The death toll from the F5 tornado that tore through Joplin on Sunday has increased to 125, with at least 900 hurt.

It was the highest possible strength on the Enhanced Fujita scale of tornado strength and intensity, with winds of at least 200 miles per hour (320 kph).

This year there are an extraordinary high number of tornadoes, with 1,168 as of May 22, compared to an average of about 671 by this time, according to Joshua Wurman, president of the Center for Severe Weather Research in Boulder, Colorado.

No new survivors were discovered in the third day of search and rescue work.

An estimated 8,000 buildings, including commercial, residential and recreational sites, were destroyed by the tornado in the southwestern region of Missouri, according to city officials.

It's the deadliest tornado season since 1953, when 519 people died.

Storm