Tornado outbreak of May 15–16, 1968
Preview warning: This article seems to be about a tornado outbreak. If this infobox only covers the outbreak itself, please use the
|duration= parameter from the infobox header or from another 'History' box instead.Major damage in Oelwein, Iowa after an F5 tornado devastated the town on May 15. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | May 15–16, 1968 |
| Tornado outbreak | |
| Tornadoes | 46 confirmed |
| Maximum rating | F5 tornado |
| Duration | 27 hours, 32 minutes |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 72 |
| Injuries | 1,203 |
| Damage | >$52.5 million |
| Areas affected | Central and Southern United States |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1968 | |
In mid-May 1968, a significant and deadly tornado outbreak struck most of the central and southern United States. Producing 46 tornadoes, the outbreak killed at least 72 people, including 45 in Arkansas alone. The outbreak also produced two tornadoes in Iowa that were rated F5 on the Fujita scale. It was one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in the United States since the 1960s and is one of the deadliest outbreaks in Iowa history.