Extreme weather is a source of both frustration and fascination. From following a tornado with a drone to tracking the path of a hurricane, we are always trying to better understand our weather. This comes from a long history of devastating extreme weather events that have leveled towns and killed many. This past March 18, 2025 marked the 100-year anniversary of one such event: the Tri-State Tornado.
The Tri-State Tornado lasted for three and a half hours as it traveled at up to 73 mph through 13 counties in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Reaching up to a mile wide at times, it damaged 219 miles and was categorized as an F5 tornado — the highest rating on the original Fujita scale — with winds between 261 and 318 mph.
This is the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. It killed 695 people and injured 2,027 others. It destroyed nearly every town it crossed, with a total of 15,000 homes wiped out. The damage dealt would be valued today at $3 billion.
The path of the Tri-State Tornado
The tornado began around 1 p.m. near Ellington, Missouri. That is a small town about two hours south of St. Louis past the Illinois border. As it crossed through Ellington to Illinois, it killed 11 people and injured 32 children who were in two county schools. The entirety of the town of Biehle, Missouri was damaged or destroyed. The buildings did not have the design for protection against such a weather event.
The tornado crossed into southern Illinois and hit the town of Gorham first. It killed 37 people and damaged 100% of the town. Continuing to move northeast, it killed 234 people in Murphysboro, and 33 children at De Soto School. On its path, it destroyed over 500 homes in West Frankfort and leveled over 90% of the town of Parrish. As it exited out of Illinois, it devastated farmlands in Hamilton County before moving into Indiana.
It is estimated that the Tri-State Tornado arrived in Indiana around 4 p.m. It first destroyed the town of Griffin where it killed 25 people and injured hundreds. It went through Princeton, killing 45 more people. The tornado at last dissipated about ten miles northeast of Princeton.
The Tri-State Tornado broke records
The tornado holds the record for the highest recorded number of fatalities in a single U.S. community, which is Murphysboro, Illinois — at 234 deaths. It also holds the record for the number of tornado-related deaths at a school, for De Soto School with 33 deaths.
For the people of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, that March 18th would have been a day of horror. There are some details of that day that are still uncertain because of the lack of good weather tracking technology in 1925. The exact start and stop point of the tornado is not known, nor is its exact shape. It is still uncertain if it was one tornado or multiple that caused so much damage.
Events like that have led us to create more and more accurate weather forecasts. Today the use of AI helps us predict the weather, and we have easy access to alerts and radars on our phones. Through scientific advancements and a better understanding of weather patterns, we can help to prevent such a large-scale loss of life again.
