1925 — The Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925, developed near Ellington, Mo., and then for the next 3.5 hours killed more people and destroyed more schools, homes and farmsteads than any other tornado to this point in history. The Tri-State Tornado swept from Missouri to Indiana, killing 695 people, doing $16 million damage. It began at 1pm in Reynolds County, Missouri and ended at 4:18pm near Princeton, Indiana. At times it was a mile wide. The tornado was not even visible among the boiling clouds and blowing dirt. The tornado moved forward at speeds up to 65 mph. 234 people were killed in Murphysboro, Illinois — the largest single-town death toll ever recorded. Of the 500 people in Parrish, Illinois, three escaped injury. In Indiana the tornado raced across Posey, Gibson, and Pike counties killing 103 people. Not a single structure was left standing in Griffin, Indiana where there were 52 fatalities. 17 died in Owensville, Indiana…24 in Princeton. A different tornado swept through Harrison County, Indiana near Elizabeth killing four people. (Click here for a special site dedicated to this historical event.)
March 18, 1978 – The last bit of snow melted from the ground, ending Fort Wayne’s longest stretch with continuous snow cover, at 69 days.
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