at 6:18 PM by Pierce Larkin

Today is the 5 Year Anniversary of the Joplin Tornado

5 years ago this evening, one of the worst tornadoes in modern US history struck Joplin, Missouri. The Joplin tornado was the 5th EF-5 tornado of the 2011 year, and it was devastating. The Joplin tornado was the single deadliest tornado since 1950 in the United States, and was just another in the line of an incredibly devastating year for tornadoes in the United States.

The Joplin tornado track. h/t NWS Springfield, MO.
The Joplin tornado track. h/t NWS Springfield, MO.

The path was 22.1 miles in length and a maximum of 1 miles wide, and resulted in 158 deaths and over 1000 injuries. The April 27th, 2011 day was an eye opener, but this was one tornado. The event was humbling and completely eye opening to the depth and variety of issues that run through meteorology.

I’ll keep this one meteorologically light, so check out some videos and images from the event itself, and keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers today as today provides somber memories for those folks. For more information on this storm, check out the page from the NWS in Springfield, MO.

The radar images from May 22, 2011. h/t NWS Springfield, MO
One of the classic images from the day. h/t Springfield, MO
One of the classic images from the day. h/t Springfield, MO
h/t Springfield, MO
h/t Springfield, MO