Why were the worst tornadoes in the US the worst?

Answer 1

Let us take a look at the 5 deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history. It is worth noting that all of these tornadoes occurred before we had any sort of warning system. The only way to know a tornado was coming was to see it, and by then it was often too late. Less advanced medical technologies also meant the wounded were more likely to die.

1. The Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925. Death toll: 695. This tornado was exceptional in many ways. It was the fastest-moving, longest-lived, and farthest-traveled tornado on record. It tore a 219-mile-long damage path across parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The path was lined up just right so that the tornado kept destroying one town after another as it traveled. It maintained F4 to F5 intensity for most of its existence and produced severe damage over a wide swath. Its fast forward speed gave people little time to prepare. The tornado's wide funnel was often shrouded in rain which, along with a low cloud base, presented an image that did not look much like a tornado. People who saw it coming thought it was just a bank of low clouds right up until the tornado was upon them.
2. The Great Natchez tornado of May 7, 1840. Death toll: 317+. This tornado, while not rated by any scientist, was almost certainly an F4 or F5. Several dozen people were killed in the destruction of Natchez, Mississippi, but most of the deaths occurred on boats as the tornado traveled up a 7-mile stretch of the Mississippi, reportedly spanning the entire width of the mile-wide river. There was high boat traffic on the river that day, and those boats stood little chance against the tornado. The death toll may have been much higher than the reported 317 as, this being the pre-Civil War South, it is likely that many slaves were killed but not counted among the dead. There were also unconfirmed reports of deaths on nearby plantations.
3. The St. Louis-East St. Louis tornado of May 27, 1896. Death Toll: 255+. This F4 tornado leveled large sections of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. Its exceptional destruction coupled with a dense population resulted in a high death toll. By some measures it was the most destructive tornado in U.S. history. The death toll was likely higher than the reported 255 as the bodies of some people living on the Mississippi River were washed downstream.
4. The Tupelo, Mississippi tornado of April 5, 1936. Death toll: 216+. This F5 tornado ripped through residential parts of Tupelo. More than 200 homes were leveled with a number completely swept away. Entire families were killed in some places with as many as 13 dead in a single home. One report lists a death toll of 233. The death toll likely does not include black victims who later died from their injuries.
5. The Gainesville, Georgia tornado of April 6, 1936. Death toll: 203+. This pair of F4 tornadoes struck Gainesville only a day after the devastating Tupelo tornado as part of the same weather system, marking one of the deadliest outbreaks on record. These tornadoes ripped right through downtown Gainesville, destroying a swath 4 blocks wide. A number of large buildings collapsed with fatalities. The collapse of one factory claimed 70 lives, a record for a single building in a tornado. As with the Tupelo tornado, the deaths of many black victims likely weren't counted. At the time of the reported death toll of 203, 40 people were still listed as missing.