Record-Breaking Tornadoes That Stunned Meteorologists

Natural disasters are deadly, terrifying weather events that occur worldwide, but tornadoes are often called nature's most violent storms because of their ability to cause death and destruction in a matter of seconds. According to NOAA, a tornado is "a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground". This funnel-shaped cloud has rotating winds that can reach 300 mph.

Twisters are caused by instability in the atmosphere and often develop from thunderstorms before a cold front. When the air during a severe thunderstorm is unstable and this air is combined with wind shear, a tornado can occur. They can also develop with a hurricane. While they can occur at any time of the year, the season is typically April, May, and June.

Meteorologists can predict when tornadoes might happen because of the weather conditions, but it's not easy to detect their exact location ahead of time like hurricanes, thunderstorms, and other natural disasters. Tornadoes are more common in certain areas of the United States, specifically Tornado Alley, the central U.S. region that has an inordinately higher amount of tornadoes than any other region in the nation, but all 50 states have experienced these twisters at some point in history.

To create this list of record-breaking tornadoes that stunned meteorologists, 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous sources, including the National Weather Service, The Weather Channel, and the Storm Prediction Center. (Check out how to tell the difference between a hurricane and a tornado.)

• Location: Bridge Creek, Oklahoma
• Date: May 3, 1999

The wind speed of a tornado can range from 40 mph to over 200 mph. The most severe type of tornado, known as an EF5 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, has winds over 200 mph.

While the wind speeds of tornadoes are rarely recorded, the strongest one to be measured came from the Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado in Oklahoma on May 3, 1999. The recorded wind speeds of this tornado reached 318 mph.

• Location: Southern United States
• Date: September 2004

Various factors in the atmosphere can lead to the creation of a tornado. One of these is the presence of a severe thunderstorm or hurricane. While it's not uncommon to see tornadoes with a hurricane, Hurricane Ivan broke a record for the hurricane that caused the most tornadoes.

In September 2004, Ivan tore across the southern United States, creating a three-day tornado outbreak. This hurricane alone caused 120 tornadoes and led to the largest tornado outbreak in Virginia.

• Location: Bangladesh
• Date: April 26, 1989

If a tornado is strong enough, it can be deadly, especially because it's not always possible for meteorologists to give much warning to residents before a tornado hits. The deadliest tornado in world history took place in Bangladesh on April 26, 1989.

Tornadoes are frequent in Bangladesh but the Daulatpur-Saturia Tornado claimed about 1,300 lives and left about 12,000 people injured.

• Location: Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana
• Date: March 18, 1925

The Tri-State Tornado was the deadliest in U.S. history. The areas affected by this massive storm included Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, mostly involving the southern areas of those states.

This tornado was an EF5, the strongest type, with winds over 300 mph. The Tri-State Tornado set a record for the most fatalities in the U.S. with about 695 deaths across three states. It also caused over 2,000 injuries and $16.5 million in damage.

• Location: Joplin, Missouri
• Date: May 22, 2011

Even though the Joplin Tornado wasn't the deadliest in U.S. history, it was the costliest. On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado demolished the city of Joplin, Missouri. Overall, it caused $2.8 billion in damages. When adjusted for inflation, this would have been nearly $4 billion today.

• Location: United States
• Date: 2004

After the end of 2004, a record was broken for the most tornadoes in a year in the United States, with 1,817 tornadoes recorded compared to the average of 1,200 tornadoes that normally take place in a year.

This number was significantly impacted by the May Tornado Outbreak Sequence between May 21-31. Nearly 400 tornadoes developed during that time.

• Location: U.S. and Canada
• Date: April 27, 2011

The 2011 Super Outbreak broke multiple records, including the most tornadoes in 24 hours. This outbreak mostly took place in the Midwest, South, and Northeastern U.S.

On April 27, 2011, 216 tornadoes occurred across the country, the highest number of tornadoes in any 24-hour period. April 2011 also set a record for the most tornadoes ever occurring in April.

• Location: Southern United States
• Date: April 3-4, 1974

The 2011 Super Outbreak had more tornadoes overall than the 1974 Super Outbreak but the tornado outbreak in 1974 is still considered the most intense tornado outbreak in history.

During the 1974 Super Outbreak, there were 23 EF4 and 7 EF5 tornadoes. During the 2011 Outbreak, there were only 11 EF4 storms and 4 EF5 tornadoes. This massive outbreak in 1974 stretched across 13 different states in the U.S.

• Location: Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana
• Date: March 18, 1925

The Tri-State Tornado in March 1925 broke numerous tornado records, including the longest path of a tornado. This tornado, which impacted Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, broke a record for the longest path after traveling 219 miles.

There has been speculation that the Tri-State Tornado was more than one tornado, but there's not enough evidence to support this. (Don't miss wildly destructive storms that flattened entire cities.)