May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence

Damage from the St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado.

The May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence was a series of violent and deadly tornado outbreaks that struck much of the Central and Southern United States from May 15 to May 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 US 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 484 people were killed during the entire outbreak sequence by at least 38 different tornadoes which struck Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, and Michigan.^{[nb 1][nb 2]}

Confirmed tornadoes

May 15 event

May 17 event

May 18 event

May 19 event

May 20 event

May 24 event

May 25 event

May 27 event

May 28 event

Notable tornadoes

Sherman, Texas

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 60 yards (180 ft) wide as it tore through Sherman. Fifty homes were destroyed in town, 20 of which were completely obliterated and swept away. An iron-beam bridge was torn from its supports and twisted into multiple pieces, and one of the beams was driven several feet into the ground.^[6][9] Bodies were found up to 400 yards (1,200 ft) from their home sites, and a trunk lid was carried for 35 miles (56 km). 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] Seventy-three people were killed by this single tornado, one of the worst on record in North Texas and the Red River Valley region.

Additional killer tornadoes were recorded north of Wichita, Kansas in McPherson County and further south in Bryan County, Oklahoma.^[11]

Seneca/Oneida, Kansas/Falls City, Nebraska

A powerful F5 tornado,^[5] estimated to have been more than 2 miles (3.2 km) 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 around $250,000 (in 1896 Dollars) where most of the homes, the fairgrounds and other small structures sustained at least heavy, if not complete, damage.^[11][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".^[6] 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

Late during the evening hours of May 25, an F5 tornado^[5] touched down in eastern Michigan and moved northeast for about 30 miles (48 km). 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 multiple fatalities occurred along the path. Entire farms were leveled, and debris from homes was found up to 12 miles (19 km) 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.^[5] With 47 deaths, this is the second-deadliest tornado ever in Michigan trailing only the Flint Tornado of 1953 which killed 116 in Genessee 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.^[11][17]

St. Louis, Missouri/East St. Louis, Illinois

The third deadliest tornado in United States history struck St. Louis city and its metropolitan area on both sides of the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois on May 27. Preceded by a hurricane that nearly destroyed the city with electrical and water damage, that tornado alone at least killed 255, injuring thousands and destroying 50 million property value.^[18] This tornado in addition killed 27 other people elsewhere in Illinois and seven elsewhere in Missouri including three at a school in Audrain County. Twenty-four of the 27 other fatalities were recorded by a single tornado with 13 of them near New Baden. In that town about half of the homes were completely destroyed with damage figures at around $50,000. The towns of Belleville and Mascoutah were also hit. Three people were killed by the other killer tornado that tracked between Nashville and Mount Vernon.^[15][19][20] Fatalities were also reported the following day in Pennsylvania and New Jersey near Trenton between Philadelphia and New York City.^[11]

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• St. Louis tornado history

References

Bibliography

• Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1. 
• — (2003). The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0. 

Notes

External links

• 1896 Killer tornadoes courtesy of the Tornado History Project