Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 21, 1957

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 21, 1957
Start: 1957-05-21T05:20
End: 1957-05-21T23:45
Location: Missouri

May 21, 1957 · 21 events in 15 counties and zones

13 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 15
Injuries: 129
Property damage: $76 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

13 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, McDonald

When: May 21, 5:20 AM CST
Where: McDonald County
Coordinates: 36.580, -94.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Pulaski

When: May 21, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Pulaski County
Coordinates: 37.780, -92.180

Hail, Phelps

When: May 21, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Phelps County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.000, -91.780

Hail, Phelps

When: May 21, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Phelps County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 38.000, -91.780

Hail, Cape Girardeau

When: May 21, 2:52 PM CST
Where: Cape Girardeau County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.380, -89.580

Tornado, Dent

When: May 21, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Dent County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.2 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.550, -91.500

Tornado, Taney

When: May 21, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Taney County
Rating: F2
Path length: 14.5 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.800, -92.800

Tornado, Wayne

When: May 21, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Rating: F1
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 37.070, -90.720

Tornado, Reynolds

When: May 21, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Reynolds County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 37.420, -90.970

Tornado, Washington

When: May 21, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Rating: F3
Path length: 15.5 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.770, -90.920

Tornado, Carter

When: May 21, 3:53 PM CST
Where: Carter County
Rating: F4
Path length: 9.1 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Deaths: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 75 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.950, -91.170

Hail, Washington

When: May 21, 4:06 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 38.000, -90.780

Tornado, St. Francois

When: May 21, 4:15 PM CST
Where: St. Francois County
Rating: F3
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.850, -90.650

Tornado, St. Francois

When: May 21, 4:25 PM CST
Where: St. Francois County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.4 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Deaths: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 49 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.870, -90.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Bollinger

When: May 21, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Bollinger County
Coordinates: 37.280, -90.000

Tornado, Cape Girardeau

When: May 21, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Cape Girardeau County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.1 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.380, -89.830

Tornado, Lewis

When: May 21, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Lewis County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.8 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.080, -91.780

Tornado, Lewis

When: May 21, 5:36 PM CST
Where: Lewis County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.6 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.120, -91.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Pemiscot

When: May 21, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Pemiscot County
Coordinates: 36.380, -89.680

Tornado, Dunklin

When: May 21, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Dunklin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 18.5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.050, -90.270

Tornado, Dunklin

When: May 21, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Dunklin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 36.230, -90.070

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Missouri in 1957 Every state in 1957 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Missouri, 1957

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10060420, 10060421, 10060422, 10060423, 10060424, 10060425, 10060426, 10061278, 10061279, 10061280, 10061281, 10061493, 10061494, 10061495, 10061496, 10061497, 10061498, 10061499, 10061500, 10061501, 10061502.