Tornado, Perry
- When
- April 19, 8:30 PM CST to 9:05 PM CST
- Where
- Perry County, Perryville to 1 mi of Menfro
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 11.5 mi
- Path width
- 175 yd
- Property damage
- $5.0 million
- Coordinates
- 37.730, -89.870
Tornado in Missouri, April 19, 1996
The tornado destroyed 13 homes and caused major structural damage to 5 others. 63 other homes received minor or moderate structural damage.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $5.0 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
The tornado destroyed 13 homes and caused major structural damage to 5 others. 63 other homes received minor or moderate structural damage. A total of 69 outbuildings and 6 businesses were damaged or destroyed. The Salvation Army and Red Cross were called in to provide food and shelter. State highways and county roads were cleared of tornado debris and open for travel within 24 hours. Extensive damage to utility lines resulted in prolonged power outages lasting a day or two. The F3 damage occurred just west of Menfro, shortly before the tornado dissipated.
The radar
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:28 UTC.
Event by event
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Hail in Texas, April 19, 1996
- Tornadoes in Indiana, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Illinois, April 19, 1996
- Tornado in Indiana, April 19, 1996
More
Every storm in Missouri in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 1996Warnings in Missouri, April 1996
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: 5543189.