History of Tornado in Timeline

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air connecting the Earth's surface to a cumulonimbus or, rarely, a cumulus cloud. Commonly called twisters or whirlwinds, they manifest as condensation funnels with rotating debris. While tornadoes vary, most have winds under 180 km/h, are 80 meters wide, and travel a few kilometers. Extreme tornadoes can exceed 480 km/h, span over 3 kilometers, and travel over 100 km.

November 1915: Great Bend, Kansas Tornado Debris

In November 1915, a tornado which affected Great Bend, Kansas, resulted in debris being carried a very long distance. A cancelled check from the Great Bend bank was found in a field outside of Palmyra, Nebraska, 305 miles (491 km) to the northeast.

March 18, 1925: Tri-State Tornado

On March 18, 1925, the Tri-State Tornado, the record-holder for path length, affected parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana and was on the ground continuously for 219 miles (352 km).

1936: Gainesville Tornado

In 1936, the Gainesville Tornado, one of the deadliest tornadoes in history, occurred at 8:30 am local time.

1950: First Public Tornado Warnings in the United States

In 1950, the first public tornado warnings were issued in the United States.

1952: First Tornado Watches and Convective Outlooks

In 1952, the first tornado watches and convective outlooks were introduced.

1953: Confirmation of Hook Echoes Associated with Tornadoes

In 1953, it was confirmed that hook echoes were associated with tornadoes, allowing meteorologists to detect potentially tornadic thunderstorms from several miles away.

1974: 1974 Super Outbreak

In 1974, the Super Outbreak affected a large area of the central United States and extreme southern Ontario on April 3 and 4, featuring 148 tornadoes in 18 hours, many of which were violent. More than 300 people were killed.

1974: Establishment of TORRO Spotter Network in the United Kingdom

Since 1974, the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) has maintained a network of spotters in the United Kingdom.

April 26, 1989: Daultipur-Salturia Tornado in Bangladesh

On April 26, 1989, the Daultipur-Salturia Tornado in Bangladesh, the deadliest tornado in world history, killed approximately 1,300 people.

1991: Andover, Kansas Tornado Overpass Video

In 1991, during the tornado outbreak near Andover, Kansas, a news crew and several other people took shelter under an overpass on the Kansas Turnpike and safely rode out a tornado as it passed nearby.

May 3, 1999: Oklahoma Tornado Overpass Fatalities

On May 3, 1999, during the Oklahoma tornado outbreak, three highway overpasses were directly struck by tornadoes, resulting in a fatality at each of the three locations.

June 24, 2003: Pressure Decrease near Manchester, South Dakota

On June 24, 2003, near Manchester, South Dakota, a probe measured a 100-millibar (100 hPa; 3.0 inHg) pressure decrease related to a tornado.

May 22, 2004: Hallam, Nebraska Tornado

On May 22, 2004, a tornado that affected Hallam, Nebraska, was up to 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide at the ground.

2005: Birmingham Tornado

In 2005, the Birmingham tornado registered F2 on the Fujita scale and caused significant damage and injury.

2006: London Tornado

In 2006, the London tornado registered F2 on the Fujita scale and caused significant damage and injury.

2007: Reanalysis of Tri-State Tornado Path

In 2007, a reanalysis of the Tri-State Tornado path suggested that the tornado may have begun 15 miles (24 km) further west than previously thought.

2007: Implementation of the Enhanced Fujita Scale

In 2007, the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF) was implemented in the United States as an update to the older Fujita scale, using engineered wind estimates and better damage descriptions. It was designed to give the same numerical rating as the Fujita scale.