Tupelo tornado of 1936 was one of the deadliest tornadoes in United States history. It struck Tupelo, Mississippi , on April 5, 1936. The tornado killed well over 200 people.
On April 5 and 6, a series of powerful thunderstorms swept across the southeastern United States. The storms produced about 17 tornadoes. Around 8 p.m. on April 5, one of these tornadoes touched down near Coffeeville, Mississippi, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Tupelo. The severe weather moved east-northeast, and a tornado hit northern Tupelo at about 9 p.m. The tornado destroyed about 200 homes and cost millions of dollars in damages.
Official records stated that the Tupelo tornado killed 216 people and injured an additional 700. However, official records at that time did not track all the deaths and injuries suffered by African Americans . Historians believe the actual death and injury totals are much higher.
On the Enhanced Fujita scale, the scale commonly used to rate the strength of tornadoes, scientists classify the Tupelo tornado as an EF5—the strongest rating. See Tornado (table: The Enhanced Fujita scale) .
The day after the Tupelo tornado, another tornado event rising from the same storm family hit Gainesville, Georgia . Two funnel clouds met and tore through the center of the town. About 200 people were killed.
See also Tornado .
