1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado
The 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado (great cyclone) was a historic tornado that caused severe damage to downtown St. Louis, Missouri, East St. Louis, Illinois, and surrounding areas on Wednesday, May 27, 1896, at around 5:00 pm. One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history, this tornado was the most notable of a major tornado outbreak across the central United States which produced several other large, long-track, violent tornadoes and continued across the eastern United States the following day. The St. Louis tornado killed at least 255 people, injured over a thousand others, and caused more than $10 million in damage (equivalent to $366 million in 2023) in about 20 minutes. More than 5,000 people were left homeless and lost all of their possessions. The hardest-hit areas of the city were the fashionable Lafayette Square and Compton Heights neighborhoods, as well as the poorer Mill Creek Valley. It remains the third-deadliest tornado in United States history.
| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
Tornado damage, Union Depot, Jefferson and Allen Avenues, St. Louis, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration photograph by J. C. Strauss, May 27, 1896 | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
| Duration | May 27–28, 1896 |
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 255+ fatalities; 1,000+ injuries |
| Damage | $10 million ($366 million in 2023) |
| Areas affected | St. Louis, Missouri metro area East St. Louis, Illinois |
Part of the Tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |