destroying many homes, and killing whole families. The Gum Pond area of Tupelo was the worst hit. Homes along the pond were swept into the water with their victims. The majority of the bodies were found in Gum Pond, the area which is now Gumtree Park. Reportedly, many bodies were never recovered from the pond. Reports were that the winds were so strong, pine needles were embedded into trunks of trees. As the tornado exited the city's east side, the large concrete Battle of Tupelo monument was toppled to the ground and destroyed. Two nearby brick gate posts were broken off at the base and blown over as well. East of town, granulated structural debris from the city was strewn and wind-rowed for miles through open fields. According to records, the Tupelo tornado leveled 48 city blocks and between 200 - 900 homes, killing at least 216 people and injuring at least 700 others. The tornado destroyed the water tower and produced numerous fires in its wake, though overnight rains which left knee-deep water in some streets contained the flames. Though 216 remained the final death toll, 100 persons were still hospitalized at the time it was set. Subsequently, the Mississippi State Geologist estimated a final, unofficial death toll of 233. Notably, among the survivors were one-year-old Elvis Presley and his parents.[3]
| Gainesville, Georgia | |
| Tornadoes: | 2 |
| Fujitascale: | F4 |
| Casualties: | ≥ 203 fatalities, ≥ 1,600 injuries |
| Damages: | $12 million (1936 USD) $ (USD) |
After producing the Tupelo tornado, the storm system moved through Alabama overnight and reached Gainesville, Georgia, at around 8:30 a.m local standard time. According to Ted Fujita, this early morning tornado was a double tornado event: one tornado moved in from the Atlanta highway, while the other moved in from the Dawsonville highway. The two merged on Grove Street and destroyed everything throughout the downtown area, causing wreckage to pile 10feet high in some places. The worst tornado-caused death toll in a single building in U.S. history was at the Cooper Pants Factory. The multiple-story building was then filled with young workers, who had just arrived to work. The structure collapsed and caught fire, killing about 70 people. At the Pacolet Mill, 550 workers moved to the northeast side of the building and survived. Many people sought refuge in Newman's department store; its collapse killed 20 people. In addition to the complete destruction that occurred throughout downtown Gainesville, residential areas throughout the city were devastated as well, where 750 homes were destroyed and 254 others badly damaged.
The final death toll could not be calculated because many of the buildings that were hit collapsed and caught fire. A death toll of 203 people was posted, though at the time 40 people were yet missing. Letters from Gainesville were blown about 70miles away, to Anderson, South Carolina. The Gainesville tornadoes have been rated as F4s on the Fujita scale and together constituted fifth-deadliest tornado-related disaster in U.S. history. They caused nearly $13 million in damage, equivalent to over $200 million in 2011. Gainesville was also the site of another deadly F4 on June 1, 1903, which killed 98 people but did not affect the central business district; the Pacolet Mill was hit by both tornadoes. No other small town of similar size (population 17,000 in 1936) in the United States has experienced such devastation twice in its history. As a series of twin tornadoes generated by a single storm, both members of which occurred simultaneously, the 1936 event was similar to some of the tornadoes that occurred on April 11, 1965, including the F4 tornado families near Goshen and Dunlap, Indiana: the latter exhibiting multiple mesocyclones at once.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke from a train platform in Gainesville on April 9, after the devastating tornado struck the town a few days earlier.[4]