List of F5 and EF5 Tornadoes - Official F5 Tornadoes

Official F5 Tornadoes

The tornadoes on this list have been officially rated F5 by an official government source. Unless otherwise noted, the tornadoes on this list have been rated F5 by the National Weather Service, as shown in the archives of the Storm Prediction Center and National Climatic Data Center.

No tornadoes before 1950 were officially ranked F5, due to inadequate engineering data and other information on the historical tornadoes. From 1950 - 1970 tornadoes were assessed retrospectively, primarily using information recorded in government databases, and newspaper photographs and descriptions. Beginning in 1971, tornadoes were rated by the NWS using on-site damage surveys.

For United States tornadoes as of February 1, 2007, the Fujita scale has been recalibrated to more accurately match tornado speeds with their damage and to augment and refine damage descriptors. The new system is called the Enhanced Fujita scale. No earlier tornadoes will be reclassified, and no new tornadoes in the United States will be rated F5.

In all, 50 tornadoes have been officially rated F5:

Date Location Death Toll Wikipedia article Disputed?
01953-05-11May 11, 1953 Waco, Texas 114 1953 Waco tornado outbreak
01953-05-29May 29, 1953 Fort Rice, North Dakota 2
01953-06-08June 8, 1953 Flint, Michigan 116 Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence
01953-06-27June 27, 1953 Adair, Iowa 1
01953-12-05December 5, 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi 38 1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado outbreak Yes, destroyed structures were frail
01955-05-25May 25, 1955 Blackwell, Oklahoma 20 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak
01955-05-25May 25, 1955 Udall, Kansas 82 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak
01956-04-03April 3, 1956 Grand Rapids - Hudsonville, Michigan 18 April 1956 Hudsonville-Standale tornado
01957-05-20May 20, 1957 Kansas - Missouri 44 May 1957 Central Plains tornado outbreak
01957-06-20June 20, 1957 Fargo, North Dakota 10 1957 Fargo tornado
01957-12-18December 18, 1957 Sunfield, Illinois 1
01958-06-04June 4, 1958 Menomonie, Wisconsin 20 Colfax, Wisconsin tornado outbreak
01960-05-05May 5, 1960 Prague, Oklahoma 5
01964-04-03April 3, 1964 Wichita Falls, Texas 7
01964-05-05May 5, 1964 Bradshaw, Nebraska 4
01965-05-08May 8, 1965 Gregory, South Dakota 0
01966-03-03March 3, 1966 Jackson, Mississippi 57 Candlestick Park tornado
01966-06-08June 8, 1966 Topeka, Kansas 16 1966 Topeka tornado
01966-10-14October 14, 1966 Belmond, Iowa 16 Yes
01968-04-23April 23, 1968 Gallipolis, Ohio 7 Wheelersburg, Ohio tornado outbreak Yes, structures swept away were not anchored properly
01968-05-15May 15, 1968 Charles City, Iowa 13 May 1968 tornado outbreak
01968-05-15May 15, 1968 Oelwein, Iowa 1 May 1968 tornado outbreak
01968-06-13June 13, 1968 Tracy, Minnesota 9 1968 Tracy tornado
01970-05-11May 11, 1970 Lubbock, Texas 26 Lubbock tornado
01971-02-21February 21, 1971 Delhi, Louisiana 46 February 1971 Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak
01973-05-06May 6, 1973 Valley Mills, Texas 0
01974-04-03April 3, 1974 Hanover - Depauw, Indiana 6 Super Outbreak
01974-04-03April 3, 1974 Brandenburg, Kentucky 31 Super Outbreak
01974-04-03April 3, 1974 Xenia, Ohio 32 Super Outbreak
01974-04-03April 3, 1974 Cincinnati, Ohio 3 Super Outbreak
01974-04-03April 3, 1974 Tanner, Alabama 28 Super Outbreak
01974-04-03April 3, 1974 Guin, Alabama 30 Super Outbreak
01976-03-26March 26, 1976 Spiro, Oklahoma 2
01976-04-19April 19, 1976 Brownwood, Texas 0
01976-06-13June 13, 1976 Jordan, Iowa 0
01977-04-04April 4, 1977 Jefferson County, Alabama 22 April 1977 Birmingham tornado
01982-04-02April 2, 1982 Broken Bow, Oklahoma 0
01984-06-07June 7, 1984 Barneveld, Wisconsin 9 Barneveld, Wisconsin tornado outbreak
01985-05-31May 31, 1985 Niles, Ohio - Wheatland, Pennsylvania 18 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak
01990-03-13March 13, 1990 Hesston, Kansas 1 March 1990 Central US tornado outbreak
01990-03-13March 13, 1990 Goessel, Kansas 1 March 1990 Central US tornado outbreak
01990-08-28August 28, 1990 Plainfield, Illinois 29 1990 Plainfield tornado
01991-04-26April 26, 1991 Andover, Kansas 17 Andover, Kansas tornado outbreak
01992-06-16June 16, 1992 Chandler, Minnesota 1 Mid-June 1992 tornado outbreak
01996-07-18July 18, 1996 Oakfield, Wisconsin 0 Oakfield tornado
01997-05-27May 27, 1997 Jarrell, Texas 27 Central Texas tornado outbreak
01998-04-08April 8, 1998 Jefferson County, Alabama 32 April 1998 Birmingham tornado
01998-04-16April 16, 1998 Lawrence County, Tennessee 3 1998 Nashville tornado outbreak
01999-05-03May 3, 1999 Bridge Creek - Moore, Oklahoma 36 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak
02007-06-22June 22, 2007 Elie, Manitoba (assessed by Environment Canada) 0 Elie, Manitoba tornado


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