Photos: One of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history devastated Joplin 10 years ago
Ten years ago, one of the deadliest tornadoes in the country devastated Joplin.
The EF5 tornado tore a 6-mile long path through the city on May 22, 2011, injuring more than 1,000 people, killing 158 and obliterating a third of the city.
It was the costliest single tornado in U.S. history and the seventh deadliest tornado on record, according to the National Weather Service and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with $2.8 billion in total damages.
The energy of five different supercells combined to create the powerful tornado that reached speeds in excess of 200 mph.
It touched down on the west side of Joplin just after 5:30 p.m. that day and intensified as it wiped out entire neighborhoods, destroyed Joplin High School and ravaged Mercy Hospital Joplin, formerly known as St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Foundations were wiped of their structures, trees were ripped from the ground and debris flew around the city.
More than 8,000 other buildings were damaged. It ultimately was on the ground for just over 22 miles and was a quarter of a mile to a mile wide.
