About this recording
Published 2026-05-22. On May twenty-second, twenty eleven, an EF-five tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri. In just thirty-eight minutes, it killed one hundred fifty-eight people, injured more than eleven hundred, destroyed thousands of homes and buildings, and became one of the deadliest tornadoes in modern U.S. history. Fifteen years later, we remember the lives lost, the survivors, and the warning that still matters today. This archived recording reflects reporting at publication; conditions may have changed.
An archive briefing, not a real-time warning. Follow current instructions from local authorities.
Understand the reports
Use these explainers to interpret the measurements and warnings discussed in disaster coverage. They provide background, not updates to this archived briefing.
