Tornado and Damaging Winds in Missouri, October 21, 1979

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Missouri, October 21, 1979
Start: 1979-10-21T19:25
End: 1979-10-21T23:46
Location: Missouri

October 21, 1979 · NWS RY · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Buchanan

When: October 21, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Buchanan County
Coordinates: 39.820, -94.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Platte

When: October 21, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Platte County
Coordinates: 39.300, -94.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: October 21, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Jasper County
Coordinates: 37.080, -94.520

Tornado, Barry

When: October 21, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Barry County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2.5 mi
Path width: 533 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.830, -93.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: October 21, 11:46 PM CST
Where: Jasper County
Coordinates: 37.080, -94.600

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

Every storm in Missouri in 1979 Every state in 1979 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Missouri, 1979

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: 10057707, 10058497, 10058498, 10058499, 10058500.