The Tornado That Changed America

Eleven-year-old Adrian Dillon was no stranger to scary stories. People in his hometown of Parrish, Illinois, liked to swap frightening tales. One was about the Ozark Howler, a creature like a bear with razor-sharp teeth.

But to Adrian, these were just stories. He never would have guessed he was about to meet a real monster: a tornado.

A tornado, or twister, is a spiral of air that twists and turns with incredible strength. Like a giant vacuum cleaner, it can suck up everything in its path.

This twister, called the Tri-State Tornado, was the most destructive tornado to ever strike the United States. It roared out of the sky on March 18, 1925. In roughly three hours, it ripped through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Entire towns were lifted into the sky. Parrish was one of those towns.

Would Adrian be OK?

Adrian Dillon was 11 years old. He knew many scary stories. People in his hometown of Parrish, Illinois, liked to tell them. One was about the Ozark Howler. It was a creature like a bear. It had razor-sharp teeth.

Adrian knew these were just stories. He never would have guessed he was about to meet a real monster: a tornado.

A tornado, or twister, is a spiral of air that twists and turns with great strength. It can suck up everything in its path. It’s like a giant vacuum cleaner.

This twister was called the Tri-State Tornado. It was the most destructive tornado to ever strike the United States. It came out of the sky on March 18, 1925. It tore through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana in about three hours. Entire towns were lifted into the sky. Parrish was one of those towns.

Would Adrian be OK?

Not too much happened in Parrish, a tiny town in southern Illinois. But on the morning of March 18, Adrian woke up full of excitement. Today was the day of the town’s big marbles tournament!

At the time, marbles was a popular game. Adrian and his friends played at recess. They would draw a ring in the dirt. Then they would try to knock one another’s marbles out of it. If Adrian won the tournament, he’d be the town’s marbles champion. His photo would be in the newspaper!

Adrian smiled as he imagined winning the tournament. Then his father’s voice snapped him out of his happy spell. Even a marbles champ had to do his morning chores.

The Dillon family lived on a small farm. Everyone helped out. Adrian and his brother Leonard milked the cows. Ten-year-old Ruie helped make breakfast. His youngest siblings fed the pet rabbits.

At 8 a.m., Adrian, Leonard, and Ruie left for school. Adrian waved to his mom. He had no idea that he would never see his house again.

Not too much happened in Parrish. It was a tiny town in southern Illinois. But on the morning of March 18, Adrian woke up full of excitement. Today was the day of the town’s big marbles tournament!

Marbles was a popular game at the time. Adrian and his friends played at recess. They would draw a ring in the dirt. Then they would try to knock one another’s marbles out of it. If Adrian won the tournament, he’d be the town’s marbles champion. His photo would be in the newspaper!

Adrian smiled as he imagined winning the tournament. Then his father’s voice snapped him out of his happy spell. Even a marbles champ had to do his morning chores.

The Dillon family lived on a small farm. Everyone helped out. Adrian and his brother Leonard milked the cows. Ten-year-old Ruie helped make breakfast. His youngest siblings fed the pet rabbits.

Adrian, Leonard, and Ruie left for school at 8 a.m. Adrian waved to his mom. He had no idea that he would never see his house again.

The Dillon kids walked to school under a blue sky. The day was warm and humid. Wildflowers were starting to grow. Ruie’s braids danced around her shoulders in the breeze. Everything seemed peaceful.

But a huge storm was forming more than 100 miles away. It was moving at 70 miles per hour—like a speeding car on the highway. And it was headed toward Illinois.

The people of Parrish didn’t know that a big storm might be coming. The weather report that morning had predicted possible rain, but that was it. In 1925, the science of weather was still new. There were no high-tech tools to track storms. Weather reports were mostly guesses.

And so, on March 18, thousands of people in the storm’s path went about their day. No one had any idea that disaster was about to strike.

The Dillon kids walked to school under a blue sky. The day was warm and humid. Wildflowers were starting to grow. Ruie’s braids danced in the breeze. Everything seemed peaceful.

But a huge storm was forming more than 100 miles away. It was moving at 70 miles per hour. It was traveling faster than a speeding car on the highway. And it was headed toward Illinois.

The people of Parrish didn’t know that a big storm might be coming. The weather report that morning had predicted possible rain. But that was it. In 1925, the science of weather was still new. There were no high-tech tools to track storms. Weather reports were mostly guesses.

So thousands of people in the storm’s path went about their day on March 18. No one had any idea that disaster was coming.

The Tri-State Tornado began around 1 p.m. in a Missouri forest. At first, it was a small tornado. But even then, the storm chewed apart trees and scattered branches. It sped northeast, into the little town of Annapolis, Missouri.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, the twister destroyed most of the town. Homes were ruined. Shops and restaurants were swept away.

About 1,200 tornadoes strike the U.S. every year. But most stay on the ground for only about 5-10 minutes. They blow over a few trees and mailboxes and then quickly fall apart.

The Tri-State Tornado was different. The twister stayed on the ground for more than an hour. It did not lose strength. Like a hungry beast, it grew larger and stronger as it devoured everything in its path.

The tornado was now nearly a mile wide. It crossed the Mississippi River. Then it began tearing through Illinois.

The tornado left a trail of destruction more than 100 miles long. Its winds carried tons of debris, like pieces of glass and wood. It even sucked up household items, like beds and toys.

And it was about to hit Parrish.

The Tri-State Tornado began around 1 p.m. It started in a forest in Missouri. At first, it was a small tornado. But even then, the storm tore apart trees and scattered branches. It sped northeast. It moved into the little town of Annapolis, Missouri.

Whoosh!

The twister destroyed most of the town quickly. Homes were ruined. Shops and restaurants were swept away.

About 1,200 tornadoes strike the U.S. every year. But most stay on the ground for only about 5-10 minutes. They blow over a few trees and mailboxes and then quickly fall apart.

The Tri-State Tornado was different. The twister stayed on the ground for more than an hour. It did not lose strength. It grew larger and stronger. It was like a hungry beast. It devoured everything in its path.

The tornado was now nearly a mile wide. It crossed the Mississippi River. Then it began tearing through Illinois. The tornado destroyed an area more than 100 miles long.

Its winds carried tons of debris. They carried pieces of glass and wood. The tornado even sucked up household items, like beds and toys.

And it was about to hit Parrish.

Just after 3 p.m., the sky in Parrish turned the color of a bad bruise. Thunder growled in the distance.

Then Adrian saw a black cloud racing toward the school. His blood turned to ice as he realized the tornado was about to hit. Rain started to fall. The day turned to night.

Crash!

Every window shattered. The school shook. Dirt and wood flew through the air.

And then suddenly everything went still. The tornado had passed.

Adrian and the other students went outside. The only buildings left standing were the school and the church. Holding each other’s hands, the Dillon kids nervously headed home.

It was just after 3 p.m. The sky in Parrish turned the color of a bad bruise. Thunder growled in the distance.

Then Adrian saw a black cloud racing toward the school. His blood turned to ice. He realized the tornado was about to hit. Rain started to fall. The day turned to night.

Crash!

Every window shattered. The school shook. Dirt and wood flew through the air.

And then suddenly everything went still. The tornado had passed.

Adrian and the other students went outside. The only buildings left standing were the school and the church. The Dillon kids nervously headed home. They held each other’s hands.

The twister crossed into Indiana, hitting several more towns. And then, at about 4:30 p.m., the monster took its last breath and faded away. Finally, the Tri-State Tornado had ended.

As for Adrian, he would never forget what he saw when he returned home. His family had been carried away with their house—then dropped into a field without a scratch. The Dillons hugged each other in amazement and relief.

Never before had a single tornado lasted on the ground for so long or caused so much damage. To this day, the Tri-State Tornado remains the deadliest and most destructive tornado to hit the United States.

The disaster shocked the world. It helped change ideas about the dangers of tornadoes. People from around the world gave money to help those hurt by the storm. Neighbors helped one another rebuild their homes and farms.

As for Adrian? The Tri-State Tornado had taken everything he and his family owned. But they still had what mattered most: each other.

The twister crossed into Indiana. It hit more towns. And then, at about 4:30 p.m., the monster took its last breath and faded away. Finally, the Tri-State Tornado had ended.

Adrian would never forget what he saw when he returned home. His family had been carried away with their house. They were dropped into a field without a scratch. The Dillons hugged each other. They were amazed and relieved.

Never before had a single tornado lasted on the ground for so long or caused so much damage. The Tri-State Tornado is still the deadliest and most destructive tornado to hit the United States.

The disaster shocked the world. It helped change ideas about the dangers of tornadoes. People from around the world gave money to help those hurt by the storm. Neighbors helped one another rebuild their homes and farms.

The Tri-State Tornado had taken everything Adrian and his family owned. But they still had what mattered most. They had each other.