Why the word tornado was banned from American weather forecasts

If you’ve had family in the Midwest for a century or more, you’ve probably heard some harrowing tales about extreme weather. Today, when extreme weather bears down on us, information is everywhere. Doppler radar, up-to-the-minute forecasts, even emergency alerts pushed to our cell phones. All this data helps us plan our lives, and occasionally saves them. Especially when it comes to the terrifying power of the tornado. But believe it or not, there was a time when weather forecasters didn’t report on tornadoes at all — in fact, they weren’t allowed to. In the late nineteenth century, the word “tornado” was banned from American weather forecasts. These storms were thought to be so terrifying that reporting on them might cause a panic. Basically, a century ago, all the warning you might have gotten about an approaching tornado was an old farmhand yelling “It’s a twister!” as the funnel cloud drew nearer. But this strategy backfired, most notably during the Tri-state Tornado of 1925. This was — and still is — the deadliest tornado in American history. It killed 695 people, injured thousands more, and wiped entire towns off the map from Missouri, through Illinois, and into Indiana. Tragedies like this one apparently convinced Americans that tornadoes might be worth panicking over. Today’s Midwestern homes often have basements and cellars that provide some protection from oncoming twisters. So don’t take those extreme weather alerts on your phone for granted.