MISSOURI/ILLINOIS/INDIANA - Today, March 18, 2019. marks the 94th anniversary of the worst tornadic disaster in recorded history.
What came to be known as the Tri-State Tornado - for barreling across first Missouri, then Illinois, then finally in Indiana - made a touchdown at 1:01 p.m. in the vicinity of Ellington, Missouri, and for the next three hours and 17 minutes, carved a path of destruction across the three mentioned states that still holds records to this day.
The fortunately-unmatched records are in terms of deaths (695), injuries (2,027), time on the ground (3 hours/17minutes), uninterrupted damage path (219 miles, although recent research has it that the tornado may have dropped down about 15 miles further southwest in Missouri than originally believed), forward-moving speeds (73 mph outside of Griffin, Indiana) and vortex speeds (easily reaching the former F5 designation of 318, and possibly beyond that), and damage amounts (calculated at $16 million in 1925 dollars; we try to do the inflation every so many years but we've not done it this year; maybe an astute reader will do that for us and post it!)
My wife wrote a book about this storm many years ago, before Lyme wrecked our lives, and she's doing a timeline over at her Facebook page (click the link to get it). Also doing memorial tributes are the wonderful Posey County Historical Society in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, and other weather-related pages. Tool on over to those and give your support. Not only is our history dying in this country, but it is being altered, as you well know. Support those who are dedicated to preserving it.