May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence
| F5 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F5 tornado |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
| F5 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F5 tornado |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
| F5 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F5 tornado |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
| F5 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F5 tornado |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
The May 1896 tornado outbreak sequence was a series of violent and deadly tornado outbreaks that struck much of the Central and Southern United States from May 15 to May 28, 1896. It is considered one of the worst tornado outbreak sequences on record with tornado expert Tom Grazulis stating that the week of May 24–28 was "perhaps the most violent single week of tornado activity in US history". There were four particularly notable tornado outbreaks during the two-week period. It produced three F5 tornadoes as well as the third deadliest tornado ever in United States history. A total of 484 people were killed during the entire outbreak sequence by at least 38 different tornadoes which struck Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, and Michigan.
On the first day of the outbreak sequence, most of the fatalities came from a single supercell thunderstorm that traveled from Denton to Sherman. The tornado began in the Pilot Point area, where farm homes were shifted off of their foundations. The tornado widened and strengthened into a very violent F5 and swept away numerous farms west of Farmington and Howe. Later along the path, the tornado narrowed to around 60 yards (180 ft) wide as it tore through Sherman. Fifty homes were destroyed in town, 20 of which were completely obliterated and swept away. An iron-beam bridge was torn from its supports and twisted into multiple pieces, and one of the beams was driven several feet into the ground. Bodies were found up to 400 yards (1,200 ft) from their home sites, and a trunk lid was carried for 35 miles (56 km). Headstones at a cemetery were shattered, and a 500-pound stone was carried for 250 yards. Trees in the area were completely debarked with some reduced to stumps, and grass was scoured from lawns in town. At least 200 people were injured, and bodies of the victims were transported into the courthouse and a vacant building. Several bodies were recovered from a muddy creek. Seventy-three people were killed by this single tornado, one of the worst on record in North Texas and the Red River Valley region.
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