June 1916 tornado outbreak
The June 1916 tornado outbreak was a deadly severe-weather episode that produced at least 35 tornadoes across the Southern United States on June 5–6, 1916. The outbreak killed at least 112 people, 76 of them in the U.S. state of Arkansas alone. Unconfirmed reports suggested higher totals in rural areas.[1] The outbreak was the deadliest June tornado outbreak in the state and one of the largest outbreaks in Arkansas history, with at least 24 significant tornadoes in-state. The deadliest tornado of the outbreak and the deadliest to strike Arkansas on June 5 was a powerful F4 tornado that hit Heber Springs, killing 25 people. Other deadly tornadoes struck much of the state and in nearby parts of Missouri and Illinois. Overnight on June 5–6, tornadoes spread east and south into Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi, with an F3 tornado hitting the northern suburbs of Jackson, Mississippi, killing 13 people there.
| F4 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Max. rating1 | F4 tornado |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale | |
Confirmed tornadoes
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? | ? | 1 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 35 |
June 5
| List of confirmed tornadoes – June 5, 1916 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | ||||||
| F2 | W of Batson | Franklin | 1930 | unknown | 1 death — Formed 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast of Ozark. The tornado destroyed three homes, killing a man in one of them.[2] | |
| F2 | Hot Springs area | Garland | 2015 | 8 miles (13 km) | 4 deaths — A tornado curved to the northeast and east as it passed through the south side of Hot Springs,[2] taking a similar track to that of an F4 tornado which killed 10 people in the city on November 25, 1915.[3] The tornado damaged 200 homes, one of which was left in front of a train.[2] | |
| F2 | E of Greenland | Washington | 2030 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | 1 death — A tornado touched down in a small community, damaging or destroying 12 homes. Several tenant homes were also blown down 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Greenland, killing a woman inside one of them.[2] | |
| F3 | N of Morrilton to Guy | Conway, Faulkner | 2045 | 30 miles (48 km) | 1 death — A tornado destroyed nine homes in the Germantown community, killing a woman. It then produced a skipping path through Conway County before damaging or destroying 20 buildings in Guy.[2] | |
| F2 | N of Edgemont | Cleburne | 2100 | unknown | A tornado damaged or destroyed all of the 47 structures in the Brewer community. Four people were injured.[2] | |
| F4 | N of Enola to SE of Concord | Faulkner, Cleburne | 2200 | 35 miles (56 km) | 25 deaths — A devastating tornado family first killed a person near Barney, north of Enola, and then two people near Becket Mountain, west of Rose Bud. The tornado then leveled 55 homes in west and north Heber Springs, with at least 18 deaths within the town limits. Near Banner, southeast of Concord, another home was leveled, killing four people inside. More than two-thirds of the total dead were children. Papers from Becket Mountain traveled 55 miles (89 km).[2] | |
| F2 | SE of Melbourne to Sage | Izard | 2200 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | A tornado destroyed many barns in the Sage area.[2] | |
| F3 | N of Sparkman to Carthage | Dallas | 2300 | 15 miles (24 km) | 5 deaths — A tornado first destroyed a small home 10 miles (16 km) east of Dalark and thence continued to north Carthage. Five members of a family died in that home. The tornado also caused minor damage in the Carthage area.[2] | |
| F2 | NE of Gibson | Pulaski | 2300 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | A tornado hit two farms 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Cato, destroying three homes.[2] | |
| F2 | Pulaski Heights, Little Rock area | Pulaski | 2300 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | A tornado struck Pulaski Heights on the west side of Little Rock, unroofing homes in the area.[2] | |
| F2 | S of Cabot | Lonoke | 2315 | 10 miles (16 km) | 2+ deaths — A tornado injured 22 people and killed a man and his daughter as their home was destroyed 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Cabot. Two other people were badly injured and may have died many weeks later.[2] | |
| F2 | SE of Mount Pleasant | Independence | 2330 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | A tornado hit the historic community of Alvis, southeast of Mount Pleasant, destroying two homes and numerous barns.[2] | |
| F3 | NE of Kensett to NE of Judsonia | White | 2330 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | 9 deaths — A deadly tornado narrowly missed most of Judsonia but leveled a small community east of town. Five children died in one family. Another death occurred 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Judsonia.[2] The tornado destroyed up to one-third of Judsonia.[1] Another deadly tornado struck Judsonia on March 21, 1952, killing 30 people in town and causing F4 damage. | |
| F2 | Near Sweet Home to Kerr | Pulaski, Lonoke | 2330 | 15 miles (24 km) | 1 death — A tornado destroyed homes and other structures on six farms.[2] | |
| F2 | SE of Ash Flat[4] | Sharp | 2345 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | A tornado reportedly destroyed homes and barns.[2] | |
| F2 | NW of Stuttgart | Arkansas | 0000 | unknown | A tornado destroyed barns 4 miles (6.4 km) from town.[2] | |
| F2 | NW of Slovak to near De Valls Bluff | Prairie | 0000 | 10 miles (16 km) | 4 deaths — A tornado injured 42 people, 10 of them near Slovak, and killed four people in tenant homes.[5] | |
| F3 | N of Tuckerman | Jackson | 0030 | 10 miles (16 km) | 4 deaths — A tornado transported bodies up to .25 miles (0.40 km) from tenant homes which were destroyed. Three members of one family died.[5] | |
| F3 | NW of Brinkley | Monroe | 0030 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 1 death — One home was destroyed, killing a man who was thrown .5 miles (0.80 km) from the foundation.[5] | |
| F3 | SE of Vallier | Arkansas | 0100 | 5 miles (8.0 km) | 2 deaths — A tornado struck south of Stuttgart, killing two people each on different plantations.[5] | |
| F2 | W of Imboden to near Flatwoods, Missouri | Lawrence, Randolph, Ripley (MO) | 0130 | 45 miles (72 km) | 1 death — A tornado family killed an Arkansas farmer and destroyed buildings in nearby Shiloh Church, Missouri, just southeast of Grandin. An intermittent damage swath continued across Missouri, with barns destroyed.[5] | |
| F1 | N of Vanndale to Weona Mill | Cross, Poinsett | 0200 | 20 miles (32 km) | 2 deaths — A tornado blew a tree into a boarding house, killing two women and injuring 13 people who were inside.[5] | |
| F3 | N of Rector to Gravel Hill | Clay | 0200 | 9 miles (14 km) | 7 deaths — A destructive tornado destroyed small homes, killing seven people. The deaths were distributed among three homes between Pollard and St. Francis.[5] | |
| F3 | SW of Haynes to SE of Forrest City | Lee, St. Francis | 0200 | 11 miles (18 km) | 4 deaths — A tornado hit three large farms, destroying 16 tenant homes and killing four people on one of the farms.[5] | |
| F2 | N of Marion to SW of Munford, Tennessee | Critttenden, Tipton (TN) | 0400 | 25 miles (40 km) | 2+ deaths — A tornado destroyed at least 20 homes in Missouri and hit a home and a barn in Tennessee. There was one death in each state. The tornado may have been on the ground as it crossed the Mississippi River about 13 miles (21 km) north of Memphis, where the packet boat Eleonore capsized in stormy conditions. An "electric tornado" reportedly snapped the tree to which she was anchored, which measured 20 inches (1.7 ft) in diameter. At least 19, perhaps 34, people drowned when the Eleonore capsized. Other nearby trees were snapped on the shore, but there is no clear evidence that a tornado caused the sinking of the steamboat.[5] | |
| Missouri | ||||||
| F2 | Near McMullin–Vanduser | Scott | 2330 | unknown | A tornado was sighted from a train as it destroyed small homes, barns, and a nearby school.[2] | |
| F3 | W of Dexter to W of Bloomfield | Stoddard | 0130 | 7 miles (11 km) | 7 deaths — Seven people died in five different families as a tornado leveled their homes.[5] | |
| F3 | SSW of Morehouse | Stoddard, New Madrid, Scott | 0330 | 8 miles (13 km) | 7 deaths — Six people died as three homes were leveled 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Sikeston. The tornado may have continued to Kelso, much farther to the north-northeast.[5] | |
| F3 | E of Sikeston to Fayville, Illinois | Scott, Alexander (IL) | 0400 | 30 miles (48 km) | 5 deaths — A tornado destroyed most of Blodgett, injuring five people in the village. Up to 60 injuries occurred mostly in rural areas. In Fayville, a 10-year-old girl died, 20 people were injured, and 11 homes were called "destroyed".[5] | |
| Louisiana | ||||||
| F2 | S of Dubberly | Webster | 0200 | unknown | A tornado destroyed small homes south of the village.[5] | |
| F2 | Oak Grove | West Carroll | 0545 | unknown | A late-night tornado destroyed two homes, the Masonic Hall, and the Methodist church in Oak Grove.[5] | |
| Mississippi | ||||||
| F3 | S of Yokena | Warren | 0530 | 10 miles (16 km) | 4 deaths — Tenant homes were leveled and bodies transported up to .5 miles (0.80 km) from the foundations. The tornado path measured .5 miles (0.80 km) wide.[5] | |
| Sources: Grazulis, Significant, pp. 748–749 | ||||||
June 6 event
| List of confirmed tornadoes – June 6, 1916 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | ||||||
| F3 | Near Jackson | Hinds, Madison | 0710 | 15 miles (24 km) | 13 deaths — A tornado passed across the north side of Jackson and dissipated 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the city. It damaged or destroyed 250 homes and completely leveled poorly-constructed, small homes. Larger, better-built structures lost roofs and chimneys.[5] | |
| F2 | Near Pineville | Smith | 0930 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | A small, brief tornado destroyed rural homes and barns.[5] | |
| Alabama | ||||||
| F2 | SW of Birmingham | Jefferson | 1700 | 7.5 miles (12.1 km) | A tornado destroyed four homes at "Taylors Ferry".[5] | |
| Sources: Grazulis, Significant, pp. 748–749 | ||||||
References
- "Over 100 lives lost in Southern storms". New York Times. June 7, 1916. p. 11.
- Grazulis, Significant, p. 747
- Grazulis, Significant, p. 745
- Grazulis, Significant, p. 236
- Grazulis, Significant, p. 748
Bibliography
External links
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