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 50yd.[1] The official widest tornado in history is the 2013 El Reno tornado, which a confirmed width of 2.6miles, with the World Meteorological Organization believing the width could have been up to 1miles wider.[2]
| Tornado | F#/EF#/IF# | Width | Rated by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Mulhall tornado | F4 | 4.3miles | NWS Norman, CSWR, Wurman, OU, Penn State | |
| Officially, this tornado was just over 1miles 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 NaN1600 between peak velocities on either side of the tornado, and a roughly NaN7 width of peak wind gusts exceeding NaN43, making the Mulhall tornado the largest tornado ever measured quantitatively.[3] | ||||
| 1946 Timber Lake tornado | FU | 4miles | USWB | |
| The United States Weather Bureau published in 1946 stating the width of the tornado was 4miles, 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] | ||||
| 2013 El Reno tornado | EF3 | 2.6miles | NWS Norman, OU | |
| This is officially the widest tornado to ever occur, with a width of 2.6miles at its peak. This is the width found by the National Weather Service based on preliminary data from University of Oklahoma RaXPol mobile radar that also sampled winds of 296mph, 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] | ||||
| 1984 Maxton–Red Springs tornado | F4 | 2.5miles | NWS Wilmington, NC | |
| The National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina stated this tornado was 2.5miles at a point in time.[7] | ||||
| 2004 Hallam tornado | F4 | 2.5miles | NWS Omaha/Valley | |
| Prior to the 2013 El Reno tornado, this tornado held the official record as the widest tornado to ever occur.[8] [9] | ||||
| 2016 Jiangsu tornado | EF4 | 2.5miles | CMA, OU, NJU, Weathernews Inc. | |
| This tornado is the widest tornado to ever occur in China and officially is tied as the 2nd widest tornado in history.[10] | ||||
| 1896 Seneca–Oneida tornado | F5 | NaNmiles | National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas | |
| The tornado averaged mile in width, but expanded significantly to between and as it approached Reserve, Kansas, where all but three buildings were damaged or destroyed.[11] | ||||
| 2020 Bassfield–Soso tornado | EF4 | 2.25miles | NWS Jackson, MS | |
| This tornado was documented by the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi to have been 2.25miles wide, setting the record as the widest tornado to occur in the state of Mississippi.[12] | ||||
| 1935 Melbourne tornado | F0 | 2.239miles | BoM | |
| The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) documented that this weak tornado was 3603m (11,821feet) wide.[13] | ||||
| 2007 Trousdale tornado | EF3 | 2.2miles | NWS Dodge City | |
| The high-end EF3 tornado had a recorded width of 2.2miles.[14] | ||||
| 2021 South Moravia tornado | F4/IF4 | 2.2miles | ESSL, CHMI, CUNI, Meteopress, SHMU, CU, Geosphere, Austrocontrol, BUT | |
| This tornado reached a maximum width of 2.2miles, setting the record as the widest tornado to ever occur in the Czech Republic and in Europe.[15] [16] | ||||
| 1456 Italy Tornado | FU | 2miles | Chatfield, Machiavelli | |
| A tornado that grew up to 2miles 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] | ||||
| 2008 Pardeeville tornado | EF2 | 2miles | NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan | |
| 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 1miles2miles wide area of EF0 to EF1 damage, there were several small swaths of EF2 damage due to multiple vortices.[19] | ||||
| 1967 Belvidere tornado | F4 | 2miles | NWS Chicago | |
| The widest significant tornado recorded in the Chicago collar counties. 24 deaths and 500 injuries.[20] | ||||
| Tornado | F#/EF#/IF# | Width | Rated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 Javaugues tornado | F3/EF3 | 1.864miles | ESSL, Keraunos, TORRO |
| This tornado reached a maximum width of 3280yd, setting the record as the widest tornado ever occurred in France while moving along an unusual northwestward path.[21] [22] | |||
| 2024 Decatur, Arkansas tornado | EF3 | 1.82miles | NWS Tulsa |
| This tornado reached a maximum width of 3200yd. [23] | |||