Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2025
EF0 tornado, Scott County, Missouri, May 16, 2025
This EF0 tornado ran 0.6 miles across Scott County on May 16, 2025, touching down at 3:59 PM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The record
- Rating
- EF0
- Date
- May 16, 2025
- Touchdown
- 3:59 PM CDT (20:59 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:01 PM CDT (21:01 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- County
- Scott County
- Touchdown point
- 36.964, -89.716
- Lift-off point
- 36.964, -89.704
- Record number
- 2505161459-01
The damage survey
80 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS PAH, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EFU. The highest wind the damage implies is 152 mph.
- Several trees uprooted facing west or southwest
- Several homes with shingle damage
- 2 dogs and 2 horses were killed at this residence.
- Large barn completely destroyed
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
The warnings
38 minutes of warning. NWS PAH issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:21 UTC, 38 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:15 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:01 UTC and running to 01:24 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07:28 UTC | 14:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | PAH |
| 20:01 UTC | 01:24 UTC | Tornado Watch | PAH |
| 20:21 UTC | 21:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | PAH |
| 20:57 UTC | 21:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | PAH |
| 23:15 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | PAH |
| 23:45 UTC | 00:04 UTC | Tornado Warning | PAH |
| 00:16 UTC | 00:51 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH |
| 00:20 UTC | 00:48 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:31 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), 12:00Z
9.0 hours before the tornado, 238 km from the path. May 16, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2582 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -44 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2879 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 697 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 65 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 189 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 329 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 4.2
- Supercell composite
- 17.2
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.1 K/km
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), 00:00Z
3.0 hours after it, 238 km from the path. May 17, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2679 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -11 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 4669 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 980 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 63 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 235 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 222 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.7
- Supercell composite
- 19.5
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.5 K/km
The surface observations
Sikeston (SIK), 15 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:15 UTC | 84.6 | 75.4 | 210° 15 kt | 24 | 1004.7 | |
| 19:35 UTC | 85 | 75 | 210° 18 kt | 28 | 1004.1 | |
| 19:55 UTC | 84.4 | 75 | 200° 13 kt | 25 | 1003.4 | |
| 20:15 UTC | 82.2 | 75 | 210° 15 kt | 29 | 1004.4 | |
| 20:35 UTC | 82 | 75 | 210° 9 kt | 20 | 1004.4 | |
| 20:55 UTC | 81.7 | 73.4 | 190° 11 kt | 20 | 1003 | |
| 21:15 UTC | 83.3 | 74 | 220° 25 kt | 32 | 1003.7 | VCTS |
| 21:35 UTC | 83.3 | 74.3 | 230° 20 kt | 29 | 1003.7 | VCTS |
| 21:55 UTC | 84 | 75 | 220° 19 kt | 27 | 1003 | |
| 22:15 UTC | 83.7 | 75.6 | 210° 10 kt | 20 | 1003 | |
| 22:35 UTC | 84.2 | 75.2 | 200° 14 kt | 23 | 1002.4 | |
| 22:55 UTC | 84 | 75 | 200° 13 kt | 20 | 1001.7 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:01 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:41 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | 1 Nne Brownwood | Stoddard, MO | |
| 20:46 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Puxico | Stoddard, MO | |
| 20:51 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Se Bell City | Stoddard, MO | Corrects previous tornado report from 4 SSW Bell City. |
| 20:51 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Ssw Bell City | Stoddard, MO | |
| 20:54 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Sse Bell City | Stoddard, MO | *** 2 FATAL, 10 INJ *** A 16.35 mile long EF3 tornado started in eastern Stoddard County along County Highway Y, approximately 5 miles southeast of Bell City. It removed a roof of a house shortly after touching down and |
| 20:56 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 3 S Zalma | Bollinger, MO | |
| 21:03 UTC | TORNADO | 1 E Burfordville | Cape Girardeau, MO | An EF2 tornado touched down about 1.5 miles east of Burfordville in Cape Girardeau County. It tracked east for about 1.4 miles before lifting 3 miles east of Burfordville. The worst damage occurred along County Highway 3 |
| 21:08 UTC | TORNADO | 2 E Hay-Wood City | Scott, MO | |
| 21:12 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Jackson | Cape Girardeau, MO | debris spotted. |
| 21:18 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Se Blodgett | Scott, MO | Structural damage to a home. |
| 23:28 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | 2 E Gordonville | Cape Girardeau, MO | Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). |
| 23:31 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | 3 Nw Cape Girardeau | Cape Girardeau, MO | Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). |
| 23:36 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | 3 N Cape Girardeau | Cape Girardeau, MO | Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). |
| 23:40 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Kelso | Scott, MO | |
| 23:40 UTC | TORNADO | 1 S Morley | Scott, MO | tornado on ground. |
| 23:40 UTC | TORNADO | 2 S Lambert | Scott, MO | An EF1 tornado touched down approximately 2.5 miles south of Benton in northern Scott County. It was on the ground for 1.3 miles before lifting just west of I-55 about 3.5 miles southeast of Benton. Total destruction of |
| 23:43 UTC | TSTM WND GST 59 | 1 Wsw Ash Hill | Butler, MO | Mesonet station UP918 1.4 W Ash Hill (UPR). |
| 23:46 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sse Lambert | Scott, MO | tornado on the ground crossed I 55 mile marker 77. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2025 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 16, 2025
26 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16 | 7:46 AM CDT | EF1 | Craighead, AR | 7.1 | 150 | $25,000 | ||
| May 16 | 12:42 PM EDT | EF1 | Gloucester, NJ | 8.1 | 300 | $60,000 | ||
| May 16 | 1:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Texas, MO | 2.4 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| May 16 | 2:52 PM EDT | EF0 | Washington, PA | 0.5 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| May 16 | 2:39 PM CDT | EF2 | Saint Louis, MO to IL | 23.2 | 1,750 | 4 | 38 | $1.6 billion |
| May 16 | 2:53 PM CDT | EF2 | Iron, MO | 3.3 | 150 | |||
| May 16 | 3:54 PM CDT | EF3 | Stoddard, MO | 16.1 | 200 | 2 | 10 | $15 million |
| May 16 | 4:03 PM CDT | EF2 | Cape Girardeau, MO | 1.4 | 225 | $175,000 | ||
| May 16 | 5:51 PM EDT | EF1 | City of Baltimore, MD | 4.3 | 75 | $1.5 million | ||
| May 16 | 6:44 PM EDT | EF2 | Greene, IN | 14.0 | 200 | 1 | 3 | $1.1 million |
| May 16 | 5:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Dorchester, MD to DE | 11.3 | 600 | $50,000 | ||
| May 16 | 5:54 PM CDT | EF1 | Lyon, KY | 0.8 | 210 | $100,000 | ||
| May 16 | 7:15 PM EDT | EF1 | Greene, IN | 1.8 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| May 16 | 6:15 PM CDT | EF4 | Marion tornado, IL | 16.3 | 900 | 7 | $25 million | |
| May 16 | 7:27 PM EDT | EF2 | Monroe, IN | 35.3 | 350 | $1.2 million | ||
| May 16 | 6:38 PM CDT | EF1 | Crawford, IL to IN | 10.7 | 100 | $15,000 | ||
| May 16 | 6:40 PM CDT | EF1 | Scott, MO | 1.3 | 100 | $175,000 | ||
| May 16 | 6:42 PM CDT | EF2 | Todd, KY | 6.0 | 200 | $1.1 million | ||
| May 16 | 6:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Saline, IL | 6.8 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| May 16 | 6:56 PM CDT | EF2 | Saline, IL | 9.9 | 250 | $37,000 | ||
| May 16 | 7:58 PM EDT | EF0 | Putnam, IN | 0.4 | 20 | $20,000 | ||
| May 16 | 8:02 PM EDT | EF1 | Dearborn, IN | 6.3 | 250 | $60,000 | ||
| May 16 | 7:16 PM CDT | EF3 | Union, KY | 9.9 | 500 | 4 | $15 million | |
| May 16 | 9:26 PM CDT | EF2 | Christian, KY | 10.0 | 225 | $1.3 million | ||
| May 16 | 9:27 PM CDT | EF4 | London tornado, KY | 60.1 | 1,700 | 18 | ||
| May 16 | 9:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Logan, KY | 2.6 | 75 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.