Tornado outbreak of March 27, 1890

Tornado outbreak of March 27, 1890
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationMarch 27, 1890
Tornadoes
confirmed
≥ 24 confirmed
Max. rating1F4 tornado
Fatalities≥ 187 fatalities, ≥ 846 injuries
Damage> $2.7 million (1890 USD)
> $94.5 million (2025 USD)
Areas affectedMiddle Mississippi Valley
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

On Thursday, March 27, 1890, a major tornado outbreak struck the Middle Mississippi Valley. To this day, this outbreak is still one of the deadliest tornado events in United States history. At least 24 significant tornadoes, several of which were generated by cyclic supercells, were recorded to have spawned from this system, and at least 187 people were killed by tornadoes that day, including a devastating F4 tornado that struck Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, killing at least 115 people and injuring at least 200 others. Five other violent tornadoes occurred elsewhere, including a long-tracked F4 tornado family that crossed two states, killing 21 people and injuring 200, and two other F4s that killed 14 altogether. A pair of F3s near the Tennessee–Kentucky state line may have killed a combined 37 people.