Video: 'Deadliest Tornado in US History: The Tri-State Tornado | Living St. Louis'
(Wednesday, March 18, 1925, 12:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m. EST) — A monstrous tornado tore through the Midwest today, leaving a swath of destruction across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana that preliminary reports say has claimed at least 695 lives and injured thousands more.
Meteorologists are already calling it the deadliest and most extreme tornado in U.S. history, with damage so catastrophic that future experts would later liken its power to the highest possible severity rating—a classification not yet formalized but unofficially deemed “beyond comprehension.”
The storm, part of a broader severe weather outbreak, struck in the midday and afternoon hours, traveling over 219 miles at speeds exceeding 60 mph. Entire towns were reduced to splinters, with Murphysboro, Illinois, suffering the worst blow: 234 deaths, the highest toll ever recorded in a single U.S. community from a tornado.
Other devastated areas include West Frankfort, Illinois (102 dead), Griffin, Indiana (46 dead), and Princeton, Indiana (44 dead).
Video: 'The Great 1925 Tri-State Tornado: American Nightmare'
“Like a Locomotive From Hell”
The tornado first touched down near Ellington, Missouri, in Shannon County, flattening 90% of Annapolis and killing two residents. In Bollinger County, it ripped through two schools, injuring children who had taken shelter. Near Sedgewickville, the storm’s fury scoured trenches into the earth and hurled debris nearly 50 miles away—a phenomenon described by witnesses as “unimaginable.”
Crossing into Southern Illinois, the twister obliterated Gorham, killing over half its population. In Murphysboro, it barreled through densely packed neighborhoods at 62 mph, crushing homes, businesses, and a local high school. “It sounded like a locomotive from hell,” said one survivor. “There was no warning—just darkness and wind.”
In Franklin County, the storm narrowly missed Royalton and Zeigler before slamming into West Frankfort, a mining town. At Peabody Mine 18 in Caldwell, a towering 80-foot coal tipple—weighing hundreds of tons—was toppled and rolled like a toy. “It wasn’t just wind; it was a monster,” said a miner who escaped with minor injuries.
Farmers, Families Among the Dead
The tornado claimed at least 20 farm owners in southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana—more than the combined toll of the next four deadliest U.S. tornadoes. Rural communities in Hamilton and White counties were left in ruins, with 45 dead and 140 injured, many critically.
Video: 'America's Deadliest Tornado - A Brief History of The Tri-State Tornado'
A Storm Without Parallel
While official tornado ratings do not yet exist, experts studying the damage say the destruction aligns with what future meteorologists would classify as an “F5”—the most extreme category, reserved for storms capable of lifting entire homes off foundations and hurling heavy machinery hundreds of yards. “This was not just a tornado; it was an act of nature unlike anything we’ve documented,” said one weather researcher.
Rescue Efforts Underway
Emergency crews worked through the night to pull survivors from rubble, but the scale of the disaster has overwhelmed local resources. Hospitals are overcrowded, and makeshift morgues have been established in churches and schools. Survivors, many left homeless, huddled in tents and barns as temperatures dropped.
Governors of all three states have pledged aid, while the American Red Cross is mobilizing relief trains carrying medical supplies, food, and volunteers.
A Grim Legacy
The tornado’s three-hour rampage—the longest continuous track ever recorded—has left communities reeling. “We’ve seen storms before, but nothing like this,” said Murphysboro’s mayor, his voice breaking. “This is a day our nation will never forget.”
