Although they can be fascinating to watch from a distance, and even better to see on T.V. instead of in your own back yard, tornadoes have proven to be a bane of existence in Texas since people can remember. If you’ve ever had to deal with a twister firsthand, you know how quickly things can turn deadly. They can be devastating within the blink of an eye. Take a look at these top three deadliest Texas tornadoes to see the losses that can be incurred as a result.
History
Top 3 Deadliest Texas Tornadoes
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3. Rocksprings, April 12, 1927
Photo: Facebook/Edwards County, Texas ~ History and Genealogy via Ginger Andrews
A total of 74 people lost their lives in the F5 Rocksprings tornado of 1927, and 205 more were injured. At the time, this was close to one-third of the town’s entire population. Of the town’s 247 buildings, 235 were wiped out by the cyclone’s mile-wide path, after which it was estimated that it continued on for almost 65 more miles. This ranks as the third deadliest Texas tornado in history.
2. Goliad, May 18,1902
Photo: Facebook/Goliad County Historical Commission
The Goliad tornado of 1902 proved that big, not necessarily good things, can come in small packages. Although it was a small tornado, measuring just an eighth of a mile in width, it also measured as an F4 storm, killing 114 people and injuring 250. It destroyed hundreds of buildings, and ranked as the number two deadliest Texas tornado.
3. Waco, May 11, 1953
Photo: Facebook/Traces of Texas
Some Waco residents that lived through the 1953 F5 tornado, which struck their city on the day after Mother’s Day, waited 14 hours for rescue. The swath of the cyclone in question measured one-third of a mile in width and destroyed 600 homes and buildings. It damaged at least 1,000 more, as well as approximately 2,000 vehicles. At total of 114 people lost their lives that day, and 597 more were injured, making it the deadliest Texas tornado on record.
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