Missouri, 1971

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Missouri, December 15, 1971

December 15, 1971 · 14 events in 10 counties and zones

10 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
28
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

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

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Maries

When
December 15, 1:38 AM CST
Where
Maries County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
38.080, -91.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
December 15, 2:05 AM CST
Where
Morgan County
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
38.280, -92.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Cooper

When
December 15, 2:19 AM CST
Where
Cooper County
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
38.700, -92.780

Tornado, Washington

When
December 15, 2:20 AM CST
Where
Washington County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.8 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.830, -90.680

Tornado, Stoddard

When
December 15, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Stoddard County
Rating
F2
Path length
5.7 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.020, -89.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Cole

When
December 15, 2:32 AM CST
Where
Cole County
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates
38.580, -92.180

Tornado, Scott

When
December 15, 2:35 AM CST
Where
Scott County
Rating
F2
Path length
14.9 mi
Path width
100 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
24 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.080, -89.780

Tornado, Scott

When
December 15, 2:45 AM CST
Where
Scott County
Rating
F2
Path length
6.4 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.170, -89.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When
December 15, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Boone County
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates
38.780, -92.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When
December 15, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Butler County
Coordinates
36.780, -90.400

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Louis

When
December 15, 3:00 AM CST
Where
St. Louis County
Coordinates
38.500, -90.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Scott

When
December 15, 3:15 AM CST
Where
Scott County
Coordinates
37.200, -89.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Scott

When
December 15, 3:18 AM CST
Where
Scott County
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates
37.200, -89.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Scott

When
December 15, 3:33 AM CST
Where
Scott County
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates
37.200, -89.580

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Scott1971-12-15Direct

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.
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

More

Every storm in Missouri in 1971Every state in 1971This day in weather historyThe 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: 10055939, 10055940, 10055941, 10055942, 10055943, 10055944, 10055945, 10055946, 10055947, 10055948, 10055949, 10055950, 10055951, 10055952.