Tornado outbreak of May 15–16, 1968

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Tornado outbreak of May 15–16, 1968

In mid‑May 1968, a powerful tornado outbreak struck the central and southern United States. Over about 27 hours, 46 tornadoes formed. The storms killed 72 people, injured 1,203, and caused more than $52.5 million in damage. The hardest‑hit areas were Iowa and Arkansas, and two extremely strong tornadoes were rated F5, the highest on the Fujita scale.

Two F5 tornadoes hit Iowa:

- Charles City—Elma: Formed around 4:10 p.m. on May 15 and lasted about 1 hour 30 minutes. The Charles City tornado killed 13 people and injured 462. It destroyed much of Charles City, with 372 homes lost and about $30 million in damage there (plus around $1.5 million elsewhere).

- Oelwein—Maynard: Formed around 4:57 p.m. on May 15 and ended around 5:40 p.m. This tornado killed 5 people and injured 156. Oelwein suffered extensive damage to homes and other property, with about $21 million in damage.

Other notable tornadoes:

- Oil Trough, Arkansas: An F4 tornado with 7 deaths and 24 injuries.

- Jonesboro—Nettleton—Manilla, Arkansas: An F4 tornado that killed 35 and injured 364, devastating parts of Jonesboro and nearby areas, including damage to Nettleton High School.

Wider impact:

- The outbreak also caused fatalities in Illinois and Indiana.

Overall, the May 15–16 outbreak was one of the deadliest in the United States during the 1960s and is remembered as a major, deadly storm event in Iowa’s history.