List of tornadoes causing 100 or more deaths

This is a list of the deadliest tornadoes in world history. This list includes confirmed individual tornadoes which caused 100 or more direct fatalities.
The deadliest tornadoes by far have occurred in a small area of Bangladesh and East India. In this 8,000-square-mile (21,000 km²) area (roughly the size of New Hampshire), 24 of the 42 tornadoes which are known to have killed 100 or more people occurred.^[1] This is likely due to the high population density and poor economic status of the area, as well as a lack of early-warning system.^[1]
Most of the rest occurred in the United States in 1953 or earlier, before tornado prediction efforts began in earnest.^[2]

Contents 1 Uncertainty 2 Tornadoes

Uncertainty

There are many sources of uncertainty in the statistics mentioned on this page. Before the 20th century, and even until recently in third-world countries such as Bangladesh, records-keeping was spotty at best. Before the American Civil War, slave deaths were often not included in tornado death tolls. Many tornadoes from 100 or more years ago had no official government report on damage or casualties, so statistics must be compiled from local newspapers, which are not always a reliable or consistent source. Many death tolls were published with people still missing, or with people critically injured and likely to die later. In Bangladesh and India, exact populations of towns were often not known, so most death figures are approximate. Individual tornado descriptions go into more detail on these uncertainties.
There is also meteorological uncertainty with the nature of many tornadoes on this list. Before the 1970s, and even now outside of North America, most tornado paths were not thoroughly surveyed to ensure that the storm was indeed a single tornado and not a series of tornadoes from the same storm (a tornado family). Often a single supercell can produce a new tornado soon after or even before the demise of an old tornado, giving the appearance to many observers that a single tornado has caused all the damage. On this list, if it is likely that the tornado was in fact one or more tornadoes, it will appear in italics.

Tornadoes

Rank	Name (location)	Country	Date	Deaths	Injuries#	Description
1	Daultipur and Salturia	Bangladesh	ys1989-04-26	1300	12,000	Likely the deadliest tornado in recorded world history, this storm destroyed everything but a few trees from Daultipur to Salturia.[3][4]
2	Madarganj to Mrizapur	Bangladesh	yv1996-05-13	700	Unknown	†Thirty-thousand homes were destroyed. Many victims were blown long distances, up to 0.9 miles (1.5 km).[3]
3	"Tri-State"	US	n1925-03-18	695	2027	†Unlike most historical long-track tornadoes, this was likely a single tornado, not a tornado family. Partially or completely destroyed more than ten towns. The path length of 219 miles (352 km) is a world record. The death toll of 689 is the official National Weather Service total, however, the Red Cross lists a total of 695, and the death toll was likely even higher due to injured people who died after the fact.[5]
4	Manikganj, Singair and Nawabganj	Bangladesh	yj1973-04-17	681	Unknown	The village of Balurchar was completely destroyed, with eight other villages almost totally leveled.[3]
5	NE suburbs of Dhaka	Bangladesh	yf1969-04-14	660	Unknown	Damage was "colossal" in the northeastern suburbs of Dhaka; many survivors were severely injured.[3]
6	Grand Harbour at Valetta	Malta	aa1551-09-23	600	Unknown	†Waterspout destroyed a shipping armada, then moved ashore, causing severe damage. The storm may have occurred in 1556; sources conflict.[6]
7	Magura and Narail Districts	Bangladesh	yc1964-04-11	500	Unknown	†Wiped seven villages off the map. The death toll may have been as high as 1400, but official records conflict. There were no survivors from the village of Bhabanipur, where around 400 people lived.[3]
7	Sicily	Italy	aDecember 1851	500	Unknown	†Two waterspouts moved onshore at the western end of the island, becoming large, violent tornadoes. This was as a pair of tornadoes, but details are very scarce; it may have been a single multiple-vortex tornado.[6][7]
7	Madaripur and Shibchar	Bangladesh	yl1977-04-01	500	Unknown	All buildings and trees in Madaripur and Shibchar were destroyed.[3]
10	Belyanitsky, Ivanovo and Balino	Russia	yqa1984-06-09	400	213	†[6]
11	Natchez, MS	US	ab1840-05-06	317	109	†Killed hundreds in boats on the Mississippi River. May have killed and injured hundreds more slaves on plantations outside of the city; however, slave deaths were traditionally not included in official totals.[8]
12	North of Cooch Behar and surrounding area	India, Bangladesh	yb1963-04-19	300	Unknown	Touched down near Cooch Behar, India, and passed across the extreme northern tip of Bangladesh. Debris was found 30 miles (48 km) away from the damaged area.[3] One source only mentions 139 deaths.[9]
12	Bhakua and Haripur unions	Bangladesh	yh1972-04-29	300	Unknown	[3]
14	Comilla	Bangladesh	yf1969-04-14	263	Unknown	Spawned by a separate storm from the Dhaka tornado, which killed 660 earlier in the day.[3]
15	St. Louis and East St. Louis	US	e1896-05-27	255	1000	†Destroyed a large section of downtown in both cities. This death toll likely does not include people living in shanty boats on the Mississippi River.[10]
16	Border of Orissa and West Bengal	India	yw1998-03-24	250	Unknown	[3]
17	Tupelo, MS	US	q1936-04-05	216	700	†Destroyed several hundred homes in the city, many of good construction. Over 100 people were still in hospitals when this official death toll was published, so the actual death toll may be higher.[11]
18	Calcutta	India	ac1838-04-08	215	Unknown	Moved very slowly (6 mph, 10 km/h) through the eastern suburbs of Calcutta, sweeping the ground clean in some places.[3]
19	Faridpur and Dhaka Districts	Bangladesh	ya1961-03-19	210	Unknown	[3]
20	Gainesville, GA	US	r1936-04-06	203	1600	†In the same outbreak as the Tupelo tornado, destroyed a large section of downtown at the start of the work day. Forty people were still missing when this death toll was published.[12]
21	14 miles southwest of Mymensingh	Bangladesh	yg1972-04-01	200	Unknown	†A fifteen square mile (38 km2) area was "wiped clean".[3]
21	Faridpur District	Bangladesh	ua1951-05-12	200	Unknown	[3]
21	Baliakandi	Bangladesh	yi1973-04-12	200	Unknown	[3]
21	Parshuram, Fulgazi, Somarpur, and Sonagazi	Bangladesh	yp1981-04-12	200	Unknown	[3]
25	Higgins, TX; Woodward, OK	US	t1947-04-09	181	970	This death toll may be inflated, as this storm was certainly a family of two or more tornadoes. However, at least 107 were killed in Woodward alone, where 100 city blocks were flattened.[13]
26	Jaipur and Keonjhar Districts	India	yn1978-04-16	173	Unknown	[3]
27	Kandi	India	yu1993-04-09	145	Unknown	[3]
28	Amite, LA and Purvis, MS	US	i1908-04-24	143	770	Deaths scattered across two states; highest toll in Purvis where 143 of the town's 150 houses were demolished.[14]
29	Naria, Zajira and Bhederganj	Bangladesh	ye1908-04-24	141	Unknown	[3]
30	Karimpur	India	yo1978-04-18	128	Unknown	[3]
31	Kapundi, Erandi, Dhanbeni and Rengalbeda	Bangladesh	yq1981-04-17	120	Unknown	[3]
31	Borni	Bangladesh	yr1986-04-14	120	Unknown	[3]
33	Dhaka	Bangladesh	i1908-04-24	118	Unknown	[3]
34	New Richmond, WI	US	f1899-06-12	117	200	Struck the town just as a circus was ending, likely inflating the death toll.[15]
35	Flint, MI	US	v1953-06-08	115	844	Destroyed a one mile stretch of houses on Coldwater Road.[16]
36	Waco, TX	US	u1953-05-11	114	597	Thirty or more were killed in a six-story furniture store when it collapsed, with several others killed in cars by the falling bricks.[17]
36	Goliad, TX	US	ga1902-05-18	114	250	Around 100 buildings destroyed. Killed 85 initially, with the rest dying from their injuries later.[18]
38	Mokshedpur, Bhanga and Tungipara	Bangladesh	ym1977-04-02	111	Unknown	[3]
39	Omaha, NE	US	j1913-03-23	103	350	Cut a 0.25 mile (0.4 km) gouge through the city, destroying or damaging almost 2000 homes.[19]
40	Mattoon and Charleston, IL	US	k1917-05-26	101	638	In the past, this was plotted as a record-length 293-mile (472-km) long tornado path, killing 110, but scientists now know that it was a family of at least four tornadoes. A single tornado killed at least 93 people in and near these two cities, and 101 deaths is the best modern estimate for a single tornado.[20]
41	Shinnston, WV	US	s1944-06-23	100	381	†Cut a remarkably continuous path at least 60 miles (97 km) through mountainous terrain. Most deaths occurred in a 10-mile (16-km) stretch near Shinnston. May have killed one more in Pine Grove, Wetzel County.[21]
41	11 miles West of Bogra	Bangladesh	yk1974-04-11	100	Unknown	[3]

''This was likely not a single tornado, but a tornado family (a group of tornadoes formed by the same supercell).

^†May have been higher.

^#Most injury figures are approximate