Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In-depth discussion of the infamous Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925, which remains the deadliest tornado in US history. The tornado tore an apparent 217-mile-long path through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing at least 695 people, injuring at least 2,000, and wiping towns from the face of the Earth. In this video, we'll attempt to reconstruct the meteorology behind such a tornadic monster, including what the background pattern looked like and how such a long-track, violent tornado was able to occur. We'll also try to piece together what the tornado may have looked like and whether or not it was truly a single, continuous tornado for its entire path.
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Become a Patreon member today to support the channel: patreon.com/convectivechronicles
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:59 Overview of the tornado
4:26 Meteorological analysis
12:59 Tornado's visual appearance
14:59 Was it one tornado or a tornado family?
17:16 Wrap-up
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Resources:
Maddox et al. (2013): "Meteorological Analyses of the Tri-State Tornado Event of March 1925" - ejssm.com/ojs/index.php/site/article/view/46
Johns et al. (2013): "The 1925 Tri-State Tornado Damage Path and Associated Storm System" - ejssm.org/archives/2013/vol-8-2-2013
In-depth article detailing the impacts from the tornado: stormstalker.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/tri-state-tornado
Broyles et al. (2025): "The OMEGA Project" - spc.noaa.gov/publications/broyles/omega.pdf
Changnon and Semonin (1966): "A Great Tornado Disaster in Retrospect" - tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00431672.1966.9930508
"The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm" - Thomas Grazulis
Tornado Archive: tornadoarchive.com/home
SPC Violent Tornado Webpage: spc.noaa.gov/exper/outbreaks/#
In-depth discussion of the infamous Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925, which remains the deadliest tornado in US history. The tornado tore an apparent 217-mile-long path through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing at least 695 people, injuring at least 2,000, and wiping towns from the face of the Earth. In this video, we'll attempt to reconstruct the meteorology behind such a tornadic monster, including what the background pattern looked like and how such a long-track, violent tornado was able to occur. We'll also try to piece together what the tornado may have looked like and whether or not it was truly a single, continuous tornado for its entire path.
---------------------------------------------------------
Become a Patreon member today to support the channel: patreon.com/convectivechronicles
Facebook: facebook.com/ConvectiveChronicles
X: twitter.com/ConvChronicles
Instagram: instagram.com/convectivechronicles
---------------------------------------------------------
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:59 Overview of the tornado
4:26 Meteorological analysis
12:59 Tornado's visual appearance
14:59 Was it one tornado or a tornado family?
17:16 Wrap-up
---------------------------------------------------------
Resources:
Maddox et al. (2013): "Meteorological Analyses of the Tri-State Tornado Event of March 1925" - ejssm.com/ojs/index.php/site/article/view/46
Johns et al. (2013): "The 1925 Tri-State Tornado Damage Path and Associated Storm System" - ejssm.org/archives/2013/vol-8-2-2013
In-depth article detailing the impacts from the tornado: stormstalker.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/tri-state-tornado
Broyles et al. (2025): "The OMEGA Project" - spc.noaa.gov/publications/broyles/omega.pdf
Changnon and Semonin (1966): "A Great Tornado Disaster in Retrospect" - tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00431672.1966.9930508
"The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm" - Thomas Grazulis
Tornado Archive: tornadoarchive.com/home
SPC Violent Tornado Webpage: spc.noaa.gov/exper/outbreaks/#
