Hundreds Died in Minutes: The Great St. Louis Tornado of 1896

On May 27, 1896, one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history tore through St. Louis and East St. Louis with almost no warning. In less than 30 minutes, entire neighborhoods disappeared, thousands of buildings were damaged, and hundreds of people were killed.

More than a century later, the Great St. Louis Tornado still holds a grim place in U.S. weather history. It remains the third-deadliest tornado ever recorded in the country.

The disaster also changed how Americans thought about tornadoes, especially in large cities that many once believed were “safe” from direct strikes.

The 1896 Tornado Devastated a Rapidly Growing St. Louis

In the late 1800s, St. Louis was booming. It was one of the nation’s largest cities, packed with factories, rail yards, river traffic, and crowded residential neighborhoods.