The 1908 Dixie tornado outbreak was one of the worst tornado

Tornado

A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...

 disasters in United States history. The outbreak produced tornadoes in 13 states on April 23, April 24, and April 25, 1908, with the worst loss of life in the Southeastern United States

Southeastern United States

The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....

.

Outbreak description

Tornado activity began on April 23, with a number of tornadoes reported at various locations from South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

 to Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. A total of 13 deaths were produced by these storms, which included one F5

Fujita scale

The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...

 tornado (near Pender, Nebraska), an F4

Fujita scale

The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...

 storm that devastated the town of Deport, Texas

Deport, Texas

Deport is a city in Lamar and Red River Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Deport is located at , primarily in Lamar County....

, and two F3

Fujita scale

The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...

 storms that produced serious damage elsewhere in Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 and Texas.

The deadliest of the storms developed the following day, to the south and east. The worst of these left 143 people dead in its wake, making it one of the 10 deadliest American tornadoes. Many of these deaths occurred in Purvis, Mississippi

Purvis, Mississippi

Purvis is a city in Lamar County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,164 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lamar County. The Town of Purvis was incorporated on February 25, 1888 and was founded by...

, where the casualties were: 83 dead, 340 injured, and 1,935 homeless. In the rural Washington Parish community of Pine, Louisiana

Pine, Louisiana

Pine is a small community located in Washington Parish, Louisiana. It is home to the Pine Raiders and the new Pine junior and senior high school....

, 9 people died in this tornado. The parishes/counties affected by this string of tornadoes were: Livingston Parish

Livingston Parish, Louisiana

Livingston Parish Is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Livingston. As of 2010, its population was 128,026....

, St. Helena Parish, Tangipahoa Parish

Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana

Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...

, Washington Parish

Washington Parish, Louisiana

Washington Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Franklinton. In 2000, its population was 43,926....

, Marion County

Marion County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 25,595 people, 9,336 households, and 6,880 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 10,395 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...

, Lamar County

Lamar County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 39,070 people, 14,396 households, and 10,725 families residing in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile . There were 15,433 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...

, Forrest County

Forrest County, Mississippi

The median income for a household in the county was $27,420, and the median income for a family was $35,791. Males had a median income of $28,742 versus $20,500 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,160...

, Perry County

Perry County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,138 people, 4,420 households, and 3,332 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile . There were 5,107 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...

, and Wayne County

Wayne County, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,216 people, 7,857 households, and 5,853 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 9,049 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...

.

Elsewhere, 91 were killed by a tornado family that left F4 damage along a 90 mile long path through four Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 parishes and three counties in Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

. Three hours after the Purvis, Mississippi tornado, another F4 tornado (or tornado family) killed an additional 35 people along a damage path that stretched for 105 miles in central Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

.

Other tornadoes on the 24th and 25th produced 31 additional deaths, along with damage at various locations in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.