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A comparison of the widths of various tornadoes exceeding 1 mile (2.2 km), superimposed over a map of El Reno, Oklahoma
This is a list of tornadoes by their official and unofficial width. The average width of a tornado according to the National Weather Service is 50 yards (46 m).[1] The official widest tornado in history is the 2013 El Reno tornado, which a confirmed width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km), with the World Meteorological Organization believing the width could have been up to 1 mile (1.6 km) wider.[2]
List
Width of at least 2 miles (3.2 km)
List of tornadoes with a width of at least 2 miles (3.2 km)
Officially, this tornado was just over 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. A Doppler on Wheels (DOW) mobile radar observed this tornado as it crossed Mulhall. The DOW documented the largest-ever-observed core flow circulation with a distance of 1,600 m (5,200 ft) between peak velocities on either side of the tornado, and a roughly 7 km (4.3 mi) width of peak wind gusts exceeding 43 m/s (96 mph), making the Mulhall tornado the largest tornado ever measured quantitatively.[3]
The United States Weather Bureau published in 1946 stating the width of the tornado was 4 miles (6.4 km), which would make this the widest tornado ever officially documented in history. However, this is outside the period of reliable documentation accepted by the modern National Weather Service, which is 1950–present.[4]
This is officially the widest tornado to ever occur, with a width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km) at its peak. This is the width found by the National Weather Service based on preliminary data from University of OklahomaRaXPol mobile radar that also sampled winds of 296 mph (476 km/h), which was used to upgrade the tornado to EF5.[5] However, it was revealed that these winds did not impact any structures, and as a result the tornado was downgraded to EF3 based on damage.[6]
The tornado averaged 1 mi (1.6 km) mile in width, but expanded significantly to between 2 mi (3.2 km) and 2.5 mi (4.0 km) as it approached Reserve, Kansas, where all but three buildings were damaged or destroyed.[11]
This tornado was documented by the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi to have been 2.25 miles (3.62 km) wide, setting the record as the widest tornado to occur in the state of Mississippi.[12]
This tornado reached a maximum width of 2.2 miles (3.5 km), setting the record as the widest tornado to ever occur in the Czech Republic and in Europe.[15][16]
A tornado that grew up to 2 miles (3.2 km) wide started as a waterspout off the coast of Italy, came ashore near Ancona, and traveled across the entire country moving from east to west before retreating back into the ocean on the opposite side of the country near Pisa.[17]Niccolò Machiavelli writes a very detailed description of this storm in his book Florentine Histories.[18]
This tornado was extremely wide since the thunderstorm cloud base was very low and the mesocyclone that is usually aloft was well-formed all the way to the ground. Within a broad 1 to 2 miles (1.6 to 3.2 km) wide area of EF0 to EF1 damage, there were several small swaths of EF2 damage due to multiple vortices.[19]
This tornado reached a maximum width of 3,280 yards (1.86 mi; 3.00 km), setting the record as the widest tornado ever occurred in France while moving along an unusual northwestward path.[21][22]
This long-tracked tornado reached a maximum width of 2,730 yards (1.55 mi; 2.50 km), setting the record as the widest tornado ever occurred in Russia.[28]
This tornado reached a maximum width of 2,187 yards (1.243 mi; 2.000 km) and tied with Żerków tornado as the widest tornado ever occurred in Poland.[40]
This tornado, which had initially been surveyed by Tipton County emergency management as being 3.5 mi (5.6 km) wide, was determined by a survey to have still reached a width of 2,000 yd (1.136 mi; 1.829 km).[43]
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
^National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana (2023). Louisiana Event Report: EF2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
^"Waterspouts". The Gallery of Natural Phenomena. Chris Chatfield. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
^European Severe Storms Laboratory. "European Severe Weather Database". European Severe Weather Database. European Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
