| Tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896 | |
| Active: | May 15–28, 1896 |
| Tornadoes: | ≥38 |
| Fujitascale: | F5 |
| Casualties: | ≥501 fatalities, ≥1914 injuries |
| Enhanced: | no |
The tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896 was a series of violent and deadly tornado outbreaks that struck much of the Central and Southern United States from May 15 to 28, 1896. It is considered one of the worst tornado outbreak sequences on record with tornado expert Tom Grazulis stating that the week of May 24–28 was "perhaps the most violent single week of tornado activity in United States history".[1] There were four particularly notable tornado outbreaks during the two-week period. It produced three F5 tornadoes as well as the third deadliest tornado ever in United States history. A total of at least 484 people were killed during the entire outbreak sequence by at least 38 different tornadoes which struck Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.
The ratings for these tornadoes were done by tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis and are not official ratings.
| Outbreak death toll | |||
| State/Province | Total | County | County total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 78 | Denton | 5 |
| Grayson | 73 | ||
| Oklahoma | 4 | Bryan | 4 |
| Kansas | 21 | McPherson | 1 |
| Nemaha | 15[2] | ||
| Brown | 5 | ||
| Kentucky | 5 | Marshall | 5 |
| Nebraska | 4 | Richardson | 4 |
| Iowa | 21 | Polk | 7 |
| Jasper | 14 | ||
| Illinois | 166 | Ogle | 7 |
| Madison | 118 | ||
| Washington | 14 | ||
| Jefferson | ~3 | ||
| St. Clair | 10 | ||
| Clinton | 14 | ||
| Michigan | 50 | Tuscola | 1 |
| Macomb | ~1 | ||
| St. Clair | ~1 | ||
| Oakland | 39 | ||
| Genesee | 3 | ||
| Unknown | 5 | ||
| Missouri | 146 | Montgomery | 1 |
| Audrain | 6 | ||
| Osage | 2 | ||
| St. Louis | 137 | ||
| Pennsylvania | 5 | Lancaster | 1 |
| Montgomery | 2 | ||
| Bucks | 2 | ||
| Totals | ~500 | ||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 15, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Texas | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | SW of Justin to E of Ponder | Denton | 2015 | 13miles | 2 deaths — A total of 22 homes were damaged in Justin, with five destroyed, and two swept away. Every business in town received some degree of damage. There were 25 injuries, including 17 that were serious.[3] | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | W of Denton | Denton, Cooke | 2045 | 17miles | 3 deaths — Struck the town of Gribble Springs, where seven houses were destroyed and three people were killed. Two homes and numerous barns were also destroyed in Cooke County. | |
| bgcolor=# | F5 | E of Pilot Point to Sherman | Denton, Grayson | 2230 | 28miles | 73 deaths — See section on this tornado — One of the most intense tornadoes ever recorded. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SE of Sherman to SE of Hendrix, OK | Grayson, Bryan(OK) | 2245 | 18miles | Tornado formed after the Sherman tornado lifted. A total of 20 homes were damaged along the Choctaw Creek (then called Choctaw Bayou) and a trading post was destroyed. There were 35 injuries, of which, at least 20 were serious. | |
| Oklahoma | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Blue area | Bryan | 2330 | unknown | 4 deaths — A family of four was killed in their home. | |
| Kansas | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | NE of Moundridge | McPherson | 1000 | unknown | 1 death — Brief, early-morning touchdown leveled a house. An elderly man was killed and his wife was injured. | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 17, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Kentucky | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | N of Symsonia | Graves, Marshall | 0645 | 8miles | 5 deaths — South of Elva, a small two-room home was obliterated, killing a family of five. | |
| Kansas | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | NW of Clay Center to S of Frankfort | Clay, Marshall, Riley | 2230 | 45miles | Probably a long-lived tornado family. Seven farms were destroyed and 60 injuries were reported, 58 of which occurred when a church in Riley County was destroyed during services. | |
| bgcolor=# | F5 | SW of Palmer to S of Falls City, NE | Washington, Marshall, Nemaha, Brown, Richardson(NE) | 2300 | 100miles | 25 deaths — See section on this tornado — Was more than 2miles wide. | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 18, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Iowa | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SW of Lamoni | Decatur | 0200 | unknown | A cottage on the southwest side of Lamoni was leveled and scattered. Four people were injured.[4] | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 19, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Kansas | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | SW of Rock | Cowley, Butler | 2200 | 10miles | Buildings were destroyed on 15 farms, including seven homes. A total of 50 head of livestock were killed on one farm, and two people were injured. | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 20, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Oklahoma | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | E of Newkirk to E of Maitland, KS | Kay, Cowley(KS) | 1700 | 15miles | An entire farm was swept away near the beginning of the path. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | N of Kildare | Kay | 1730 | unknown | A barn was destroyed. One of six small tornadoes reported in the area. | |
| Kansas | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | N of Hoyt | Jackson | 2230 | 6miles | One person was injured as a house was destroyed. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | S of Emporia | Lyon | 0200 | 3miles | A house was shifted from its foundation and unroofed. A barn was destroyed, and two men hiding inside were injured. | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 24, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Iowa | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | S of Manchester | Delaware | 0300 | 3miles | One house and several barns were destroyed. A fatality may have occurred.[5] | |
| bgcolor=# | F4 | SW of Polk City to Mingo | Polk, Jasper | 0430 | 28miles | 21 deaths — A violent tornado began near Polk City, and moved east-southeast north of Des Moines. Several homes were leveled on the north sides of Bondurant and Valeria, resulting in fatalities. Other homes were destroyed and fatalities occurred in the communities of Santiago and Mingo. A steel railroad rail was driven 15feet into the ground at one location. At least 60 people were injured. | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 25, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Illinois | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F4 | NW of Forreston to S of Egan | Ogle | 0700 | 10miles | 4 deaths — Homes had their roofs torn off on the northern edge of Adeline. In rural areas, a church and five farm homes were leveled. Four fatalities occurred south of Egan, where a large home was cleanly swept away. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | S of Byron | Ogle | 0730 | unknown | All barns and trees were destroyed on a farm. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | S of Davis Junction to E of Irene | Ogle, Boone, DeKalb | 0730 | 15miles | 3 deaths — Buildings were destroyed on 11 farms. Six people were injured and three others were killed in a collapsed home. Debris from that home was found five miles away. A barn was destroyed in DeKalb County as well. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | Edison Park | Cook | 0750 | 4.5miles | Tornado struck the communities of Park Ridge, Edison Park, and Norwood Park. Six homes were destroyed and 30 others were damaged beyond repair. Caused $100,000 in damage and hit within 15miles of Downtown Chicago. | |
| Michigan | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | N of Clio to E of Otter Lake | Genesee, Lapeer | 2300 | 14miles | Businesses and cottages were destroyed at Otter Lake. Three farm homes were destroyed, and the roof of a school was carried for half a mile. Four people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | W of Munger to Fairgrove area | Bay, Tuscola | 2300 | 10miles | 1 death — A school and five homes were destroyed along the path. A total of 30 people were attending a funeral at one of the homes, and the attendants survived by taking shelter in a nearby ditch as the house was lifted and destroyed. One man was killed by flying debris as he watched from his window. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | W of Sterling Heights to Harrison Township | Macomb, St. Clair | 0110 | 35miles | 2 deaths — Homes and barns were leveled between Warren and Utica before the tornado tore through Mt. Clemens, where 30 homes were destroyed along a two-block-wide path. Homes were destroyed in other areas before the tornado crossed into Ontario, where $60,000 in damage occurred. | |
| bgcolor=# | F5 | N of Holly to W of Dryden | Oakland, Lapeer | 0200 | 30miles | 47 deaths — See section on this tornado — Extremely intense tornado, second deadliest in Michigan. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Amadore | Sanilac | 0200 | 3miles | Every building in the village of Amadore was damaged to some degree, and two homes were destroyed at that location. The tornado then moved out over Lake Huron as a waterspout and dissipated. Three people were injured. | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 27, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Missouri | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | E of Bellflower | Montgomery, Lincoln | unknown | 7miles | 1 death — A church and a barn were destroyed. A woman was killed and her infant son was injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | N of Sturgeon to N of Centralia | Audrain | 1935 | 8miles | Barns were leveled and destroyed and four farm homes were "nearly destroyed". | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | S of Higbee to S of Renick | Randolph | 2030 | 6miles | Three homes were destroyed and five others were damaged. Many barns were destroyed as well. Six people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | N of Mexico to W of Vandalia | Audrain | 2115 | 17miles | 6–7 deaths — Three students were killed at the Dye school, and one student (possibly two) was killed at the Bean Creek School. Two others died in farmhouses. A total of 50 people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F4 | SE of Chamois | Osage | 0015 | 5miles | 2 deaths — Two farms were destroyed, at one of which every building was completely swept away. Three people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F4 | St. Louis/East St. Louis, IL | St.Louis, Madison (IL) | 0030 | 12miles | 255 deaths — See article on this tornado — Third-deadliest tornado in US history. It caused near-F5 damage in East St. Louis. | |
| Illinois | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F4 | E of New Minden to Irvington | Washington, Jefferson | 0020 | 23miles | 14 deaths — Entire farms were leveled near New Minden, south of Hoyleton, near Richview, and in Boyd and Irvington. A total 50 other people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F4 | E of Imbs to NE of Germantown | St. Clair, Clinton | 0045 | 30miles | 24 deaths — The path of this tornado family may have begun in Dupo. Many homes were leveled along the path, especially in and around New Baden, where 13 people died. Near the beginning of the path, 10 people died near train stations, and another death occurred at a farmhouse near Germantown before the tornado dissipated. 125 people were injured.[6] | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | NW of Nashville to NE of Mt. Vernon | Washington, Jefferson | 0230 | 28miles | 3 deaths — Many farms were devastated along the path. Damage northeast of Mt. Vernon may have been downburst-related. | |
| Oklahoma | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F3 | E of Hennessey to NE of Marshall | Kingfisher, Logan, Garfield | 0000 | 10miles | A house was blown apart and scattered. One person was injured. | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| List of confirmed tornadoes – May 28, 1896 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | ||
| Pennsylvania | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | E of Gettysburg to NE of Hanover | Adams, York | 1800 | 13miles | Barns were destroyed near Bonneauville and Abbottstown. A house was leveled as well, with the furniture carried over half a mile away. Four people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Columbia/Wrightsville areas | York, Lancaster | 1830 | 9miles | 1 death — A school and four homes had their roofs torn off in Wrightsville. One person was killed when the tornado struck a rolling mill in Columbia, where three homes were destroyed. 20 people were injured. | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | S of Ambler to S of Trenton, NJ | Montgomery, Bucks, Mercer(NJ), Monmouth(NJ) | 1955 | 35miles | 4 deaths — A total of 16 barns as well as several stables were destroyed in Pennsylvania, where four people were killed. The tornado crossed into New Jersey and damaged businesses in Allentown and White Horse. 15 people were injured. | |
| Maryland | |||||||
| bgcolor=# | F2 | SW of Harney to Littlestown, PA, area | Carroll, Adams(PA) | 2000 | 5miles | In Maryland, a house was torn apart and three others had their roofs torn off. Furniture was carried up to half a mile away. Crossed into Pennsylvania and dissipated near Littlestown, where barns were destroyed.[7] | |
| Sources: Grazulis (1993) | |||||||
| Sherman, Texas | |
| Fujitascale: | F5 |
| Casualties: | ≥73 fatalities, ≥200 injuries |
| Enhanced: | no |
On the first day of the outbreak sequence, most of the fatalities came from a single supercell thunderstorm that traveled from Denton to Sherman. The tornado began in the Pilot Point area, where farm homes were shifted off of their foundations. The tornado widened and strengthened into a very violent F5 and swept away numerous farms west of Farmington and Howe. Later along the path, the tornado narrowed to around 60yd wide as it tore through Sherman. 50 homes were destroyed in town, 20 of which were obliterated and swept away. An iron-beam bridge was torn from its supports and twisted into pieces, and one of the beams was driven several feet into the ground.[8] [9] Bodies were found up to 400yd from their home sites, and a trunk lid was carried for 35miles. Headstones at a cemetery were shattered, and a 500-pound stone was carried for 250 yards. Trees in the area were completely debarked with some reduced to stumps, and grass was scoured from lawns in town.[9] At least 200 people were injured, and bodies of the victims were transported into the courthouse and a vacant building. Several bodies were recovered from a muddy creek.[10] 73 people were killed by this single tornado, one of the worst on record in North Texas and the Red River Valley region, in particular the Texoma region.
Additional killer tornadoes were recorded north of Wichita, Kansas in McPherson County and further south in Bryan County, Oklahoma, also in the Texoma region.[11]
| Seneca–Oneida, Kansas/Falls City, Nebraska | |
| Fujitascale: | F5 |
| Casualties: | ≥25 fatalities, ≥200 injuries |
| Location: | Washington (KS), Marshall (KS), Nemaha (KS), Brown (KS), Richardson (NE) Counties |
| Enhanced: | no |
A powerful F5 tornado, estimated to have been more than 2miles wide, tore through the towns of Seneca, Oneida, Reserve and Sabetha, Kansas. In Seneca, the tornado destroyed the courthouse and a new schoolhouse, and the opera house was completely leveled and swept away. Damage in Seneca alone was estimated at $250,000 (1896 USD) where most of the homes, the fairgrounds and other small structures sustained at least heavy damage, if not complete destruction.[12] [13] The damage path was two miles wide at Reserve, and only three buildings were left undamaged at that location. The tornado damaged 50 homes and destroyed 20 others on the north side of Sabetha. Many farms were entirely swept away along the path as well, some of which were reportedly left "as bare as the prairie". The tornado continued into Nebraska, where four people died and damage occurred on the south side of Falls City. At least 200 people were injured.
| Ortonville–Thomas–Oakwood, Michigan | |
| Fujitascale: | F5 |
| Casualties: | ≥47 fatalities, ≥100 injuries |
| Enhanced: | no |
Late during the evening hours of May 25, an F5 tornado touched down in Eastern Michigan and moved northeast for about 30miles. The tornado affected portions of Oakland, Lapeer and Livingston Counties northwest of Detroit. Towns affected included Thomas, Ortonville, Oakwood, and Whigville just after 9:00 pm. Homes were leveled or swept away, and fatalities occurred along the path. Entire farms were leveled, and debris from homes was found up to 12miles away. Trees were completely debarked along the path as well, with even small twigs stripped bare in some cases. Homes were swept away in Thomas, including one that was obliterated with the debris scattered up to 10 miles away. A piano from that residence was found 200 yards away from the foundation, with one end "pounded full of grass". Weather Bureau inspectors reported that grass in the center-most part of the circulation was "pounded down into the earth, as if it had been washed into the earth by a heavy flow of water."[14] At least 100 people were injured. With 47 deaths, this is the second-deadliest tornado ever in Michigan trailing only the Flint Tornado of 1953 which killed 116 in Genesee County just outside Flint. Twenty-two people were killed in Ortonville, ten in Oakwood, three in Thomas, four north of Oxford and three in Whigville with others in rural areas. Nine of the fatalities were in a single home in Ortonville.[15] [16]
Other killer tornadoes on that day touched down in Ogle County, Illinois (two different tornadoes) and Macomb & Tuscola Counties in Michigan. Several homes and farms in the Mount Clemens area were wiped out and others were moved from their foundations. The recently completed Colonial Hotel was leveled. Thirty homes were leveled in total, and two people were killed.[17]
See main article: 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado.
| St. Louis, Missouri/East St. Louis, Illinois | |
| Fujitascale: | F4 |
| Casualties: | ≥255 fatalities, ≥1000 injuries |
| Damages: | $10 million [1896 [[USD]]] |
| Enhanced: | no |
The third deadliest tornado in United States history struck the Greater St. Louis area in both Missouri and Illinois. This violent tornado killed at least 255 people (though one estimate placed the death toll at greater than 400), injured at least 1,000 more, and caused more than $10 million in damages. At the time, this was the costliest tornado ever recorded in the United States. It was one of at least 18 tornadoes to occur that day[18]
At least 137 people died as the tornado traversed the core of the downtown area, leaving a continuous, one-mile-wide (1.6 km) swath of destroyed homes, schools, saloons, factories, mills, churches, parks, and railroad yards in its wake. A few of the destroyed homes were all but completely swept away. Numerous trees were downed at the 36acres Lafayette Park, and a barometer recorded a drop to 26.74 inHg (906 hPa) at this location.[19]
After devastating the city of St. Louis, the tornado crossed the Mississippi River and struck the Eads Bridge, where a 2inchesx10inchesin (xin) wooden plank was found driven through a NaNinches wrought iron plate. Uncounted others may have died on boats on the river, which could have swept their bodies downriver where they could not be recorded in the official death toll. The tornado continued into East St. Louis, Illinois, where its path was narrower, but its strength became even more intense. Homes and buildings along the river were completely swept away and a quarter of the buildings there were damaged or destroyed. An additional 118 people were killed, 35 of whom were at the Vandalia railroad freight yards.