Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Benton County, Missouri

32 tornadoes have crossed Benton County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 37th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 9. None was rated F4 or 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
32
Deaths
0
Injuries
9
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, March 15, 1982

The strongest

  1. F3, Harrison and Benton counties, MissouriApril 16, 1960F3, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  2. F3, Benton and Pettis counties, MissouriApril 20, 1973F3, 19.4 mi (31 km)
  3. F3, Benton County, MissouriMarch 15, 1982F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  4. F3, Benton and Pettis counties, MissouriApril 20, 1973F3, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  5. F2, Benton County, MissouriApril 20, 1973F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Benton County, MissouriMay 28, 1954F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Benton County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20253EF1
20241EF0
20151EF1
20081EF0
20062F1
20032F0
19991F0
19952F0
19941F1
19903F1
19861F1
198251F3
19801F1
197334F3
196014F3
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Benton County

32 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 17, 20267:19 PM CDTEF1Benton5.90
April 17, 20267:23 PM CDTEF0Benton0.4200
April 17, 20267:25 PM CDTEF1Benton1.6150
May 19, 20257:35 PM CDTEF1Benton4.4300$160,000
May 19, 20257:28 PM CDTEF1Benton4.3500$148,000
May 19, 20257:24 PM CDTEF1Benton1.3500$115,000
December 14, 20243:41 PM CSTEF0Benton1.775$12,000
July 1, 20159:56 PM CDTEF1Benton3.3600$500,000
January 7, 20082:54 PM CSTEF0Benton0.225$20,000
March 12, 200611:25 PM CSTF0Benton3.020$50,000
March 12, 20063:50 PM CSTF1Henry13.0150$100,000
May 6, 20034:40 PM CDTF0Benton0.225
May 6, 20034:20 PM CDTF0Benton0.225
May 4, 19992:45 PM CDTF0Benton0.150$10,000
June 8, 19954:25 AM CDTF0Benton1.050
May 17, 199510:45 AM CDTF0Benton0.550
April 15, 19942:30 AM CDTF1Benton7.0100$50,000 to $500,000
November 27, 199010:00 AM CSTF1Benton0.523$50,000 to $500,000
May 25, 19909:00 PM CDTF0Benton0.250
May 16, 19903:20 PM CDTF0Benton0.250$5,000 to $50,000
October 2, 198611:50 PM CDTF1Benton10.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 14, 19827:35 PM CDTF0Benton0.150under $50
May 14, 19827:35 PM CDTF1Benton0.350under $50
May 14, 19826:28 PM CDTF0Benton0.350under $50
May 14, 19826:26 PM CDTF0Benton0.350under $50
March 15, 19829:45 PM CSTF3Benton14.07001$500,000 to $5 million
May 12, 19805:30 PM CDTF1Benton9.1100$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19736:25 PM CSTF3Benton10.1100$50,000 to $500,000
April 20, 19736:00 PM CSTF2Benton2.010$50,000 to $500,000
April 20, 19735:15 PM CSTF3Benton19.41004$50,000 to $500,000
April 16, 19603:00 PM GMT-6F3Harrison27.03004$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 19542:15 PM GMT-5F2Benton1.0100$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Benton CountyThe forecast for Benton CountyThe live radar over Benton 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.