Missouri, 1981

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Missouri, June 21, 1981

June 21, 1981 · 11 events in 7 counties and zones

7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
6
Property damage
$251,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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

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

Tornado, Warren

When
June 21, 1:10 AM CST
Where
Warren County
Rating
F2
Path length
6.5 mi
Path width
300 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.830, -91.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
June 21, 7:52 AM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
39.030, -94.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When
June 21, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Henry County
Coordinates
38.380, -93.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Pettis

When
June 21, 9:15 AM CST
Where
Pettis County
Coordinates
38.700, -93.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Cooper

When
June 21, 9:35 AM CST
Where
Cooper County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
38.970, -92.730

Tornado, Jackson

When
June 21, 5:58 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
38.880, -94.570

Tornado, Jackson

When
June 21, 6:14 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
39.030, -94.600

Tornado, Cass

When
June 21, 6:14 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
38.800, -94.500

Tornado, Jackson

When
June 21, 6:38 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250
Coordinates
39.000, -94.570

Tornado, Cass

When
June 21, 8:05 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
38.480, -94.600

Tornado, Osage

When
June 21, 8:10 PM CST
Where
Osage County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250
Coordinates
38.500, -91.630

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, Warren1981-06-21Direct

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

More

Every storm in Missouri in 1981Every state in 1981This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 1981

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: 10059461, 10059462, 10059463, 10059464, 10059465, 10059466, 10059467, 10059468, 10059469, 10059470, 10059471.