What I believe to be the top 3 candidates for the strongest October tornado:
10/9/1913 Chambers NE F4:
This was a very long-tracked family of intense/violent tornadoes that traveled through central Nebraska. It was likely at peak intensity in Custer County. Four or more farms/ranches were swept away in this county alone, three of which I will describe here. The first farm, which had large buildings, was swept bare with farming machinery being "smashed to pieces." A nearby cornfield was stripped bare and "the land had an appearance of no improvements whatsoever." At another farm, everything was swept away with nothing left with the farm machinery being "twisted beyond repair." One interesting thing that the local newspaper reported here was "the earth here presented an appearance of having been gone over with a disk [harrow.]" At the last described farm, a large ten-room ranch house was completely swept away along with the surrounding outbuildings. Water tanks were carried up to 5 miles and debris at some farms was ground to "kindling wood" with "it being impossible to recognize any individual piece." Despite the extent of the damage in this area, no one was killed though one child was crushed when a sod house collapsed and may have died from his injuries. Sadly, the same could not be said for the Chambers area where 3 people were killed. 2 died in a farmhouse that was swept away and the other person died in the eastern edge of Chambers.
10/3/1903 Portage County WI F4:
This large and intense tornado moved from 1.5 miles south of Bancroft to west of Sheridan. At least seven farms were devastated by this tornado according to Grazulis. One of these farms which contained a two-story house, barns, and outbuildings was "literally swept out of existence. Blown clear to the ground." Even the floors were blown away at this farm. At another farm consisting of a "well-appointed" home and "fine" outbuildings was completely swept away. Near Lanark, a parsonage and church were swept away with not even a piece of timber left on the stone foundations. Many miles of forest were destroyed, potatoes were blown out of the ground, and cornfields were severely damaged. 5 people were killed by this tornado on farms.
10/25/1925 Good Hope AL F4:
This devastating and long-tracked tornado ripped through SE Alabama during the early morning hours. Many tenant and regular homes were leveled and swept away in rural areas. Automobiles were tossed for long distances and mangled from a few of these homes. One local newspaper reported that the tornado "swept the weeds and grass from the earth and left the ground as clean as a bedroom floor." The death total from this tornado was high, 18 people were killed and 60 injured.
