Tornadoes of 1925
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 1925. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Argentina, Southern Brazil, the Bengal region and China, but can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during summer in the Northern Hemisphere and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, South Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Tornadic events are often accompanied by other forms of severe weather, including thunderstorms, strong winds and hail.
1925 was the deadliest year for tornadoes in recorded history for North America, with over 800 fatalities being recorded. 695 deaths were from a single, long-tracked tornado that moved through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
January
January 10
An F2 tornado destroyed several barns in Coffee County, Alabama, injuring three people. Another F2 tornado moved through the same area four hours later, destroying a home in Elba. A third F2 tornado damaged two homes in Pike County.February
February 8
An F2 tornado destroyed a home and cotton mill in Mulberry, Arkansas.February 21–22
A tornado inflicted F2-rated damage to homes in the Pooleville, Oklahoma area; damage costs totaled an estimated $60,000. Another F3 tornado killed one person in Loco, Oklahoma, while an F2 tornado deroofed several homes in Okmulgee County. Early on February 22, an F2 tornado injured one person and destroyed a multi-story home near Bearden, Arkansas.March
March 10
On the afternoon of March 10, an F2 tornado moved through Edgar County, Illinois and Vigo County, Indiana, injuring three people. The tornado damaged several farmsteads and dissipated over the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College campus.March 13
An F2-rated tornado damaged four homes near Bernice, Louisiana.March 18–20
On March 18, one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in recorded history generated at least 12 significant tornadoes and spanned a large portion of the midwestern and southern United States. The outbreak was one of the deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history. The outbreak generated several destructive tornadoes in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on the same day, as well as significant tornadoes in Alabama and Kansas.The outbreak included the "tri-state" tornado, the deadliest tornado in United States history and the second-deadliest registered in world history. The track left by the tornado, as it crossed from southeastern Missouri, through southern Illinois, and then into southwestern Indiana, is also the longest ever recorded. Modern meteorological re-analysis has suggested that the extremely long path length and lifespan reported in historical accounts are perhaps more plausibly attributed to multiple independent tornadoes belonging to a tornado family, rather than a single, continuous tornado. Although not officially rated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the tri-state Tornado is recognized by most experts, such as Tom Grazulis and Ted Fujita, as an F5 tornado, the maximum damage rating that a tornado can attain on the Fujita scale.
April
April 5
In the midday hours of April 5, an F3-rated tornado moved through Miami-Dade County, Florida, killing five people in the Miami metropolitan area.April 8
An F2 tornado injured 75 people in Lincoln and Creek counties in Oklahoma. Another F2 tornado tornado destroyed three homes south of Thackerville, Oklahoma; damage from the tornado totaled an estimated $10,000.April 10
On April 10, an F2 tornado destroyed two barns north of Chilton, Wisconsin.April 13
An F2-rated tornado moved through the southeastern portions of Kokomo, Indiana, injuring one person.April 19
Two F2-rated tornadoes touched down in Pennsylvania, the first moving through Westmoreland County and the second tracking across Mifflin County. Both tornadoes damaged structures but no casualties were recorded.April 21
An F2-rated tornado killed a child and damaged a large barn near Cresco, Iowa.April 23
April 23 saw a few tornadoes in the Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota. An F2 tornado damaged several homes near Dunlap, Kansas, while another F2-rated tornado uprooted trees and toppled chimneys in Atchison County, Kansas before crossing the Missouri River. A final F2 tornado in Lincoln County, South Dakota killed several livestock and destroyed two barns.April 26
An F3 tornado killed two people and swept away small houses in Madill, Oklahoma.April 28
Three people were killed and 40 more were injured by a cone tornado east of Kyle, Texas that produced F2-rated damage.May
May 16
An F3-rated tornado moved from Attica, Ohio to Oberlin, Ohio, destroying several barns and injuring ten people. Damages from the tornado totaled an estimated $100,000.May 24
On the afternoon of May 24, an F2 tornado destroyed structures near Valley Bend, West Virginia, killing three people.June
June 1–6
The start of June saw an active tornadic period across the Great Plains region. On June 1, an F3 tornado impacted and destroyed five farms near Galva, Kansas. An F2 tornado south of Marlette, Michigan killed several cattle and destroyed two farmsteads. The final tornado on June 1, rated high-end F2, damaged tipples southeast of Pittsburg, Kansas. June 2 was particularly active, with 11 tornadoes touching down. The first injured two people and produced F2-rated damage in Ionia County, Michigan. Another F2 tornado near Clarkson, Nebraska damaged four farms. A violent F4 tornado killed three people in Madison County, Nebraska, while an F3 tornado north of Douglas, Nebraska inflicted $200,000 in damage to several farms and barns. An F2 tornado in Glenwood, Iowa injured four people and an F4 tornado produced extensive structural damage near Smithland, Iowa. In Riley County, Kansas, an F2 tornado destroyed several barns. A high-end F3 tornado damaged twenty farms northeast of Red Oak, Iowa, and a high-end F2 tornado heavily damaged a home near Emmetsburg, Iowa. An F4 tornado killed three people along a path through areas near Adair, Iowa. The final confirmed tornado on June 2 destroyed 11 farms at F2 intensity in Clark County, Wisconsin.June 3 saw a small but violent outbreak of tornadoes in Wisconsin and Iowa. The first confirmed tornado on June 3, rated F2, killed two people near Florence, Wisconsin; the tornado set aloft and tossed an entire school building into a house. Twin F4 tornadoes injured thirty people and killed one in Pottawattamie and Harrison counties in Iowa. Tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis described the tornadoes as "enormous" and stated that they were possibly of F5 intensity. An F2 tornado tracked through the northwestern portions of Tennant, Iowa, damaging several buildings. An F3 tornado injured one person near Dana, Iowa while the final tornado on June 3 produced F2-rated damage over the same area. On June 5, two tornadoes touched down; the first produced low-end F2 damage to homes in the southern portions of Fargo, North Dakota. The second tornado, likely a tornado family, tracked from Presho to Miller, South Dakota. The tornado produced F2 damage to several barns.
Two tornadoes, both rated F3, touched down on June 6 in Colorado. The first passed through areas in Washington County and the second injured six people in Wray.