Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Missouri, December 14, 1971

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Missouri, December 14, 1971
Start: 1971-12-14T22:00
End: 1971-12-14T23:55
Location: Missouri

December 14, 1971 · 10 events in 6 counties and zones

6 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 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: 1
Injuries: 25
Property damage: $11 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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

6 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, McDonald

When: December 14, 10:00 PM CST
Where: McDonald County
Rating: F1
Path length: 14.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.580, -94.450

Thunderstorm Wind, McDonald

When: December 14, 10:00 PM CST
Where: McDonald County
Coordinates: 36.700, -94.400

Tornado, Newton

When: December 14, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Newton County
Rating: F1
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 36.750, -94.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Newton

When: December 14, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Newton County
Coordinates: 36.880, -94.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Christian

When: December 14, 10:40 PM CST
Where: Christian County
Coordinates: 37.080, -93.500

Tornado, Christian

When: December 14, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Christian County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.2 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.030, -93.570

Tornado, Greene

When: December 14, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Rating: F2
Path length: 12.6 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 22 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.100, -93.520

Tornado, Greene

When: December 14, 11:25 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Rating: F2
Path length: 13.1 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.250, -93.380

Tornado, Polk

When: December 14, 11:40 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F2
Path length: 17.4 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.420, -93.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: December 14, 11:55 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 37.580, -93.080

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Greene	1971-12-14				Direct

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Missouri in 1971 Every state in 1971 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Missouri, 1971

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: 10055929, 10055930, 10055931, 10055932, 10055933, 10055934, 10055935, 10055936, 10055937, 10055938.