Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Callaway County, Missouri

41 tornadoes have crossed Callaway County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 20th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 39. 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
41
Deaths
1
Injuries
39
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 22, 2019

The deadliest in Callaway County

  1. F1, Callaway County, MissouriApril 10, 20011 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Miller, Cole and Callaway counties, MissouriMay 22, 2019EF3, 32.7 mi (53 km)
  2. F2, Moniteau, Cole, Boone and Callaway counties, MissouriMay 12, 1980F2, 42.7 mi (69 km)
  3. F2, Callaway County, MissouriMarch 13, 2006F2, 13.0 mi (21 km)
  4. EF2, Callaway County, MissouriApril 20, 2025EF2, 2.6 mi (4 km)
  5. F2, Callaway County, MissouriMay 23, 1966F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Callaway County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
202511EF2
2019233EF3
20171EF1
20151EF0
20102EF0
20081EF0
20071EF0
200642F2
20051F0
2001112F1
20004F1
19981F1
19951F0
19942F1
19923F1
19901F0
19821F0
19802F2
19731F1
19711F1
19701F1
19681F0
19662F2
196411F1
19611F1
19601F1
19591F0

Every tornado that crossed Callaway County

41 tornadoes, newest first. 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
April 17, 20268:31 PM CDTEF0Callaway2.350
April 20, 20251:31 PM CDTEF2Callaway2.61001$125,000
May 22, 201910:56 PM CDTEF3Miller32.71,50033$174 million
May 21, 20195:05 PM CDTEF1Callaway0.6250
May 19, 20174:15 AM CDTEF1Callaway1.650
June 28, 20155:46 PM CDTEF0Callaway0.110
March 10, 201010:36 PM CSTEF0Callaway3.740
March 10, 201010:34 PM CSTEF0Callaway0.840
July 27, 200811:05 PM CDTEF0Callaway1.480
October 17, 200711:55 PM CDTEF0Callaway0.530$50,000
June 10, 20065:55 PM CDTF0Callaway1.075
March 13, 200612:30 AM CSTF2Callaway13.01002
March 12, 200611:43 PM CSTF0Callaway6.2200
March 12, 200611:30 PM CSTF1Osage14.0150
September 19, 20056:36 PM CDTF0Callaway0.150
April 10, 20017:20 PM CDTF1Callaway3.010012$70,000
April 20, 20004:10 AM CDTF1Callaway2.060$50,000
February 29, 20006:17 PM CSTF0Callaway3.040
February 25, 20004:00 PM CSTF1Callaway3.0100
February 25, 20003:45 PM CSTF0Callaway7.070
April 13, 19982:40 PM CDTF1Callaway0.570$50,000
July 8, 19955:50 PM CDTF0Callaway0.280
April 26, 19948:20 PM CDTF0Callaway0.620
April 15, 19943:25 AM CDTF1Cole25.070$50,000 to $500,000
September 7, 19929:30 PM CDTF0Callaway0.220$500 to $5,000
September 7, 19929:30 PM CDTF1Callaway0.320$5,000 to $50,000
July 2, 19927:10 PM CDTF0Callaway0.123
May 15, 19901:39 PM CDTF0Callaway0.250
March 15, 198211:05 PM CSTF0Callaway24.0200$50,000 to $500,000
May 12, 19807:45 PM CDTF1Callaway0.550$50,000 to $500,000
May 12, 19806:12 PM CDTF2Moniteau42.750$5,000 to $50,000
July 20, 19736:30 PM CDTF1Callaway1.050$500 to $5,000
November 1, 19719:30 AM CSTF1Callaway0.330$500 to $5,000
September 7, 19704:20 PM CDTF1Callaway0.117$500 to $5,000
July 17, 19686:55 PM GMT-5F0Callaway0.550$500 to $5,000
May 23, 19666:00 PM GMT-5F2Callaway2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19665:45 PM GMT-5F1Callaway1.550$5,000 to $50,000
July 20, 19645:00 PM GMT-5F1Callaway0.5501$500 to $5,000
June 7, 19618:15 PM GMT-5F1Callaway0.550$500 to $5,000
June 30, 19609:00 PM GMT-5F1Callaway0.217$5,000 to $50,000
September 27, 19599:55 PM GMT-5F0Callaway0.110$50 to $500

Nearby

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