Tornadoes are one of the worst natural disasters on Earth.
While tornadoes occur from time to time in other countries, however, the United States is hit with tornadoes more often than anywhere else in the world.
Because of this, the largest tornadoes have occurred in the United States.
Although there are more tornadoes than this list, these are the only tornadoes where the range is known, which is the criteria we used to compile the list.
Tri-State Tornado
Date: March 18, 1925
Maximum Winds: Not seen, but sustained gusts greater than 73 mph (117.48 km/h)
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Although not the largest tornado, the Tri-State Tornado is known for setting several other records, including being the deadliest tornado ever recorded in the United States.
The death toll was 695, double the number of the second deadliest tornado in the U.S. Since the Tri-State Tornado occurred in 1925, it has been reclassified as a Category 5 tornado on the original Fujita scale.
The Tri-State Tornado holds the record for longest track, estimated to be between 151 – 235 miles (243 – 378.3 kilometers).
Also, the Tri-State Tornado is the longest known of any tornado at 3 hours and 37 minutes.
Although the Tri-State Tornado was powerful, it was relatively small compared to the rest of the tornadoes on this list and only reached a maximum width of one mile (1.61 kilometers).
No one knows for sure if the Tri-State Tornado was just one tornado or if a series of tornadoes caused the damage reported.
Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado
Location: Grady, McClain, Cleveland and Oklahoma counties in Oklahoma, USA
Duration: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Duration: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Erin D.
The Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado was part of the Great Plains Tornado Outbreak that occurred on May 3 – 4, 1999.
As the tornado’s name suggests, the town of Bridge Creek was hit hard by the tornado.
When the tornado reached the city, it reached its maximum width between 1 – 1.4 miles (1.61 – 2.315 kilometers).
Unfortunately, the tornado’s path cut through many of the tourist homes in Bridge Creek and nearly 200 mobile homes/homes were completely destroyed.
The Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado lasted an hour and passed through several towns.
As a result of the destruction of the tornado, 36 people died and almost 600 people were injured in all areas.
In total, the Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado destroyed an estimated 1,800 homes, damaged approximately 2,500 homes, and caused approximately $1 billion in damage.
Mulhall Tornado
Location: Mulhall, Oklahoma
Source: news9.com
Depending on the cause, the Mulhall Tornado is a contender for being the largest tornado on record.
Various reports indicate that the maximum width of the Mulhall Tornado was over 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) and up to 4.38 miles (7.05 kilometers).
Like all tornadoes on this list, the Mulhall Tornado caused significant damage.
Every house in the town of Mulhall was damaged by the terrible tornado.
Surprisingly, only one Mulhall resident was seriously injured.
Despite the size of the Mulhall Tornado, there were no fatalities due to the size of the tornado that passed through the countryside, and there were no people.
Hallam Tornado
Location: Jefferson, Saline, Gage, Lancaster, and Otoe counties in Nebraska, USA
Prior to the 2013 tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, the Hallam Tornado was the widest tornado on record with a maximum width of 2.5 miles (4 kilometers).
Although the Hallam Tornado touched down in many counties, it was named after the town of Hallam, which was the hardest hit.
The tornado damaged all homes and businesses in Hallam.
Fortunately, the Hallam Tornado mostly passed through small rural areas.
When the storm ended, one person was killed and about 40 people were injured.
According to news reports, the Hallam Tornado was so widespread that many people did not know they were seeing a tornado.
El Reno Tornado
Location: Canada County, Oklahoma, USA – just south of El Reno
Date: May 31, 2013
Date: May 31, 2013
Date: May 31, 2013
Date: May 31, 2013
Duration: 40 minutes
Max Grade: EF3
The 2013 El Reno Tornado is widely believed to be the largest tornado on record, based on width.
However, according to some sources, the Mulhall Tornado is much larger.
At its height, the El Reno Tornado reached a width of 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) and a speed of up to 301 mph (484 km/h).
Despite its strength, the El Reno Tornado was classified as an EF3.
The El Reno Tornado lasted for 40 minutes and ended up killing eight people in their cars.
In addition to the deaths, the El Reno Tornado injured over 150 people.
In 2015, scientists developed a new device that allowed them to collect video footage from the event and see what was happening inside the El Reno Tornado.