Deadliest Texas Tornadoes Ever Recorded: Lives Lost, Damage, and History

I think every person I know who grew up in Texas has dreams about tornadoes. It makes me wonder if we do have some type of ancestral memory that warns us of potential disasters, like the sky going sick and green, twisting upon itself, and letting loose a path of utter destruction.

Read More: Lubbock's Extreme Weather Records, Patterns And History

Growing Up In Tornado Country

As a kid, I remember learning about tornados driving drinking straws through telephone poles, and about them gently lifting a cow and placing it back on the ground unharmed (not every cow is so lucky). In my lifetime, I've seen funnels form in the sky, and prayed they stayed up in the clouds. As an adult, I lost a vehicle to a tornadic storm, although it was hail that did "Black Betty" in.

Read More: Understanding Lubbock's Weather: A Guide To Its Seasons

Texas And The Fujita Scale

The Fujita Scale, more commonly referred to as the "F" Scale, was developed by Professor Fujita in the early 1970s to rank tornadoes based on their destruction levels. The scale ranges from F0, which is a weak tornado with little damage to F5, which indicates violent, incredible damage. There is an F6 rating, and "inconceivable tornado," which some tornadoes have "achieved," depending on the opinion of the meteorologist.

The 1970 Lubbock, Texas, tornado, which was extensively studied by Dr. Fujita to develop his scale, was originally classified as an F6 but later downgraded to an F5. Since 2007, meteorologists have used the "Enhanced Fujita" scale to measure tornadoes, which aligns wind speeds with damage more precisely.

The Ten Worst Tornadoes In Texas History, and One "Honorable Mention"