3. 1936 – Tupelo–Gainesville Tornado Outbreak
Although at least 12 tornadoes struck the Southeastern United States between April 5–6, 1936, it would be two of them that would claim the most lives and cause the most destruction, eventually claiming the titles of the fourth and fifth deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history. Despite the outbreak being centered on Tupelo, Mississippi, and Gainesville, Georgia, the outbreak would also cause millions of dollars of damage in Columbia, Tennessee; Anderson, South Carolina; and Acworth, Georgia.
This is the only continuous tornado outbreak in United States history to produce more than one tornado with triple-digit death tolls. The outbreak would claim a total of 454 lives, but astonishingly, two of the tornadoes would take 419 of those souls.
