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Unluckiest Towns/Cities for Tornadoes

What are the unluckiest towns/cities for tornado activity? (can select two responses)

  • Oklahoma City/Moore, OK

    Votes: 28 71.8%
  • Tuscaloosa, AL

    Votes: 13 33.3%
  • El Reno, OK

    Votes: 3 7.7%
  • Codell, KS

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Tanner, AL

    Votes: 13 33.3%
  • Wichita Falls, TX

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Murfreesboro, TN

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Jonesboro, AR

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Jackson, TN

    Votes: 2 5.1%
  • Other

    Votes: 3 7.7%

  • Total voters
    39

buckeye05

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Here is the list I have (and yes it is EXTENSIVE):
Moore, OK - Violent tornadoes in 1999, 2003, 2010 and 2013, hit most recently in 2015.
Tuscaloosa, AL - Violent tornadoes in 1932, 2000 and 2011, hit most recently in 2021.
El Reno, OK - Hit three times in 2011, 2013 and 2019.
Codell, KS - Hit on May 20 in 1916, 1917 and 1918.
Tanner, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974 and again on April 27, 2011.
Wichita Falls, TX - Hit twice by F5 tornadoes in 1964 and 1979.
Jackson, TN - Hit by EF4 tornadoes in 1999, 2003 and 2008.
Murfreesboro, TN - Hit in 1913, 1974, 1997, and 2009.
Jonesboro, AR - Violent tornadoes in 1968 and 1973, hit again in 2020.
Vilonia, AR - Hit twice in 2011 and 2014.
Jarrell, TX - Hit twice in 1989 and 1997.
Joplin, MO - Hit twice in 1971 and 2011.
Altus, OK - Hit by two F3's and seven F2's since 1875.
Mountain View, AR - Hit twice in 1996 and 2008.
Huntsville, AL - Hit twice in 1989 and 2011.
Omaha, NE - Hit twice in 1913 and 1975.
Hoisington, KS - Hit twice in 1919 and 2001.
Haysville, KS - Hit twice in 1991 and 1999.
Hattiesburg, MS - Hit twice in 2013 and 2017.
Tupelo, MS - Hit in 1936 and 2014, and again in 2021.
Harvest, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974, and in 1995, 2011, and yet again in 2012.
Birmingham, AL - Hit in 1932, 1956, 1977, and 2011.
Dolores, Uruguay - Hit twice in 2012 and 2016.
Niles, Ohio - Hit twice in 1947 and 1985 (Thanks locomusic01 for bringing the 1947 tornado to my attention!)
Celina, Ohio - Hit in 2011, 2017 and again in 2019 (Thanks buckeye05 for bringing this city to my attention!)
St. Louis, MO - Hit in 1896 and 2011.
Xenia, Ohio - Hit twice in 1974 and 2000.
Nashville, Tennessee - Hit in 1933, 1998 and again in 2020.
Louisville, KY - Hit in 1890, 1964, 1974 and again in 1996.

I do like the idea of making multiple polls with a "process of elimination" used to come up with the TalkWeather community's ranking of the most tornado prone/unlucky cities and towns. It is something I could do if enough people are willing to participate and the mods are okay with it.

I have no plans to close this thread though. I have already learned a lot myself and would love to keep the discussion going.
Just a few corrections/additions
-----

Xenia was also hit by: An F3 in 1933 and an F2 in 1989.

Moore was also hit by: An F3 in 1973.

Haysville/McConnel AFB was also hit by: An F3 one month after the initial Andover tornado, and by an EF3 in 2012.
 

TH2002

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Just a few corrections/additions
-----

Xenia was also hit by: An F3 in 1933 and an F2 in 1989.

Moore was also hit by: An F3 in 1973.

Haysville/McConnel AFB was also hit by: An F3 one month after the initial Andover tornado, and by an EF3 in 2012.
Had no idea Xenia had been hit in 1933 and 1989, thanks for that info!

I have heard of the 1973 Moore tornado but haven't done a ton of research on it. F3/EF3 tornadoes are officially excluded from the "violent" tornado category however.

Also did not know Haysville and McConnell were hit by yet another tornado one month after 4/26. Have heard of the 2012 Wichita tornado. Part of the same outbreak as the Woodward EF3, and that reminds me.
 

buckeye05

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Had no idea Xenia had been hit in 1933 and 1989, thanks for that info!

I have heard of the 1973 Moore tornado but haven't done a ton of research on it. F3/EF3 tornadoes are officially excluded from the "violent" tornado category however.

Also did not know Haysville and McConnell were hit by yet another tornado one month after 4/26. Have heard of the 2012 Wichita tornado. Part of the same outbreak as the Woodward EF3, and that reminds me.
Yeah the 1933 Xenia tornado has essentially been lost to history. It is only listed in Grazulis' big green book and another book called "Thunder in the Heartland" which chronicles severe weather events throughout Ohio's history. It hit a section of town called "Frogtown Hollow" and leveled numerous small homes and cottages, killing one person.
 

TH2002

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Yeah the 1933 Xenia tornado has essentially been lost to history. It is only listed in Grazulis' big green book and another book called "Thunder in the Heartland" which chronicles severe weather events throughout Ohio's history. It hit a section of town called "Frogtown Hollow" and leveled numerous small homes and cottages, killing one person.
Yeah I hate when invaluable information about historical tornado events gets lost to time. I take it finding damage pictures would be virtually impossible as a result.
 

buckeye05

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I mentioned some of the details on the other thread, here's a pic:

View attachment 10710

Another localized area of the US prone to violent tornadoes, wonder what local geography/topography plays a role here?
Also the 2006 Crosstown tornado's appearance is probably what the Tri-State looked like for much of its path, aside from being clearly visible and not rain-wrapped.
The 2017 Perryville, MO/ Christopher, IL EF4 also occurred in this general area. And while not violent tornadoes, St. Mary/Chester and surrounding areas were hit by an F3 in 2006 and by an EF3 just last month in 2021.
 

locomusic01

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In doing my research on the 5/31/85 Barrie tornado, I also learned that the area was struck by a tornado in July 1905. I found very little information on it (although I didn't look that hard), but it seems to have hit a few miles north of the 1985 path. It was likely a significant tornado, destroying several farms and injuring a few people, but probably not violent from what little I could find.
 
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Joplin, Missouri is another candidate as it was also struck by an F5 in 1971 and a much weaker one in 1973; both of these occurred in the month of May.

An article from the Joplin Globe from 2010:


Book on Amazon concerning the 1971 tornado:

Amazon product ASIN B000L2NSEC
If anyone can find PDFs of this book or damage photographs from either of the 1970s tornadoes please post; it'd be interesting to compare damages from the 1970s to the 2011 EF5.
 

TH2002

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Joplin, Missouri is another candidate as it was also struck by an F5 in 1971 and a much weaker one in 1973; both of these occurred in the month of May.

An article from the Joplin Globe from 2010:


Book on Amazon concerning the 1971 tornado:

Amazon product ASIN B000L2NSEC
If anyone can find PDFs of this book or damage photographs from either of the 1970s tornadoes please post; it'd be interesting to compare damages from the 1970s to the 2011 EF5.
Not sure where the F5 rating came from, Grazulis rates the 1971 event as an F3. I find it interesting there is no mention of the 1973 event at all.

Incidentally, Joplin was hit by yet another tornado (rated F2) in 1935.

Here are some photos from the 1971 tornado. I know, one of them is a terrible blurry photo of photos, but it's all I could find at the moment.
joplin-1971-tornado-highway-building.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

The good news is that there are some copies of the picture book in the second photo up for sale. Thinking about buying a copy to scan in (which I also need to do with my RPPC's....)
 
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Not sure where the F5 rating came from, Grazulis rates the 1971 event as an F3. I find it interesting there is no mention of the 1973 event at all.

Incidentally, Joplin was hit by yet another tornado (rated F2) in 1935.

Here are some photos from the 1971 tornado. I know, one of them is a terrible blurry photo of photos, but it's all I could find at the moment.
joplin-1971-tornado-highway-building.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

The good news is that there are some copies of the picture book in the second photo up for sale. Thinking about buying a copy to scan in (which I also need to do with my RPPC's....)
F5 was a typo on my end, the 1973 one is interesting; perhaps it wasn't 'significant' enough to meet Grazulis's criteria?
 

MNTornadoGuy

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Fridley MN and the surrounding area is pretty unlucky. It got hit by 3 violent tornadoes on the same night. It also got hit by an F4 in 1929, a high-end EF1 in 2011, an F4 in 1951, an F3 in 1984, and an F3 in 1986.
 
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The 2017 Perryville, MO/ Christopher, IL EF4 also occurred in this general area. And while not violent tornadoes, St. Mary/Chester and surrounding areas were hit by an F3 in 2006 and by an EF3 just last month in 2021.
One can also add an F4 on 21 April 1912 that tracked from just north of Murphysboro to Pershing via Bush and Herrin.
 
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Here is the list I have (and yes it is EXTENSIVE):
Moore, OK - Violent tornadoes in 1999, 2003, 2010 and 2013, hit most recently in 2015.
Tuscaloosa, AL - Violent tornadoes in 1932, 2000 and 2011, hit most recently in 2021.
El Reno, OK - Hit three times in 2011, 2013 and 2019.
Codell, KS - Hit on May 20 in 1916, 1917 and 1918.
Tanner, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974 and again on April 27, 2011.
Wichita Falls, TX - Hit twice by F5 tornadoes in 1964 and 1979.
Jackson, TN - Hit by EF4 tornadoes in 1999, 2003 and 2008.
Murfreesboro, TN - Hit in 1913, 1974, 1997, and 2009.
Jonesboro, AR - Violent tornadoes in 1968 and 1973, hit again in 2020.
Vilonia, AR - Hit twice in 2011 and 2014.
Jarrell, TX - Hit twice in 1989 and 1997.
Joplin, MO - Hit twice in 1971 and 2011.
Altus, OK - Hit by two F3's and seven F2's since 1875.
Mountain View, AR - Hit twice in 1996 and 2008.
Huntsville, AL - Hit twice in 1989 and 2011.
Omaha, NE - Hit twice in 1913 and 1975.
Hoisington, KS - Hit twice in 1919 and 2001.
Haysville, KS - Hit twice in 1991 and 1999.
Hattiesburg, MS - Hit twice in 2013 and 2017.
Tupelo, MS - Hit in 1936 and 2014, and again in 2021.
Harvest, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974, and in 1995, 2011, and yet again in 2012.
Birmingham, AL - Hit in 1932, 1956, 1977, and 2011.
Dolores, Uruguay - Hit twice in 2012 and 2016.
Niles, Ohio - Hit twice in 1947 and 1985 (Thanks locomusic01 for bringing the 1947 tornado to my attention!)
Celina, Ohio - Hit in 2011, 2017 and again in 2019 (Thanks buckeye05 for bringing this city to my attention!)
St. Louis, MO - Hit in 1896 and 2011.
Xenia, Ohio - Hit twice in 1974 and 2000.
Nashville, Tennessee - Hit in 1933, 1998 and again in 2020.
Louisville, KY - Hit in 1890, 1964, 1974 and again in 1996.

I do like the idea of making multiple polls with a "process of elimination" used to come up with the TalkWeather community's ranking of the most tornado prone/unlucky cities and towns. It is something I could do if enough people are willing to participate and the mods are okay with it.

I have no plans to close this thread though. I have already learned a lot myself and would love to keep the discussion going.
Some additions:
  • Chicago, IL: deadly E/F4+ tornadoes on 28 Mar 1920, 11 Apr 1965, 21 Apr 1967, and 28 Aug 1990
  • Gainesville, GA: deadly F4s on 1 Jun 1903 and 6 Apr 1936, both of which probably claimed more than one hundred fatalities
  • Grand Rapids, MI: long-tracked F5 on 3 Apr 1956 and an F4 on 11 Apr 1965, both of which affected areas in/near Comstock Park
  • Jackson, MS: deadly and/or long-tracked E/F3+ tornadoes on 6 Jun 1916, 3 Mar 1966, and 22 Nov 1992
St. Louis, MO, also sustained hits in 1927, 1959, and 1967.
 

Austin Dawg

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Here is the list I have (and yes it is EXTENSIVE):
Moore, OK - Violent tornadoes in 1999, 2003, 2010 and 2013, hit most recently in 2015.
Tuscaloosa, AL - Violent tornadoes in 1932, 2000 and 2011, hit most recently in 2021.
El Reno, OK - Hit three times in 2011, 2013 and 2019.
Codell, KS - Hit on May 20 in 1916, 1917 and 1918.
Tanner, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974 and again on April 27, 2011.
Wichita Falls, TX - Hit twice by F5 tornadoes in 1964 and 1979.
Jackson, TN - Hit by EF4 tornadoes in 1999, 2003 and 2008.
Murfreesboro, TN - Hit in 1913, 1974, 1997, and 2009.
Jonesboro, AR - Violent tornadoes in 1968 and 1973, hit again in 2020.
Vilonia, AR - Hit twice in 2011 and 2014.
Jarrell, TX - Hit twice in 1989 and 1997.
Joplin, MO - Hit twice in 1971 and 2011.
Altus, OK - Hit by two F3's and seven F2's since 1875.
Mountain View, AR - Hit twice in 1996 and 2008.
Huntsville, AL - Hit twice in 1989 and 2011.
Omaha, NE - Hit twice in 1913 and 1975.
Hoisington, KS - Hit twice in 1919 and 2001.
Haysville, KS - Hit twice in 1991 and 1999.
Hattiesburg, MS - Hit twice in 2013 and 2017.
Tupelo, MS - Hit in 1936 and 2014, and again in 2021.
Harvest, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974, and in 1995, 2011, and yet again in 2012.
Birmingham, AL - Hit in 1932, 1956, 1977, and 2011.
Dolores, Uruguay - Hit twice in 2012 and 2016.
Niles, Ohio - Hit twice in 1947 and 1985 (Thanks locomusic01 for bringing the 1947 tornado to my attention!)
Celina, Ohio - Hit in 2011, 2017 and again in 2019 (Thanks buckeye05 for bringing this city to my attention!)
St. Louis, MO - Hit in 1896 and 2011.
Xenia, Ohio - Hit twice in 1974 and 2000.
Nashville, Tennessee - Hit in 1933, 1998 and again in 2020.
Louisville, KY - Hit in 1890, 1964, 1974 and again in 1996.

I do like the idea of making multiple polls with a "process of elimination" used to come up with the TalkWeather community's ranking of the most tornado prone/unlucky cities and towns. It is something I could do if enough people are willing to participate and the mods are okay with it.

I have no plans to close this thread though. I have already learned a lot myself and would love to keep the discussion going.
I think this is cool to examine with the folks that inhabit this page. It may take a while there could be some really interesting results. It's not a matter of who is the unluckiest because Moore and Tuscaloosa immediately come to mind for just about anyone
 

TH2002

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I think this is cool to examine with the folks that inhabit this page. It may take a while there could be some really interesting results. It's not a matter of who is the unluckiest because Moore and Tuscaloosa immediately come to mind for just about anyone
Yeah you are certainly right and Moore and Tuscaloosa's reputations are well deserved. But now that buckeye05 has brought Harvest, AL to my attention, I come to wonder why it doesn't have the same reputation. I guess because it is a rather small community compared to Moore and Tuscaloosa that the Lamestream Media has hardly ever given any attention to? I mean good grief they were hit by all of the Tanner tornadoes as well as the Anderson Hills tornado and an EF3 in 2012.
 
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Yeah you are certainly right and Moore and Tuscaloosa's reputations are well deserved. But now that buckeye05 has brought Harvest, AL to my attention, I come to wonder why it doesn't have the same reputation. I guess because it is a rather small community compared to Moore and Tuscaloosa that the Lamestream Media has hardly ever given any attention to? I mean good grief they were hit by all of the Tanner tornadoes as well as the Anderson Hills tornado and an EF3 in 2012.
Well yeah, bigger areas have higher populations and thus more people to witness events and be able to report them and the infrastructure for doing so; not sure what your beef with the "Lamestream Media" is.
 

Fred Gossage

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Here is the list I have (and yes it is EXTENSIVE):
Moore, OK - Violent tornadoes in 1999, 2003, 2010 and 2013, hit most recently in 2015.
Tuscaloosa, AL - Violent tornadoes in 1932, 2000 and 2011, hit most recently in 2021.
El Reno, OK - Hit three times in 2011, 2013 and 2019.
Codell, KS - Hit on May 20 in 1916, 1917 and 1918.
Tanner, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974 and again on April 27, 2011.
Wichita Falls, TX - Hit twice by F5 tornadoes in 1964 and 1979.
Jackson, TN - Hit by EF4 tornadoes in 1999, 2003 and 2008.
Murfreesboro, TN - Hit in 1913, 1974, 1997, and 2009.
Jonesboro, AR - Violent tornadoes in 1968 and 1973, hit again in 2020.
Vilonia, AR - Hit twice in 2011 and 2014.
Jarrell, TX - Hit twice in 1989 and 1997.
Joplin, MO - Hit twice in 1971 and 2011.
Altus, OK - Hit by two F3's and seven F2's since 1875.
Mountain View, AR - Hit twice in 1996 and 2008.
Huntsville, AL - Hit twice in 1989 and 2011.
Omaha, NE - Hit twice in 1913 and 1975.
Hoisington, KS - Hit twice in 1919 and 2001.
Haysville, KS - Hit twice in 1991 and 1999.
Hattiesburg, MS - Hit twice in 2013 and 2017.
Tupelo, MS - Hit in 1936 and 2014, and again in 2021.
Harvest, AL - Hit twice on April 3, 1974, and in 1995, 2011, and yet again in 2012.
Birmingham, AL - Hit in 1932, 1956, 1977, and 2011.
Dolores, Uruguay - Hit twice in 2012 and 2016.
Niles, Ohio - Hit twice in 1947 and 1985 (Thanks locomusic01 for bringing the 1947 tornado to my attention!)
Celina, Ohio - Hit in 2011, 2017 and again in 2019 (Thanks buckeye05 for bringing this city to my attention!)
St. Louis, MO - Hit in 1896 and 2011.
Xenia, Ohio - Hit twice in 1974 and 2000.
Nashville, Tennessee - Hit in 1933, 1998 and again in 2020.
Louisville, KY - Hit in 1890, 1964, 1974 and again in 1996.

I do like the idea of making multiple polls with a "process of elimination" used to come up with the TalkWeather community's ranking of the most tornado prone/unlucky cities and towns. It is something I could do if enough people are willing to participate and the mods are okay with it.

I have no plans to close this thread though. I have already learned a lot myself and would love to keep the discussion going.
You can add another violent tornado for the Tuscaloosa count. The city was hit by an F4 in February 1975.
 

TH2002

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Well yeah, bigger areas have higher populations and thus more people to witness events and be able to report them and the infrastructure for doing so; not sure what your beef with the "Lamestream Media" is.
Along with seemingly ignoring a lot of small towns altogether I am just so sick and tired of them deliberately ignoring more intense damage to document obviously weaker damage. It is crap like that that is one of the reasons why a lot of people unfairly question Joplin's EF5 rating; because almost no "reliable sources" bothered to document homes and other structures with EF5 damage. It is also no secret that almost all of them drove right past the EF5 damage outside of Greensburg. I don't have a problem with them wanting to document an area where numerous fatalities occurred, but at the same time violent damage should not be overlooked or ignored.
 
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Along with seemingly ignoring a lot of small towns altogether I am just so sick and tired of them deliberately ignoring more intense damage to document obviously weaker damage. It is crap like that that is one of the reasons why a lot of people unfairly question Joplin's EF5 rating; because almost no "reliable sources" bothered to document homes and other structures with EF5 damage. It is also no secret that almost all of them drove right past the EF5 damage outside of Greensburg. I don't have a problem with them wanting to document an area where numerous fatalities occurred, but at the same time violent damage should not be overlooked or ignored.
Well you have to keep in mind that most people aren't able to recognize damage above the EF3 threshold; EF4 and EF5 damage are often so extreme most people don't realize what they're looking at, especially if an EF5 swept away a large building; if you're not from the area you likely wouldn't recognize anything was amiss unless you closely went up and examined the foundation; it's unlikely news crews have enough time to fully document damage like that, plus it's not their jobs; that's the damage survey teams' job.
 
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