March 18, 1925 The Big One 81 Years Later

[usgitmo38]

I had just gotten done with reading two books about The Most Monstrous Tornado ever. Image a tornado over a mile wide chasing you at over 70 mph. Today marks the 81st anniversary of the Tri-State Tornado of 1925.
AT least 695 people were confirmed dead but there were many still missing. The Tri-State is one of only 3 tornadoes to almost recieve of F-6 rating the other 2 were Xenia, Ohio 1974 and moore/ok city May 3, 1999. I hope and pray we don't ever see a tornado of that magnitude again and if we do alot of people will be in danger even with the advance warning.

Discriptions of the 1925 monster

Wall of blackness

piller of Green smoke

A Cloud rolling like a barrel

a great comotion

The Storm

boiling mass of black clouds

A huge shape

Blackness

in 1925 people called out for a tornado warning system
81 years later alot of positive progress

back in the early days they did had methods of tornado predictions
but the weather Service put that to an end and complain that a direct touchdown was impossible to predict.

1952 the ban was lifted.

81 years later we can warn people ahead of time.

[HurricaneHunter914]

Imagining that puts a shiver down my bone.

[brunota2003]

imagine if the ban wasnt lifted...

[JonathanBelles]

ban?

[brunota2003]

ban?

back in the early days they did had methods of tornado predictions
but the weather Service put that to an end and complain that a direct touchdown was impossible to predict.

1952 the ban was lifted.

<=== yes...ban...

[JonathanBelles]

i must be a true blonde....i dont get it

[senorpepr]

In the early 20th century, there was a ban on making tornado forecasts within the Weather Service/Bureau.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Why? Thats there job.

[WindRunner]

Why? Thats there job.

Now it is. Back then, the government thought that the if tornado forecasts were put out, it would create mass panic in the area it was issued for. Eventually, the government realized that the need for safety was greater than the need for a "calm" public, and in 1952 tornado forecasts/warnings could be issued.

[HurricaneBill]

Before the ban was lifted, weren't newspapers not even allowed to post the word "tornado"? Or just in weather forecasts?

[isobar]

Yeah it was just in weather forecasts that they couldn't use the word, "tornado." I guess the "War of the Worlds" mentality was hard to shake.

The first successful documented tornado forecast was issued on March 25, 1948 by Capt. Robert Miller and Maj. Ernest Fawbush at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. They recognized the same conditions that were present when a prior tornado had occurred in the area. Three hours after their notice, touchdown! These men were instrumental in establishing a severe wx forecasting center, leading to the first public tornado watch in 1952.

I believe it's no coincidence that the last 100+ death toll from a single tornado occurred the following year in Flint, MI, and there's not been one since. Warnings have saved countless lives.

RE: The Tri-State Tornado ... some of those little towns that were destroyed in rural IL and IN were never rebuilt. You won't find them on a map today. Sad.

[Weatherfreak14]

Yep, I'm big on this event because this date is my birthday. Well not 81 yrs ago but my birthday is on march 18th.