Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Barton County, Missouri

41 tornadoes have crossed Barton County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 19th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 15 people and injured 99. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  7. 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.

Now

Tornadoes
41
Deaths
15
Injuries
99
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 4, 2003

The deadliest in Barton County

  1. F3, Barton, Cedar, Polk and Hickory counties, MissouriMay 4, 20035 killed, 47 injured
  2. F4 Franklin–Liberal tornado, Kansas and MissouriMay 4, 20034 killed, 30 injured
  3. EF3, Jasper and Barton counties, MissouriMay 22, 20193 killed, 1 injured
  4. F3, Crawford, Barton, Vernon, Cedar and St. Clair counties, Kansas and MissouriMarch 15, 19822 killed, 8 injured
  5. F1, Barton County, MissouriDecember 18, 20021 killed, 7 injured

The strongest

  1. F4 Franklin–Liberal tornado, Kansas and MissouriMay 4, 2003F4, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  2. F3, Barton, Cedar, Polk and Hickory counties, MissouriMay 4, 2003F3, 86.0 mi (138 km)
  3. F3, Crawford, Barton, Vernon, Cedar and St. Clair counties, Kansas and MissouriMarch 15, 1982F3, 70.0 mi (113 km)
  4. F3, Barton and Vernon counties, MissouriNovember 17, 1958F3, 30.2 mi (49 km)
  5. EF3, Jasper and Barton counties, MissouriMay 22, 2019EF3, 11.3 mi (18 km)
  6. F2, Barton County, MissouriMay 11, 1966F2, 2.3 mi (4 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Barton County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20251EF0
20211EF0
2019331EF3
20183EF0
20151EF0
20131EF1
20121EF1
20101EF0
20081EF0
20072EF0
20062F0
20052F0
20032977F4
2002117F1
19962F1
19952F1
19921F1
19822213F3
19811F1
19671F0
19662F2
19631F1
19601F1
19591F0
195811F3
19571F0
19561F0
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Barton County

41 tornadoes, newest first. 4 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Missouri. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 5, 20268:17 PM CSTEF0Barton1.70
April 20, 20252:29 PM CDTEF0Barton19.8300$3.4 million
October 11, 20214:44 AM CDTEF0Jasper2.450$80,000
May 22, 20198:51 PM CDTEF3Jasper11.388031$1.0 million
May 20, 20194:23 PM CDTEF1Noble to KS, MO3.0100$75,000
May 20, 20194:23 PM CDTEF1Crawford to MO10.71,200$1.1 million
August 19, 20185:59 PM CDTEF0Barton0.325
August 19, 20185:54 PM CDTEF0Barton0.125
August 19, 20185:40 PM CDTEF0Barton0.050$10,000
April 2, 20158:33 PM CDTEF0Barton2.6100$5,000
May 20, 20136:03 PM CDTEF1Barton6.8100$50,000
February 28, 201210:52 PM CSTEF1Barton16.0200$250,000
July 12, 20103:47 PM CDTEF0Barton0.325
May 13, 20088:27 PM CDTEF0Barton0.020
June 10, 20075:08 PM CDTEF0Barton0.5200
April 24, 20076:20 PM CDTEF0Barton2.825$5,000
May 3, 20066:25 PM CDTF0Barton16.050
March 12, 20069:18 PM CSTF0Barton57.050
September 28, 20053:15 PM CDTF0Barton0.425
September 13, 20054:57 PM CDTF0Barton0.220
May 4, 20035:31 PM CDTF3Barton86.0880547$53 million
May 4, 20034:35 PM CDTF4Franklin–Liberal tornado33.0880430$20 million
December 18, 20021:53 AM CSTF1Barton9.510017$140,000
May 26, 199610:02 PM CDTF1Barton0.250$10,000
May 26, 19969:53 PM CDTF1Barton3.0100$10,000
July 25, 19959:11 PM CDTF0Barton0.110
May 7, 19955:45 PM CDTF1Barton5.0100$5,000 to $50,000
February 14, 19924:45 PM CSTF1Barton16.023$50,000 to $500,000
December 1, 19827:13 PM CSTF1Barton29.02005$50,000 to $500,000
March 15, 19827:35 PM CSTF3Crawford to MO70.060028$5 million to $50 million
June 22, 198110:02 AM CDTF1Barton3.650$5,000 to $50,000
July 28, 19674:00 AM GMT-5F0Barton0.220under $50
May 11, 19667:45 PM GMT-5F2Barton2.350$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19667:15 PM GMT-5F0Barton0.110under $50
March 4, 19639:00 AM GMT-6F1Barton0.217$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 196010:00 PM GMT-5F1Barton1.517$5,000 to $50,000
September 26, 19591:05 PM GMT-5F0Barton0.110under $50
November 17, 195811:30 AM GMT-6F3Barton30.24001$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19575:30 PM GMT-6F0Barton0.210under $50
February 24, 195610:30 PM GMT-6F0Barton0.110$50 to $500
March 24, 195410:00 PM GMT-6F1Barton15.733$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Barton CountyThe forecast for Barton CountyThe live radar over Barton CountyEvery county in Missouri

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.