The death toll from the massive tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, is now nearly 100.

Residents received a 24-minute warning that a tornado was headed toward the city, giving many a few precious moments to gather children and run for safety. When the tornado struck, it caused what officials are estimating to be a path of damage through Joplin that was a mile wide and four miles long, with wind speeds reaching 166 miles per hour.

As much as 30 percent of the town was damaged, including more than 2,000 buildings, among them a nursing home and several schools, firehouses and large stores, including a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot. Water treatment and sewage plants were also hit by high winds, and authorities cautioned residents to boil water.

“It is very rare to get a tornado like this, but it is even more rare to get a tornado like this in a highly populated area like Joplin,” said Doug Cramer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The tornado was part of a weather system in which cold and warm fronts collided throughout the middle sections of the country, meteorologists said — an event apt to spawn supercell tornadoes along the storm front like the one that struck Joplin.