The 1871 St. Louis tornado was an F3 tornado that touched down in St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday, March 8, 1871, at 3:00 pm. It traveled east-northeast at 70 miles per hour (113 km/h), cutting a swath up to 250 yards (229 m) wide and 5 miles (8 km) long into East St. Louis, Illinois. The tornado was on the ground for 3 minutes.[1] A total of 30 homes were destroyed and 30 severely damaged. Six railroad depots were destroyed with eight deaths in them. One death occurred on a bridge. Overall, 9 people were killed, 60 injured, and $1,500,000 damage occurred. It is one of four tornadoes (1896, 1927, 1959) that have ripped through the central business district of St. Louis.[2]
| F3 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 8, 1871 3:00 P.M. CDT (10:00 A.M. UTC) |
| Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dissipated | March 8, 1871 3:03 P.M. CDT (10:03 A.M. UTC) |
| Max. rating1 | F3 tornado |
| Fatalities | 9 fatalities; 60 injured |
| Damage | $1.5 million |
| Areas affected | St. Louis, Missouri area |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "East St. Louis, MO Tornado, Mar 1871 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods". www.gendisasters.com. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
- ^ "Missouri Climate Center". climate.missouri.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
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