The Great 1925 Tri-State Tornado: American Nightmare

[@twisterdavemd1]

One of the most beautiful stories of compassion came in the aftermath of the Murphysboro fire. A cook in the hotel, this unnamed black man ran into the fire over and over to rescue those trapped in the rubble. A doctor who arrived on the scene reported that the man had second and third degree burns on his hands, forearms, and face, but refused medical treatment, and wordlessly turned and ran back into the fire. He was found by the doctor the next day, sitting motionless under one of the lone surviving trees, having passed from his injuries. He had pulled 71 people out of the fire. At the doctor's request, he was given a funeral with full honors, as "the most selfless and compassionate man who stepped forward in our most desperate hour of need."

[@oldcollegecoed]

Wow! What a wonderful story of devotion and immense bravery! Thank you for sharing it with us!

[@5roundsrapid263]

That’s what America is all about. Caring about your fellow man or woman, no matter what race or class. What a man!

[@anarchistatheist1917]

That man was a honorable hero. May he rest in peace.

[@Bravo-Too-Much]

Supposedly*

[@grmpEqweer]

​@@Bravo-Too-MuchIf they made it up the guy wouldn't have been black.

[@davashorb6116]

I've lived in southern Illinois all of my 65 years. I still recall older folks talking about "the storm.". They never got over it.

[@rainer250]

Who wouldn't? The Tri-State tornado was a freak of nature. No other tornado in history lasted as long as the Tri-State tornado did.

[@itsnotthesamething]

Banned tornado forecasts is probably why my grandmother ushered everyone into the storm cellar every time a cloud blew up. I never heard of her being in or near a tornado, but she was absolutely terrified of storms.

[@timd.3837]

A good indication that she'd been severely traumatized by one or more of them. Since she grew up with everything being referred to as a thunderstorm, that would be all it would take for me, too, I imagine.

[@windycityliz7711]

One of the saddest stories (to me) is that miners had to climb out via air shafts and then rush in the rain to dig their children out of ruined homes. They were safe; their families were not.

[@thespiritualnavigatrix]

Carly, Thank you so much for covering this tornado event.. My grandmother rode out this storm in a school wagon in a ravine near the Black River. She lost family, friends, and neighbors. Griffin, Indiana which was the closest town (you mention it here) was wiped completely out. She wouldn't talk about it a lot but she did say in a tornado anniversary newspaper story, "The angels must have been holding the horses' bridles that day because after Mr. Couch yelled at us to get down and drove us off the road as fast and far as he could get down into the ravine- they didn't bolt- even though the wind was roaring and trees were falling and popping like popcorn around us." In later years, Grandma and Grandpa created a living space in the basement of their Southwestern Indiana farmhouse so they could just go down there and stay during stormy weather. I believe she carried the trauma of this horrendous day all of her life. I feel those ancestral memories swirling in me as I watch this. I grew up in Baldwin Heights (Princeton, IN) too. So this tornado is in my cells and DNA. ❤

[@theonlybingledingle]

Thank you for sharing this. I am glad you had your grandma after such a horrific event. ♥️

[@FaLL-Edition52]

Wow 🙏

[@frenspanglify]

I was born in Princeton and never knew about the tornado till recently, there's a nice memorial for the tornado and the victims though.

[@georgemcnair3647]

My great grandma was alive for this and I think this is where her fear of storms came from. She was mortally afraid of them until her death. She lived in southeast Missouri.

[@alanpeterson4939]

I live near Annapolis, Missouri, the first town hit that was 90% destroyed. To this day, the town is a shell of what it once was. Today, the whole town is about three blocks long and has one gas station.

[@SteeleUrMom556]

I also live near Annapolis. You’re right, there ain’t much there

[@janelleallison3866]

Thank you for covering this tornado. It's crazy how even today, we are just starting to understand Tornadoes, and back then, they were so misunderstood that even attempting to forecast them was forbidden.

[@carlyannawx]

It's been one I had wanted to cover for a long time, and wanted to really give justice to! It's really fascinating going back and looking at how people perceived tornadoes at that point in time, and it's incredible how far we've come with the general public's knowledge of twisters and their dangers. I'm really excited to see what the next 50 years of tornado forecasting looks like!

[@Caddynars]

It’s crazy how even just mentioning the word tornado on the news could potentially get you arrested, and it would be like that until 1954, when meteorologist Harry Volkman issued the very first tornado warning for a tornado that was approaching Meeker, Oklahoma. It saved many lives, and led to the word tornado no longer being banned from forecasts.

[@653j521]

It sounded as if people were so fearful that it was banned, not that it was so misunderstood. A lot of those who survive a tornado outbreak today are permanently terrified of them. When asked how he could handle the thought of California earthquakes, my nephew said it wasn't as bad as tornadoes.

[@baneverything5580]

​@@carlyannawx Anything that has happened in nature will almost certainly happen again. In the past a smaller sized space impact to the sea or massive level 8 volcanic eruption (both appear to havecontributed to the 536 A.D. worldwide catastrophe when the sun was dimmed by at least 60%) wouldn`t necessarily be a certain death sentence for tens of millions or even billions. But this has changed. Nowadays even a minor change in temperature or weather patterns can doom civilization by impacting the food supply. No preparations have been made to save humans or our important livestock varieties from an event like this or preserve civilization. Only a few seed vaults have been prepared. Did you know in the past 15,000 years there have been numerous rapid global temperature changes of 15 degrees C in 100 years or less and dozens of other smaller ones that by themselves would put a halt to farming? Imagine ice and snow 30 feet deep covering 80% of America or even worse in Canada. In the not so distant past there were no plants or trees in Canada. Remember their massive ice storm that came within one downed power line of an entire city being forced to evacuate? Remember the Winter storm in Texas? Imagine the trees all the way to the Gulf Coast splintered to pieces by two feet of ice and houses being buried and crushed under the weight of freezing rain and snow with road travel impossible. This is the future. They know this but refuse to acknowledge reality.

[@JohnnyDanger36963]

@@baneverything5580 all made up. No impact either.= firmement No fear porn loosh for the daemons.

[@stevenorcott354]

I was just blown away when you disclosed the forward speed of the Tri-state Tornado, 65 mph and up to 73 mph!! Damn, no wonder people thought they had more time.

[@rainer250]

And given the fact the Tri-State tornado was either rain-wrapped or the insane amount of dust kept it hidden from view until it was right on top of them. I can barely imagine the horror those people felt seeing this rolling cloud or fog barrelling towards them

[@davidplummer2473]

It's really not that unusual for such violent weather fronts to move so fast. We had a direcho here in Missouri in Dec '21 that was booking along over 80 mph. Nearly blew me off a bridge on my way home. To give you an idea of how fast it was, the rain was buckets but the ground barely got wet. So that an F5-loaded supercell might clear 70mph doesn't surprise me at all.

[@BeadstringingGenie]

My mother had just turned 3 and was living in Owensville, Indiana. The per capita death rate there was even more horrific than in Princeton, Indiana where my 6 year old father was living. Mom passed down her storm anxiety to me. Dad was more stoic, though he remembered getting home from school (Baldwin Heights, which was destroyed) early and losing part of the roof to the storm.

[@carlyannawx]

thank you so much for sharing this part of your family story. These are the kind of stories that are so important to hear-- I remember reading a lot about Owensville and how awful it was there as well. I'm happy that your parents made it out okay, albeit with storm anxiety which I know is difficult. Thank you for watching, I really appreciate your comment:)

[@BeadstringingGenie]

@@carlyannawx when I was a kid Mom would take us on rides out in the country by Owensville and show us the furrows the tornado had gouged into the ground. They were still visible then, @1960. Thank you for the video. The historical and sociological aspects are really interesting to me.

[@russell703]

Carly the only thing better than the content of your great videos is YOU. Great luck in your new location. You are very good on camera. You should be with Reed Timmer. He needs a good woman before he gets swept away by an F 5. Love you. Russell

[@CortexNewsService]

I grew up in Princeton, but my family didn't move to town until 1971. But I grew up hearing about this tornado. I think it destroyed the southern third of town. And I think we were lucky compared to other towns.

[@BeadstringingGenie]

@@CortexNewsService I agree we were lucky compared to other towns. Had the tornado's path been a mile north it would have devastated the whole downtown area and hit even more residential areas.

[@tripplebrown2132]

in 2013 Bill Paxton from the movie Twister was going to make Twister 2 and base it on the Tri-State Tornado. he was going to set it in Modern Day setting. But unfortunately, he passed away. He even took a drive through the towns and areas that were hit by the Tri-State twister.

[@aimeegallegos1886]

Billy Was My Cousin 😞💔🥹

[@jalenstimes7452]

Well, now we have a sequel called "Twisters" in production. And just like the original, it's based in Oklahoma, specifically El Reno (I think, according to the trailers).

[@tripplebrown2132]

@@jalenstimes7452 The scene in the trailer where there was a water tower it read El Reno

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

The two closest tornadoes we have seen in our lifetime to this one are probably the Hackleburg-Phil Campbell tornado and the Mayfield tornado. Long tracked, nasty, and highly destructive.

[@earnedmystripes2382]

especially Mayfield. I remember watching TWC as it was happening and thinking that we now have a QUAD state tornado. Of course we realized later that the cell cycled near Reelfoot Lake before dropping the separate tornado that hit Mayfield.

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@earnedmystripes2382 Mayfield was very similar, both in track and region.

[@Thicc_Cheese_Dip]

Yazoo City 2010 was pretty horrible too. 150 miles track nearly bisecting the state of Mississippi with continuous strong-to-violent damage along a majority of the path. It's extremely lucky that it mainly passed through the Mississippi Delta and other relatively unpopulated parts of Mississippi and Louisiana. A Hackleburg--Phil Campbell event has actually happened before: during the April 1920 tornado outbreak, a tornado practically matching the appearance of Hackleburg--Phil Campbell touched down just west of Starkville, Mississippi and lifted in Limestone County, Alabama after traveling for 130+ miles. It possibly exceeded 1 miles in diameter, caused extreme darkness along much of it's path and causing at minimum F4 damage with likely F5 damage too. It destroyed the center of Aberdeen, Mississippi and even passed near Hackleburg and Phil Campbell! Seems that a Hackleburg--Phil Campbell event is on a relative cycle of ~100 years, alongside the ~80 year cycle of the Smithville-type tornadoes (the predecessor of that one being the Tupelo, Mississippi F5).

[@5roundsrapid263]

@@Thicc_Cheese_Dip My wife grew up just north of Yazoo City. Her cousin almost drove into the tornado! Mississippi is notorious for long track tornadoes.

[@Thicc_Cheese_Dip]

@@5roundsrapid263 I lived in Mississippi during the Super Outbreak and the Mayflower-Vilonia outbreak. Not only do the tornadoes track far, you can’t see them most of the time.

[@billbombshiggy9254]

My great grandma was with her mother and they were miles away in Corinth, Illinois. They said that the sky got a little dark there, and they thought it would rain, but instead of water, 2x4s and other shit started falling onto their property. My great grandma was like 21 in 1925.

[@rainer250]

What's chilling is that eyewitnesses described the Tri-State tornado as some kind of black fog or cloud coming down from the hilltops. The only time they realized it was actually a tornado is when the vortex was on top of them.

[@poetcomic1]

Grazulis says what is surprising is how many farmers were killed by the Tri-State. Farmers were very weather savvy - what came at them must have been something that didn't look like a tornado.

[@rainer250]

@@poetcomic1 Many eyewitnesses who survived this freak of a tornado described it being some kind of rolling black fog when seeing the approaching vortex. It's most likely the insane debris cloud or it was rain-wrapped combined with its immense size kept it hidden from view, the only time they realized it was actually a tornado was when it was right on top of them.

[@Tuberuser187]

@@poetcomic1 How would people know what one might look like? There might be some vague descriptions or drawings of stovepipe or rope Tornados but for rain wrapped, large wedges or small vortexes inside a larger clear vortex like El Reno they might have no idea they could look like that, especially with the bizarre censorship mentioned here.

[@JennifuhhGilardi]

@@Tuberuser187they literally said the same thing

[@SuddenUpdraft]

The position of the weather service regarding tornadoes reminds of the tragic irresponsibility of the bureau for the 1900 Galveston hurricane in which between 6,000 and 12,000 people died.

[@bamanster5020]

Wasn't The National Weather Service established after Galveston? I think one of the scientists who found it survived, but lost his whole family from the event. I might be wrong. I watched a documentary about it years ago.

[@SuddenUpdraft]

@@bamanster5020 I think there was some type of national bureau but am not sure what it was called.

[@kronosomni2805]

@@bamanster5020 What you're thinking of is the National Weather Bureau, which predates the NWS, and he did not make the agency, but he was an instrumental part of it.

[@mkendall8393]

This is why so many doed in tornadoes up until the 50s. Even the conditions for the 1953 Flint Beecher f5 wasnt warned properly because tornado was a four letter word

[@tthappyrock368]

One of my relatives had a hotel in Galveston and lost it in 1900. Not sure whether any family members were lost in it though.

[@granddadtedindy5109]

Thanks, Carly, for the great coverage. My Grandmother was 24 years old and survived this monster sheltered under a workbench at her place of employment in St. Louis. My Dad was 4 years old at the time!I remember her stories and miss her greatly. She passed at 94 years of age.

[@LonewolfWRX]

I had no idea this tornado ended the life’s of so many children…. That really wrecked my heart and it gave me a newfound perspective on this tornado. Such a tragic event. Thank you for covering this in your words. Your work is top notch!

[@opo3628]

*lives

[@KCGeno]

I lived in Murphysboro IL in the late '70s. I worked at a couple of radio stations there. Found a couple of elderly residents who witnessed the Tri-State Tornado from a half-mile or so away. Fascinating stories!

[@MaurickSh]

Great grandmother saw it from about half a mile north of murphysboro. Said she never would’ve thought it was a tornado until she started seeing these large block shadows flying around, turned out it was the barns, wagons and trees it was uprooting through town. She rode into town once the winds calmed down and she never got fully over what she saw near Logan school. Kids trembling out of rubble with limbs backwards and bleeding everywhere. She couldn’t find out where to go for her neighbors because the roads were completely undone by feet of scouring and all the buildings and signs were gone.

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

I can't imagine the grief of a parent knowing that your child didn't survive such a massive gruesome tornado like that or any tornado like that I think if the tristate tornado were to happen again there wouldn't be so many lives lost bc of all the advanced warnings now

[@ElleriaZer]

The quad state tornado is the only thing I can think of that would be comparable in modern times. That was 2021. Also called the Mayfield tornado.

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

@@ElleriaZer I heard of that one and what happened in the candlestick factory rip to everyine who lost their lives in the quad state tornado

[@rainer250]

It's the long track tornadoes that are the most dangerous because they can cross multiple States and people can have very little time to seek shelter before the vortex was upon them.

[@Sushi2735]

My beloved grandfather grew up on a farm and taught me about the signs of a tornado coming. He was right. All the air seems to stop and it’s like a vacuum. The sky turns a peachy pink color, everything is just totally still. That’s when you head to the root cellar. The very few I witnessed, he was right. Even if we didn’t get hit, that was what it was like. The country people knew, but they knew so many things we don’t today.

[@ClergetMusic]

I recently witnessed the genesis of a tornado that was rated EF3. What you just said gave me chills, because that’s exactly what I saw. Then, the wind and rain started. Combine that sight with the eeriest sound in the world: a tornado siren, and you have a truly frightening experience.

[@grmpEqweer]

Huh. I would have said when the sky turns black, or green. Both of the funnel clouds I've seen popped out of green skies. I was told the tornado that took the roof off the neighbor's house was black, though. Noting we usually have F0's-F1's around here. I do recall seeing that "peachy sky," you're talking about, but that's usually after the front goes through, lighting up mammatus clouds? So it may be a region-specific tell. This is Texas Gulf Coast.

[@Sushi2735]

@@grmpEqweer my grandpa grew up in on a farm in Northern Iowa????? Got me?

[@tripplebrown2132]

Dr. Charles Doswell III and his team of retired meteorologists did research on the Tri-State over ten years ago. They did interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses who were still alive at that time. He showed them pictures of modern day tornadoes and asked which one or ones comes closet to what they saw. Most all of the elderly people pointed to the Wichita Falls, Texas Tornado 1979 from Terrible Tuesday.

[@sukhastings4200]

I was stationed at Sheppard AfB , 12 miles w of Wichita Falls then. The terrible Tuesday tornado was caused by 3 separate tornadoes combining into one giant. Almost as wide as El Reno

[@kronosomni2805]

@@sukhastings4200 No it didn't, the El Reno tornado was 2.5 miles wide, the second widest was Hallam at either 2.3 or 2.4 miles wide, and the third was the second tornado from the Greensburg Supercell at around 2.1-2.2 miles in width. I realize that you might not be ignorant on purpose, but Google exists for a reason.

[@kronosomni2805]

@@sukhastings4200 Also, 3 tornadoes? Not true at all, it was multiple vortices of one tornado, there's multiple witnesses that testify to this and photos for supporting evidence.

[@tripplebrown2132]

@@kronosomni2805 The track of the Tri-State Tornado near Annapolis and Ladeana was estimated to be 2 miles wide or more that has not been confirmed yet.

[@kronosomni2805]

@@tripplebrown2132 If it's not confirmed 100 years later, it's not a fact in my eyes, therefore my point stands

[@imogenperry5869]

As someone who’s from this area, this tornado isn’t talked enough here!

[@timnewman1172]

I imagine if it was like other places in similar times, people DID NOT talk about it! There was a tornado in community in 1925 that killed 7, yet hardly anyone knows about it while the F5 of 1953 only killed one woman but was much more documented and talked about...

[@timme2844]

I was a kid in the early to mid 70s, living in a little town here in southern Illinois that was in the exact, direct path of this tornado. Back then it seemed like there was always an elderly neighbor around that would tell us kids their memories about how bad it was being in that tornado, and after. I'll never forget those folks or their stories! They're all gone now and you're so right, rarely do we hear much about it. I retell their stories whenever the topic of conversation turns to bad weather and tornados! I still live in the area and find it fascinating and sad when I see old houses or old store buildings in these towns because I can't help but wonder if anyone anymore knows the 1925 Tri-state tornado history attached to them? 15 years ago my neighbor at the time, who was 101 though you never would have guessed it, lived through it as a young girl at school when it hit in DeSoto and her story was just heart wrenching. She spoke of that day like it's was yesterday!

[@LOWLOW286]

Do you need explanation? or not

[@frenspanglify]

@@LOWLOW286 what lol

[@frenspanglify]

The only reason i knew about it was because of youtube and there's a pokestop of the memorial we have here in Princeton, IN

[@Bwahahahaha1]

I used to live in Murphysboro and heard a lot of talk from the old timers that the death toll was much higher than what was recorded. I used to dig in my yard for landscaping purposes and would constantly find buried glass and odd things under the ground. This storm absolutely devastated the area and Murphysboro stopped growing after it. There's still around 9k or 10k living in town but Murphy before 1925 was on its way to being as large as St Louis I've heard. Gorham never grew back, DeSoto never grew to be as big as it once was. That tornado took a lot of life out of southern Illinois.

[@matthewbrillhart194]

That picture of the boy holding his dog was heartbreaking as was the whole story. Carly has anyone ever suggested Niles Ohio f5 and pa's only f5? Thanks for the awesome video!

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

This is such a terrifying tornado so many people died in horrible mangled ways

[@5roundsrapid263]

@Lorenzo Von Matterhorn Jarrell was just beyond comprehension, even for tornado experts. It just left pieces…

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

@Lorenzo Von Matterhorn I think the Jarrell tornado is worse then the tri-state tornado imo at least there was intact victims for the most part if the tri-state tornado

[@josephj6521]

@@sweetwolfsteve5583 Jarrell tornado was a slow moving one which made mince of everything. There was practically nothing left!

[@katj3443]

Knowing Carl and Paul where palled from their car by the El Reno tornado and their bodies found over a mile from their car. I can’t even imagine what finding their bodies was like.

[@Caddynars]

One of the victims was the daughter of a school superintendent. They had found her body, basically cut in half, after the school bell fell on her.

[@TheRhythmicStorm1991]

It's crazy to think that this tornado will be 100 years old in just a couple of years.

[@blazernitrox6329]

Ah yes, classic military. USSC: "We are going to stop talking about this thing because we don't understand it well enough." Finley: "Okay, but can I continue my analysis so we can understand it better?" USSC: \*Bugs Bunny "no" meme\*

[@dielaura_]

You're baaack! This was such an interesting story - as someone from Europe who's only gotten into Tornadoes in the last year, I knew the Tri-State Tornado in name only. So thank you for the very captivating summary and just overall high quality content. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's missed you - looking forward to whatever you have in store for us. All the thumbs up from Germany! 👍🏻☺️

[@carlyannawx]

Thank you so much Laura! I'm glad you enjoyed-- there were soooo many fascinating and horrifying stories from this event, far too many to discuss. But I wanted to give somewhat of a realistic portrayal of the massive amount of devastation it left behind. Thank you for being here:)

[@icanhearcolors3984]

I think this is far more tragic than any tornado that ever happened that we know of. 3 and a half hours, 300 mph winds, death, destruction, I think this is beyond ef5. It's so unbelievably sad and terrifying when talking about the Infamous tri-state tornado.

[@calebkent6706]

Ikr ef5 is anything above 200 right? While F5 is 261-300 mph so with that. Im surprised the 300mph or more isnt an ef6

[@icanhearcolors3984]

@calebkent6706 ef6 isn't seen as possible but I do personally think that the Jarell TX tornado was an ef6 because it literally tore concrete out of the ground

[@TheRivrPrncess]

@@icanhearcolors3984 The 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado also qualifies as an F6 in my opinion due to the incredibly high wind speeds and damage.

[@emilyslicer2843]

I think if we saw this exact tornado today with the larger communities now in many parts of the country it could be the mythical ef6

[@colin7244]

One of the most infamous tornadoes of all time and this a long over due talk from you and I really appreciate that you were able to go deep down on this nightmarish tornado

[@john.m.shukites]

I grew up in Southern Illinois and was even fortunate enough to talk to a couple of old timers who remembered the tornado. One person I spoke with was a student at Logan School in Murphysboro. To add to the human factor, the 1920's was a very turbulent time even before the tornado struck. Automation was decreasing the number of coal mining jobs and miners' wages were not increasing. Furthermore, there was a lot of labor unrest that resulted in some brutal incidents. Times were difficult and many men were struggling to feed their families even before the tornado hit.

[@Eibarwoman]

This is one of my worst nightmares of a tornado is something that's so big it doesn't look like a tornado but a roiling fog.

[@danielmiller9012]

just happened to me in ohio on 3/14/24 Brutal stuff Was on I75 south and nearly died because morons blocking off the interstate in the underpass.

[@commiehunter733]

Hackleburg

[@greggalliss310]

In a video from the 1990s, tornado historian Tom Grazulis speculated whether or not the Tri-State Tornado was in fact, several tornadoes cycling along the Missouri-Illinois-Indiana path. He also noted eye witnesses of the appearance of the tornado--- many recalled that it did not appear as a classic funnel, but looked like a "horizontal rolling ball of black clouds." This apparently confused many weather savvy farmers, who would have taken cover sooner.

[@Michael-sb8jf]

yeah the more I hear about people reporting "twin tornados" off this storm the more I lean into a tornadic cycle or forming dying and reforming tornados. Regardless of that matter doesn't take away from the destruction

[@poetcomic1]

Most recent research cannot find the 'breaks' that would make this several tornadoes. The Kentucky tornado is connected closely to the Hayti MO beginning of the storm but clearly there is a break.

[@michellet4407]

Back in the 70s when I grew up they taught you to go to the windows and open them up to equalize the pressure in your house when a tornado was approaching. As a little girl I wondered how I was going to do that and run to the basement at the same time since we lived in a 2 story house. They also told you not to hide under your bed which was probably better advice then opening up the windows.

[@Arceusmemesidk-zk7tm]

Best thing you can do is either leave or get in the basement with boots and a way to put out a fire

[@JV-xf9ry]

I remember the window thing too. A couple of times my mom made us do that for approaching storms. We had one tornado hit when I was little. It. Wasn’t too bad but did kill a pastor in our small town. That was 1974. I have some memory of it. My mom thought the tornado was something special because it actual came at us from the northeast instead of the more traditional directions.

[@poetcomic1]

I grew up with that advice too in 60's. If you just think about it a little, it is ridiculous. The safest place i know from tornado history is a bank vault or a meat locker /cooler. Unfortunately they are not always handy.

[@aaronmett5678]

I think one thing that fascinates me about this tornado is the debate on whether it was one single tornado or multiple in a series. One bit of evidence I noticed in the video I have not seen before that could suggest that this was one single tornado is that one of the accounts said that the tornado was "slanted at a 45 degree angle". To see such a wide tornado shaped like this seems unusual. This could mean that this tornado was very strongly driven by shear and backed surface winds, and this type of setup was very conducive to long tracked tornadoes. There seemed to be a striking similarity in the opinions of many between this tornado and the Mayfield Ky tornado. I would say that tornado was probably the most similar event to tri state tornado that has happened since. The storm that produced the Mayfield tornado had "a very well ventilated updraft" according to Dr. Reed Timmer! This account of the tri state tornado seems to indicate that the storm that produced it may have been similar.

[@windycityliz7711]

It was established at the time that it was a continuous track along the path. Whether vortices formed and reformed doesn't seem that relevant.

[@timme2844]

You did this tragic event justice Carly especially considering a mini series could be done on the Tri State tornado. I was raised in this area (still live here) in southern Illinois just a few miles north of West Frankfort actually and growing up back in the early 70s there were plenty of people around, some relation even, that told grizzly and frightening details of living through that tornado. My Great great Aunt who lived to be a hundred and two (I absolutely remember her, Aunt Bertha) lost her infant son in the tornado where they lived in West Frankfort. I actually rented a farm house back in the mid 90s not far from Parrish ( a wide spot in the road) close to another very small town called Akin and the old landlord told me this was his Father's place and the house I was renting was actually built by the Army Corps of Engineers because the original home was blown away by the Tri State tornado. He also showed me a place across the gravel road, a spot out in a field not far from the one I rented, where his grandparents' place was and it too was flattened actually killing his Grandpa. They did not rebuild that place. Around S. Illinois you will see a lot of older homes that are identical just like the farm house we lived in and these are the houses that the ACE built after the tornado. All those who lived through that tornado are long gone but sadly I know many stories of that horrific event that I was told first hand by those who lived it. I could spend a lot of time retelling those stories but im the end the tragic event was very real and it affected so many people in unimaginable ways which is hard to grasp in an article or video content about something that occured almost a century ago. My hats off to you young lady for your report and the way in which you always stay true, accurate, detailed, but most importantly respectful of the humanity involved in every report you present! Thank You!!

[@amyjo329]

I’ve always just known in the back of my mind I’ve been geographically close to this horrible disaster but it didn’t hit until this video I’m only 45-60 minutes from Murphysboro, Desoto, West Frankfort, etc. 😢 I had ancestors in the area and it’s wild to think my grandparents and above were affected, or their families were. I’ll pay my due respects the next time I come through that area 🥀 thank you for the amazing videos as always

[@Mousecaddet]

The hard work and passion that goes into these videos never goes unnoticed Carly! The way you approach these topics with such respect makes them that much more impactful. You have inspired me to finally take the leap and start working towards the degree in meteorology that I have always dreamed of. Thank you for channeling your passion into these amazing videos that share so much important information with all us weather nerds! PS- It may seem silly but I love your couch oh my gosh, I hope the move went well and am loving the new office space!

[@Nurhaal]

The details of the fatality reports on this legendary tornado are truly haunting. The Jarrell tornado is the one tornado that terrifies me for how powerful it was, yet so slow moving. The details of how pulverized the bodies were is beyond nightmarish and mentally scaring. However, at least with Jarrell, the brutality of the twister virtually left nothing discernable. People were ground to dust. In many ways, that's a far easier fate to comprehend. However, the Tri-States reports are PTSD inducing. So many bodies, so many pieces of bodies. The tornado was moving so fast that there was no "swept clean" kills along it's path of Hell. It's was instead, as massive swipe of the Reaper's blade, blunt, and chaotic. The Tri State tornadoes details of the ravages it left behind spell out precisely a "War Zone", a traumatizing scene of horror and death not seen since and hopefully, never seen again.

[@bdpage2023]

Thx for details. I wondered about macabre mechanisms of injury from swirling debris. This & others should be remembered bc more frequent, high category storms coming due to climate change.

[@MaurickSh]

Big reason why it was so much deadlier than Jarrell was how many more pieces of debris were flying around. It lasted for hours so the tornado was like a blender. Great grandma was told those who died in the fire in murphysboro and were burned alive “were more likely to have open casket funerals” than the hundreds of kids and adults who were massacred.

[@waywardevan]

current resident of southern IL, thanks for covering this! we've been spared a lot in terms of tornadic storms in recent years, but i think about this storm every time we have a tornado risk. it only takes one to turn everything upside down

[@bryancaulfield2066]

One thing that strikes me when looking at the path of the Tr-state is how unlucky it is that just so many towns were basically lined up for it to hit one after another. Its like if the Hackleburg-Phil Cambel happened to hit 20 + towns.

[@thickernell]

Excellent report, as always. As a Central Illinoisan, I've always been fascinated by this storm. As I grew older and spent more time in that area, I learned that it is far enough south that Jim Crowe laws were in effect. That train station you mention in Murphysboro likely had three waiting rooms: white men (smoking), white women and children (non-smoking) and one for "colored." I've always wondered if African-American casualties from the tornado were adequately counted or significantly undercounted, especially given they were not allowed to be buried in town cemeteries with whites. I have always suspected the official number of dead did not account for black people. But I doubt there are any records to investigate further.

[@eveslady100]

Yes, I agree with you. I think that the African American population was way under counted at this time. I'm sure that lead to disparities in the numbers of those who died during that horrific event.

[@tripplebrown2132]

@@eveslady100 They did counted Blacks among the dead in Murphysboro. the other towns i do not know

[@MaurickSh]

@@tripplebrown2132there’s a memorial and tribute to the black man who saved 71 lives from a fire in town too!

[@XShifty0311X]

$16.5 million in 1925 is over $2.36 billion in 2023 for reference on damage. Loss of human life is the important number, but damage estimates help me imagine the physical damage in the path.

[@janledford3010]

This was by far the best information on the Tri-State nightmare, and told in such a compassionate way. Thankyou Carly. God bless❣️❣️❤️🙏🙏

[@michaelgallagher5519]

Thomas Grazulis - “It may be a 1 in 1,000 year event”…. To me Carly , the creepiest thing of all is that AS IT WAS DYING … It made a turn , picked up speed , and obliterated one last town ! Almost implying a sinister intelligence🌜-🌪️. May we never see it’s equal .

[@codyjoewhite2563]

That turn saved 98% of Owensville and Princeton lost the Southern RR shops and the FJ Heinze building. The South end only was devastated.🙏 Then 10 miles later it disipated

[@ryansmith7062]

Years ago I read a book about this called the forgotten storm, the tri-state tornado. Excellent read.

[@michaelk4542]

This one is what nightmares are made of... awesome job, as always Carly!!

[@tornadostories]

Awesome. Carly released a new video. Time to fire up the big television 😃 Edit : Wow, that was a powerful introduction 😮

[@carlyannawx]

I had to come in hot with this one lol

[@theonlybingledingle]

I have been watching natural disaster channels for years now, and I have to say - you’re the first one to call attention to the traumatic aspect. You pay attention to the human grief and devastation, all while sharing the facts of the destruction. Thank you for always remembering these poor lives lost, you ensure their lives & stories will live on in history.

[@MyerShift7]

I maintain this being a single, large, multi-vortice tornado being created and fuelled by a highly unique atmospheric set-up. The damage path width, direction, totality of destruction, speed accounts, and average descriptions of its appearance, plus the absolute continuity and length of the damage path truly suggest an exceptionally rare 1 in 1,000 years. Never say never.

[@JeffreyB1983]

Excellent book by Tri State survivor Wallace Akin (Murphysboro IL) on this event. He was a young child during event.

[@orwellknew9112]

Great job. It is very important that people understand what happened in the past and how people were able to overcome great hardships caused by these storms. You do an excellent job in conveying that information.

[@paulaweber1858]

I am seriously impressed with the amount of detailed information you present. This is must-see historical meteorological viewing.

[@midwesta-framer649]

You do such a great job with these videos, especially this event. The tone, music, your choice of words… very respectful while at the same time informative

[@ccw2613]

I've been waiting! I have been rewatching past videos. I do fear storms due to past trauma but your voice is so calming and it's helped me understand storms even more. I always love to continue learning.

[@jakemiles1427]

Thanks you for covering Tornado. You as well as a KZbin channel called " Horror Stories " cover this story the best. Between your video and his I've learned so much more about this event and about the lives that were affected. You really took us back in time. I would love for you to do a video or how people living in America dealt with tornadoes in the 1700s and 1800s. Did they know about them, did they prepare for them, did the native Americans have experiences with tornadoes? I've never seen anyone cover this topic before.

[@Olivia-pe3sr]

Hi Carly! I’m a fellow tornado fanatic, and I look forward to when you upload new content! It’s so educational, and you speak with such fluidity and respect when talking about these monstrosities. Thank you so so very much for analyzing this tornado as it was not only the deadliest in US history, but the sheer amount of power it had. People often speak of this beast as a “once in a life time event.” However, I think it’s important to note that as the climate continues to rise in temperature more destructive tornadoes will occur, in places you would never expect. For example, what happened in Mayfield shouldn’t have happened in Mayfield. Thanks to the rising temperatures, the region of tornado alley will continue to expand upwards to the Northeastern states, and farther West. People may not be worried about this now, but what happened in 1925 most likely will happen again in the future. Your videos provide some insight to people that these monsters will strike again, and need to be better prepared for when they occur. Again, thank you so very much, and keep reviewing these fascinating monsters of Mother Nature! :)

[@carlyannawx]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this thoughtful comment, Olivia! I do think you bring up an excellent point about climate change, and while I'm not a climatologist-- I am also fearful of what the future might look like with more natural disasters becoming prevalent. I think in the future I will definitely want to examine some published research on the topic, and hopefully present it in a way that resonates!

[@rogerallen6644]

Great Doc!!!! My takeaway from this is that government throttling information ( don’t mention tornado) is nothing new and is just harmful then as it is now. Well done Carly. You are one of the reasons I have abandoned network and cable tv to support passionate creators like yourself.

[@chartier67]

Thank you for taking on this Tornado for a second time. I know you said you first attempt you weren't satified with how it turned out. This was perfectly done as pure usual. Your lack of shock content is why I love your videos, it's always about the story and nothing else . You are respectful to any victims and always tell a story with a tone suitable to the story. Keep up the awesome work and I like your new workspace :)

[@anarchistatheist1917]

The tri state tornado holds some records but also formerly held records that have be succeeded by later tornadoes. The tri state tornado is still in top five or top ten of the records it held as this tornado was a unique and historic tornado. Rest on peace to all the people who died from this tornado and rest in peace to the survivors that subsequently have passed on.

[@xaxman]

I’ve learned more watching these videos than I did in my Meteorology 200 class.

[@Eric_Hutton.1980]

Been looking forward to one of your always educational and informative videos. Still sad that so many children were killed and injured by the tornado when their schools were hit.

[@carlyannawx]

easily the most tragic part of this entire event. The fatality numbers seem unreal, particularly for the schools. As always, thank you for being here Eric. Hope you enjoy this one!

[@dancline1601]

This was very interesting. I have read that farmers, normally attune to severe weather, didn't know that it was a tornado, mostly do to the fact that it looked like fog rolling in, not the normal funnel shape that most people think of. I live in Ohio, where I am a storm spotter and chaser. I always get told that we don't get tornadoes. I live 3-4 hours northwest of Xenia. I have a feeling that this year is going to be a bad tornado year. I always love seeing Blaze 😊

[@Sasakourra]

I only just realized I’m 1 hour away from xenia, I started getting really interested in tornados a few nights ago and then I was woken up at 1am to sirens. I believe a tornado touched down in troy, I saw power flashes for the first time. Hopefully it isn’t a bad tornado season but I hope everyone stays safe. I know I still get anxious whenever I hear sirens!

[@dancline1601]

We had some around my area Friday night into early Saturday morning. I go to Xenia often to research the tornado, and was even asked to join the GCHS, because I'm their words, I know more about the tornado than they do. It's also pretty down there with friendly people

[@taralocastro3742]

Welcome back Carly! I'm happy to see your new pad and uninterested kitty. 😺 I'm sure I speak for everyone who subscribes to your channel and follows you on social media when I say we're all here to support and uplift you. You're a special person! Keep the good stuff coming. 🌪️

[@elil8094]

I know tornados are deadly but they are also fascinating! I’ve always been interested in hearing the story of this tornado! Thank you for such an informative video

[@hazzard_destroyer]

Watching these videos always reminds me how thankful I am for all the knowledge we have about storms and tornados which means we can help save life’s and prevent tragedies like this from happening

[@mirandasallee7073]

It’s always a good day when Carly posts!! Thank you so much for all of your hard work!

[@Sarahsadie2021]

Thanks for making this!! I never really had much of a desire to learn about this tornado, however, you made it very interesting and I couldn’t stop watching

[@grapeshot]

Many of the fatalities at the B & O railyards were burned to death because a fire broke out after the tornado swept through the railyard.

[@cwwmillwork]

That's so sad

[@64amears]

Very impressive documentary! My Grandparents were the only survivors in their town. Thank you for your video.

[@gscott32]

Excellent job covering this horrific tornado! The death/injury totals are staggering, knowing it was on the ground for 3+ hours at F5 with the fire in Murphysboro sheds some light as to why. Take care and see you next video.

[@MindyHodgin]

Great video as always! Glad you're back and settling into your new office ☺️ Thanks for making such great content!

[@bethanyrobinsonwx7633]

And yet another phenomenal video 👏 I can tell you put a lot of work into researching this event! Love the human element you always bring so humbly. 💚

[@joshfairweather97]

I've been waiting for this! Thank you Carly for reasearching and discussing it as I've never really known that much about it other than its damage path and death toll. Also i hope you have been doing well and Blaze has been keeping you company! You are an absolute diamond amongst the tornado community and I love watching your videos because they're for me really educational :)

[@WickedRichie]

This is by far and away the best video covering the Tri state tornado on youtube

[@Jusoon]

Yay, a new Carly video!

[@carlyannawx]

I hope you love it:)

[@stevemergy6087]

Awesome video! You are back with a bullet! Adding modern video with authentic pics and pulled together with your description breaks one’s heart. Truly impressive work!

[@elaineteut9579]

You do such a nice job of telling the stories of these horrendous tornadoes. You are so kind and respectful of all the poor souls who died or were badly injured. I live in Iowa and tornadoes have danced all around our state. They scare me so much when the weather conditions are ripe for these monsters to do their damage. I just feel so sad for all those whose lives were taken. It just seems crazy that every town doesn’t have fortified shelters for everyone. So many times people took shelter in a bank vault and survived. Money is more important than people. Thank you Carly. One thing I have always wondered about is tornadoes have existed since our world began. How did the early people deal with them, plains Indians for instance. Did they know the warning signs, how did they protect themselves? I wonder if they have ever found recorded paintings or drawings of them?

[@DivergingClear]

Murphysboro was additionally devastated by the Mobile & Ohio Railroad which promised to rebuild after the tornado, only to pack up and move its major shops to Jackson, Tennessee. Also, the tornado was the death knell for the Murphysboro & Southern Illinois electric railway that ran between Murphysboro and Carbondale. The construction of parallel Illinois Rt. 13 had taken away a lot of the business, and the tornado damage was too much to recover from. It was scrapped in the following years.

[@Jriedem]

Subbed. This is my favorite channel on YT. It’s like… Forensic Files meets Tornado history. All the details including the human elements of existential horror. Such great work. Thank you!!

[@PM-vv3uc]

You're my favorite tornado stories narrator. Can't wait for your next videos!I really enjoy your videos. Greetings from Germany

[@mchervino]

I live one town east of Murphysboro and I remember first hearing about the tristate tornado in grade school. I've dabbled in photography for decades and 10 years ago I worked with the county historical society in Murphysboro to hand-print all of their photo negatives from the storm (98 negatives). The prints are stunning and I selected the most impactful 30ish for an exhibit which was displayed at the university in town. I still have everything from the exhibit and hope somewhere might display it for the 100th anniversary in 2 years. From the photos, we were able to accurately determine the width of the damage path in Murphy and it worked out to exactly a mile wide. I work in healthcare and I have had the privilege of talking to survivors about their experiences during the storm. All are as jaw dropping as the photos I printed!

[@timv.885]

I find this tornado fascinating, my father grew up in Herrin IL. and lost his father in a mining accident in ‘44. Although my father was born just ten years after this event he seems to know almost nothing about it, maybe it was such a horrific event people here just wanted to quickly forget about it and move, I don’t really know. I was born in Chicago and have since retired and moved to Goreville IL, I would certainly attend such an exhibition of these photos in 2025, I’ll keep an eye out, hopefully there will be some news of it in the Southern Newspaper if it comes to fruition. Good luck.

[@5roundsrapid263]

Carly, you are really special. You’re so thorough and intellectual, plus you have a great face and voice. I learn and relax at the same time!

[@tinlizzie]

So glad you are back. The 1950 decision created an awful result in Worcester, MA in the early 50's. That series began back just east of the Rockies. I publish for a family association and did a piece about all of that one.

[@XShifty0311X]

Top work Carly. All of your videos cover intimate details but never lose sight of the big picture of the events. I also sincerely appreciate the weather setups you provide. You paint the picture very well.

[@bigrooster6893]

If over 150 people can die in Joplin Missouri this day and age, then yes, 500 people could easily die from one tornado if it takes the perfect path.

[@stillchillin7580]

If the 2013 El Reno tornado was a little farther north we would’ve have a mass casualty situation, thankfully it literally swerved around El Reno.

[@janetoconnor3636]

I think it was over that like 695 almost 700.

[@MDKN22]

She's finally back... so glad to have you back with your EXTENSIVE details on these tragic events!!!

[@Chaos8282]

I live about 4 miles from the track. My grandfather was a toddler in West Frankfort when it went through there. My grandmother spent most of her adult life right across the street from the Desoto school. It's still talked about around here today, and many of the little towns never really recovered.

[@windycityliz7711]

Oh, wow.

[@aileencastaneda3724]

Your channel is so underrated, and I love your videos. I'm really happy that you're doing well. ❤ I've been waiting for you to do a deep depth into this tornado it seems school doesn't cover enough natural disasters.

[@snackpack113]

I cannot imagine what these people went though. I never heard about the ban on talking about tornadoes. Thank you for all the history & information! Nice seeing your adorable cat too!:)

[@geraldvance7925]

Great video. I was really looking forward to this one.

[@MiraChan]

Thank you so much for all your research and insight! Look forward to what you decide to cover next!

[@afrozen10-02]

Let’s go! Hooray for more Carly Anna videos.

[@leofrancoeur1417]

Thank you so much for this video. There is a lot of things that I've learned in this documentary. Keep up the good work! It would be interesting to cover more tornadoes on April 27th 2011 like the Smithville EF5 or the Rainsville EF5 as they are not really talked about. These are all suggestions, and I don't want you to feel obligated to cover these as I know you are busy sometimes. Take care! Léo.

[@stonethatflows]

I've lived in Murphysboro & Desoto for years. There are so many stories of children orphaned & one parent families. To this day there r residents who refuse to shelter from storms in basements because of those that were trapped & died in the fires after the storm passed. Our Desoto home was brought in sections by truck & placed on the foundation of a home destroyed by the tornado. Our Murphysboro home was damaged & rebuilt.

[@crystalcordell7102]

I've been hoping you would do this event, and I definitely was not disappointed. Well done!

[@kingshisa8266]

So glad your covering this, this one always fascinated me. Awesome video as always, thank you for all the time and work you put into these, it's appreciated.

[@Cherrytea558]

I love your posts. You do an amazing job of covering these events. I’ve been waiting for your video on the Tri-state tornado. Keep up the great the great work.

[@allisonjackson6239]

Would love to see you cover the Xenia tornado. That one, to this day, scares me the most!

[@madokamiiii]

Me too, that one along with Jarrell fascinates yet terrifies me the most.

[@juliaha4934]

Allisonjackson I live outside of Cincinnati and I remember that day. Super outbreak. I was a sophomore in high school. It was spring break. It hit the west side a community of Sayler Park and pulverized it. That Storm system headed Northwest and hit Xenia. Killed a bunch of people. There were a bunch of tornados that day. I saw one. It was unbelievable.

[@flowerfaerie8931]

What really gets me is how eerily similar the images from this tornado are to the images from the Halifax explosion. This thing did comparable damage to an entire ship full of explosives.