Tornadoes In Italy!

A look back at a significant tornado in 1969....

January 20, 2025

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🌪️ This Week In Tornado History

January 20, 1854 - Ohio: Thomas Grazulis documents a tornado that moved 10 miles through parts of Knox County, OH. Log cabins, barns and other buildings were hit and “several churches were blown down.” He denotes that there were a clean swath cut through a wood area. “It seems newsto have worn the appearance of mighty black pillar, reaching from earth to heaven, irritated by blinding flashes of lightning, and accompanied, in its devastating march, by the music of a hundred cannon.” Three people were killed and 25 injured.

January 21, 1999 - Arkansas: An outbreak of 86 tornadoes occurred on this day. There were nine tornadoes rated F3 (all but one in Arkansas) and one F4 in Arkansas. One of the F3s traveled eight miles in White County. Two were killed and 29 injured. Damage was concentrated in the communities of Beebe and McRae.

Damage to the Beebe high school gym from NWS Little Rock.

January 22, 1904 - Alabama: An estimated F4 tornado moved from 2 miles SW of Moundville, AL. It leveled the northern half of town. “Half the population was killed or injured. Bodies were carried for a half mile. Sections of NE Moundville were left with only bare ground.” The path length was 15 miles. 150 were injured and 36 killed. Source: Thomas Grazulis

January 23, 1969 - Mississippi: A long-track, deadly tornado occurred on January 23, 1969. In his book, “The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm,” Thomas Grazulis notes that the process that brought about using the Fujita Scale to rate tornadoes can be traced to this event. (Grazulis, 2003). This tornado devastated the town of Hazlehurst, MS. It is the deadliest tornado on record (1950-current) in January. 32 people were killed.

Image from newspapers.com 

January 24, 1928 - Tennessee: Thomas Grazulis documents an F1 tornado that moved one mile, six miles north of Smithville, TN. Tragically, it hit a school. One teacher and 21 children were in the building. “Four children in one corner of the building were killed, and six were injured.”

January 25, 2021 - Alabama: An EF3 tornado tracked for 10 miles across parts of Jefferson County, AL, hitting Fultondale and Centerpoint. Dozens of homes and several businesses were damaged or destroyed. There was one fatality and at least 30 injuries.

January 26, 1879 - Texas: Thomas Grazulis estimates that an F2 tornado struck near Lockhart, TX. 40 homes were damaged or destroyed and one child was killed. 15 others were injured.

🌪️Check This Out!

Tornadoes occurred in Italy last week! This video shows one pressing through Noto-Avola in Sicily!

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