Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri

52 tornadoes have crossed Cape Girardeau County since 1950, 4th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 13. 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
52
Deaths
6
Injuries
13
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 6, 2003

The deadliest in Cape Girardeau County

  1. EF2, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties, MissouriApril 5, 20235 killed, 4 injured
  2. F2, Stoddard and Cape Girardeau counties, MissouriApril 29, 19631 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Cape Girardeau County, MissouriMay 6, 2003F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  2. EF2, Cape Girardeau, Union and Jackson counties, Missouri and IllinoisFebruary 29, 2012EF2, 31.9 mi (51 km)
  3. EF2, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties, MissouriApril 5, 2023EF2, 20.7 mi (33 km)
  4. F2, Cape Girardeau County, MissouriDecember 18, 1957F2, 15.8 mi (25 km)
  5. EF2, Stoddard and Cape Girardeau counties, MissouriApril 2, 2025EF2, 14.7 mi (24 km)
  6. F2, Stoddard and Cape Girardeau counties, MissouriApril 29, 1963F2, 10.7 mi (17 km)
  7. EF2, Cape Girardeau County, MissouriJanuary 11, 2020EF2, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  8. F2, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties, MissouriMay 24, 1981F2, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  9. EF2, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties, MissouriFebruary 29, 2012EF2, 7.7 mi (12 km)
  10. F2, Cape Girardeau County, MissouriMarch 14, 1971F2, 6.6 mi (11 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 34 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cape Girardeau County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20256EF2
20242EF0
2023154EF2
20201EF2
20181EF1
20152EF0
20133EF1
201241EF2
20113EF1
20091EF1
20081EF1
20041F2
200332F3
20021F0
20001F0
19981F0
19951F1
19941F0
19931F0
19911F1
19881F1
19841F1
19821F1
198111F2
19732F1
19711F2
19701F0
19671F0
19661F1
1963113F2
19621F1
195721F2
195511F2
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed Cape Girardeau County

52 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 7, 202510:23 PM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau1.6125$90,000
June 7, 20259:52 PM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau3.550$110,000
May 20, 20251:08 AM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau1.7150$200,000
May 16, 20254:03 PM CDTEF2Cape Girardeau1.4225$175,000
April 2, 20256:56 PM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau to IL8.0150$765,000
April 2, 20256:32 PM CDTEF2Stoddard14.7600$20 million
May 8, 202410:58 AM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau0.250$10,000
April 2, 20244:15 AM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau0.4150$5,000
April 5, 20233:30 AM CDTEF2Bollinger20.715054$2.0 million
January 11, 20201:46 AM CSTEF2Cape Girardeau9.1300$750,000
May 31, 20187:44 PM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau2.2150$25,000
April 9, 20159:31 PM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau1.7130$60,000
April 9, 20159:16 PM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau1.8150$6,000
October 31, 20137:05 PM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau3.9150$130,000
January 29, 20139:13 PM CSTEF1Cape Girardeau5.5100$250,000
January 29, 20139:13 PM CSTEF1Cape Girardeau6.8100$80,000
March 23, 201211:38 AM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau0.6300
March 23, 201211:33 AM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau0.350$10,000
February 29, 20123:47 AM CSTEF2Cape Girardeau to IL31.93001$350,000
February 29, 20123:34 AM CSTEF2Bollinger7.7120$170,000
May 25, 20116:18 PM CDTEF1Cape Girardeau2.1250$20,000
May 23, 20113:54 PM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau0.540$1,000
April 19, 20119:27 PM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau0.140$20,000
March 8, 200912:15 PM CDTEF1Bollinger6.570$130,000
January 29, 20084:09 PM CSTEF1Cape Girardeau to IL4.3200$85,000
April 24, 20047:47 PM CDTF2Cape Girardeau5.4200$10,000
May 6, 20039:11 PM CDTF1Cape Girardeau3.050
May 6, 20038:45 PM CDTF3Cape Girardeau2.0502$12 million
May 6, 20038:31 PM CDTF1Cape Girardeau1.050
November 9, 200210:58 PM CSTF0Cape Girardeau0.850$30,000
June 26, 20001:36 PM CDTF0Cape Girardeau0.230
April 16, 199811:43 PM CDTF0Cape Girardeau0.640$10,000
May 18, 19951:29 PM CDTF1Cape Girardeau8.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 25, 19943:30 PM CDTF0Cape Girardeau0.330
November 14, 199310:30 AM CSTF0Cape Girardeau1.540$50,000 to $500,000
February 13, 19914:44 PM CSTF1Cape Girardeau5.030$50,000 to $500,000
July 25, 19886:34 PM CDTF1Cape Girardeau0.250
November 9, 19845:32 PM CSTF1Cape Girardeau1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
December 24, 198210:45 PM CSTF1Cape Girardeau0.550$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 19813:55 PM CDTF2Cape Girardeau9.14001$500,000 to $5 million
June 2, 19733:40 PM CDTF1Cape Girardeau0.110
May 7, 19738:25 PM CDTF0Cape Girardeau0.327$50 to $500
March 14, 197111:30 PM CSTF2Cape Girardeau6.623$50,000 to $500,000
May 29, 19703:30 PM CDTF0Cape Girardeau0.150$500 to $5,000
October 24, 19672:00 PM GMT-5F0Cape Girardeau0.517$50 to $500
May 18, 19661:30 AM GMT-5F1Cape Girardeau0.210$500 to $5,000
April 29, 19635:00 PM GMT-5F2Stoddard10.75013$5,000 to $50,000
July 13, 19624:00 PM GMT-5F1Cape Girardeau2.520$5,000 to $50,000
December 18, 19574:45 PM GMT-6F2Cape Girardeau15.87001$50,000 to $500,000
May 21, 19576:00 PM GMT-5F2Cape Girardeau5.1500$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19554:00 PM GMT-6F2Cape Girardeau4.1501$50,000 to $500,000
March 18, 19526:30 PM GMT-6F2Cape Girardeau6.2500$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Cape Girardeau CountyThe forecast for Cape Girardeau CountyThe live radar over Cape Girardeau 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.