1908 Dixie tornado outbreak
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On April 23–25, 1908, a destructive tornado outbreak affected portions of the Midwestern and Southern United States, including the Great Plains. The outbreak produced at least 31 tornadoes in 13 states, with a total of at least 324 tornado-related deaths. Of these deaths, most were caused by three long-tracked, violent tornadoes—each rated F4 on the Fujita scale and considered to be a tornado family—that occurred on April 24. Most of the deaths were in rural areas, often consisted of African Americans, and consequently may have been undercounted. One of the tornadoes killed 143 people along its path, 73 of them in the U.S. state of Mississippi, making the tornado the third deadliest in Mississippi history, following the 1936 Tupelo F5, with 216 deaths, and the 1840 Natchez tornado, with 317 deaths.[1][2][3][nb 2][nb 3][nb 4]
Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Duration | April 23–25, 1908 |
Tornadoes confirmed | ≥ 31 confirmed |
Max. rating1 | F5 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | ≥ 3 days |
Largest hail | 3⁄4 in (1.9 cm) |
Fatalities | ≥ 324 fatalities, ≥ 1,720 injuries |
Damage | [nb 1] |
Areas affected | Midwestern and Southern United States |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |