On this date in 2007, tragedy struck Greensburg, Kansas when an EF5 tornado destroyed about 95% of the town. The vortex had a track 29 miles long, reached 1.7 miles wide, and lasted one hour and 5 minutes.
The twister killed 11, injured 63, and caused around $250 million in damage. As it tore through town, numerous homes and businesses were leveled or destroyed; among them were the city hall and two schools. In all, 961 homes and businesses were destroyed, many of which were leveled and a few of which vanished.
Just after the Greensburg Tornado dissipated another, and even larger, tornado formed about 5 miles north of Greensburg. This tornado quickly grew to around 2 miles wide as it began a 23-mile run. The twister destroyed 2 farms and threw a combine around 440 yards. It's likely the tornado was more powerful than its "high end" EF3 rating, but it primarily remained in rural areas. Two more EF3 tornadoes would strike nearby.
Both would prove fatal, killing one apiece.
After a local and national news update (at 06:53) below, listen to the discussion of the tornado outbreak that destroyed 95% of Greensburg.
