What was the cause of the Joplin tornado?

So what caused such an intense tornado? A strong low pressure system rotating in the northern Plains is to blame. The low pressure system was able to tap into warm, moist air from the Gulf, while on its backside, cold, dry air was being funneled down.

What was the cause of the Joplin tornado?

So what caused such an intense tornado? A strong low pressure system rotating in the northern Plains is to blame. The low pressure system was able to tap into warm, moist air from the Gulf, while on its backside, cold, dry air was being funneled down.

How long did the 2011 Joplin tornado last?

38 minutes
2011 Joplin tornado

What happened during the Joplin tornado?

In the early evening of Sunday, May 22, 2011, Joplin was hit by a multi-vortex F5 storm packing winds later estimated to have reached 200 miles per hour. Entire neighborhoods were flattened. The main hospital was a total loss. Several schools, churches, a nursing home and dozens of businesses were completely destroyed.

Was the Joplin tornado an EF5?

Late in the afternoon, a tornado rated as the most intense on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale, an EF5, cut a 6-mile-long (9.7-kilometer) gash through the densely populated Joplin metro area, home to more than 50,000 people.

When was the last F5 tornado in the US?

May 20, 2013
It’s been over eight years since the last catastrophic EF5 tornado struck the United States, occurring in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013.

What was the worst tornado in Missouri?

The May 22, 2011, Joplin tornado, rated EF–5 on the Enhanced Fujita tornado intensity scale, caused 161 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries, making it the deadliest single tornado on record in the U.S. since official records were begun in 1950.

How big is an F5?

What is a F5 tornado?

The scale ranks tornadoes from F0 to F5, with F0 being the least intense and F5 being the most intense. F5 tornadoes were estimated to have had maximum winds between 261 mph (420 km/h) and 318 mph (512 km/h).