Atlas · Today in history · severe weather
May 22 MMXI 2011
Joplin tornado
Joplin, Missouri — death toll estimated at 158.
An EF5 tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri on the evening of May 22, 2011, carving a path 22 miles long and up to three-quarters of a mile wide through residential neighborhoods and the St. John's Regional Medical Center. 158 people were killed, making it the deadliest single U.S. tornado since 1947 and the costliest at the time ($2.8 billion). Response and recovery lessons reshaped how U.S. hospitals plan for severe-weather events.