Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, March 15, 1982

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, March 15, 1982
Start: 1982-03-15T19:55
End: 1982-03-15T23:15
Location: Missouri

March 15, 1982 · NWS RY · 23 events in 15 counties and zones

9 tornado, 9 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 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: 1
Property damage: $104 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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

9 tornado, 9 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Barton

When: March 15, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.550, -94.630

Tornado, Vernon

When: March 15, 8:06 PM CST
Where: Vernon County
Rating: F3
Path length: 17 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.630, -94.370

Hail, Johnson

When: March 15, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Johnson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.770, -93.750

Tornado, Cedar

When: March 15, 8:25 PM CST
Where: Cedar County
Rating: F3
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.780, -94.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Barton

When: March 15, 8:25 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Coordinates: 37.670, -94.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Saline

When: March 15, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Coordinates: 39.170, -93.450

Hail, Cedar

When: March 15, 8:43 PM CST
Where: Cedar County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 37.870, -94.030

Tornado, Jasper

When: March 15, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Jasper County
Rating: F3
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.330, -94.620

Tornado, St. Clair

When: March 15, 8:50 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County
Rating: F3
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.900, -93.870

Hail, Benton

When: March 15, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Benton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.250, -93.380

Tornado, Benton

When: March 15, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Benton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 700 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.080, -93.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: March 15, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 39.070, -91.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Moniteau

When: March 15, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Moniteau County
Coordinates: 38.620, -92.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Hickory

When: March 15, 10:24 PM CST
Where: Hickory County
Coordinates: 38.020, -93.470

Tornado, Morgan

When: March 15, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Morgan County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 600 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.300, -92.980

Hail, Morgan

When: March 15, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Morgan County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.320, -92.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When: March 15, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Boone County
Coordinates: 38.700, -92.320

Tornado, Moniteau

When: March 15, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Moniteau County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.620, -92.570

Hail, Callaway

When: March 15, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Callaway County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 38.650, -92.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Callaway

When: March 15, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Callaway County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 38.650, -92.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Cole

When: March 15, 10:58 PM CST
Where: Cole County
Coordinates: 38.500, -92.180

Tornado, Callaway

When: March 15, 11:05 PM CST
Where: Callaway County
Rating: F0
Path length: 24 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.830, -91.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: March 15, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 39.070, -91.580

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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Cedar	1982-03-15				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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 1982 Every state in 1982 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Missouri, 1982

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: 10057495, 10057496, 10057497, 10057498, 10057499, 10057500, 10057501, 10057502, 10057503, 10057504, 10057505, 10057506, 10057507, 10057508, 10057509, 10057510, 10057511, 10057512, 10057513, 10057514, 10057515, 10057516, 10057517.