Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Missouri, October 30, 1979

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Missouri, October 30, 1979
Start: 1979-10-30T20:12
End: 1979-10-30T23:20
Location: Missouri

October 30, 1979 · NWS PER · 8 events in 7 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, 2 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 9
Property damage: $5.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Barry

When: October 30, 8:12 PM CST
Where: Barry County
Rating: F2
Path length: 13.8 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 36.720, -93.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: October 30, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph)
Coordinates: 37.250, -93.380

Tornado, Lawrence

When: October 30, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County
Rating: F2
Path length: 10.4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 36.920, -93.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Stone

When: October 30, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Stone County
Coordinates: 36.500, -93.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: October 30, 8:40 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Coordinates: 37.120, -93.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: October 30, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Coordinates: 37.620, -93.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Webster

When: October 30, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Webster County
Coordinates: 37.130, -93.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When: October 30, 11:20 PM CST
Where: Boone County
Coordinates: 38.950, -92.330

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 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: 10058503, 10058504, 10058505, 10058506, 10058507, 10058508, 10058509, 10058510.