Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Howell County, Missouri

48 tornadoes have crossed Howell County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 11th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 91. 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
48
Deaths
8
Injuries
91
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 2, 1982

The deadliest in Howell County

  1. EF3, Baxter, Ozark and Howell counties, Arkansas and MissouriMarch 14, 20253 killed, 4 injured
  2. F4, Ozark and Howell counties, MissouriApril 2, 19822 killed, 28 injured
  3. F2, Fulton and Howell counties, Arkansas and MissouriMarch 14, 19591 killed, 15 injured
  4. F2, Howell and Ozark counties, MissouriMarch 12, 19611 killed, 11 injured
  5. EF3, Ozark and Howell counties, MissouriMarch 1, 20071 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Ozark and Howell counties, MissouriApril 2, 1982F4, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  2. F3, Marion, Ozark and Howell counties, Arkansas and MissouriMay 7, 1961F3, 43.8 mi (70 km)
  3. EF3, Baxter, Ozark and Howell counties, Arkansas and MissouriMarch 14, 2025EF3, 35.5 mi (57 km)
  4. EF3, Ozark and Howell counties, MissouriMarch 1, 2007EF3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  5. EF3, Howell and Shannon counties, MissouriMay 26, 2024EF3, 12.4 mi (20 km)
  6. EF3, Howell County, MissouriMay 8, 2009EF3, 2.2 mi (3 km)
  7. EF2, Howell, Texas and Shannon counties, MissouriMay 8, 2009EF2, 27.9 mi (45 km)
  8. F2, Howell and Ozark counties, MissouriMarch 12, 1961F2, 21.1 mi (34 km)
  9. F2, Howell County, MissouriApril 16, 1982F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  10. F2, Howell County, MissouriDecember 20, 1967F2, 12.3 mi (20 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Howell County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF0
2025234EF3
202415EF3
20192EF0
20152EF2
20131EF1
20111EF0
20101EF1
200932EF3
20083EF0
200711EF3
200534F1
20041F0
20021F2
19911F1
19831F1
19824229F4
197636F2
197321F2
19681F2
196722F2
19661F1
19613121F3
19591115F2
19572F1
195522F2
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Howell County

48 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Missouri. The 2 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
March 15, 20263:48 PM CDTEF0Howell1.975
April 28, 20263:37 PM CDTEF0Howell0.6100
April 2, 20253:16 PM CDTEF1Howell1.1350$10,000
March 14, 20258:34 PM CDTEF3Baxter to MO35.51,20034$7.0 million
May 26, 20245:39 PM CDTEF3Howell12.47505$1.6 million
October 21, 20192:30 AM CDTEF0Howell0.150
April 30, 201910:17 PM CDTEF0Howell2.2100$12,000
April 2, 201512:52 AM CDTEF2Howell7.6440$600,000
March 25, 20156:07 PM CDTEF0Howell0.6100$5,000
May 30, 201312:20 AM CDTEF1Howell4.3400$5,000
May 23, 20111:45 PM CDTEF0Howell1.0100$10,000
April 30, 20107:05 PM CDTEF1Howell2.71,320$750,000
May 8, 20099:35 AM CDTEF2Howell27.98802$2.5 million
May 8, 20099:35 AM CDTEF1Howell10.8880$500,000
May 8, 20099:28 AM CDTEF3Howell2.2800$500,000
April 10, 20088:15 AM CDTEF0Howell3.3150
March 31, 20085:47 PM CDTEF0Howell0.020$10,000
January 8, 20084:20 AM CSTEF0Howell0.420$1,000
March 1, 20076:24 AM CSTEF3Ozark15.02001$760,000
November 27, 20056:56 PM CSTF1Howell5.01002$70,000
November 27, 20056:46 PM CSTF1Howell3.01002$70,000
January 12, 20059:30 PM CSTF1Howell16.0440$300,000
November 1, 200410:30 AM CSTF0Howell1.0200
April 27, 200210:40 PM CDTF2Howell1.5100$1.5 million
March 21, 19917:50 PM CSTF1Howell0.863$50,000 to $500,000
March 26, 19836:30 PM CSTF1Howell0.350$5,000 to $50,000
December 23, 19825:30 PM CSTF1Howell0.550$50,000 to $500,000
December 2, 19823:15 PM CSTF1Howell6.52001$50,000 to $500,000
April 16, 19826:48 PM CSTF2Howell14.0800$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19826:15 PM CSTF4Ozark20.0500228$5 million to $50 million
February 21, 197612:30 AM CSTF1Howell0.8374$500,000 to $5 million
February 21, 197612:30 AM CSTF2Howell0.9701$50,000 to $500,000
February 21, 197612:30 AM CSTF2Howell0.9371$500,000 to $5 million
June 2, 197312:30 AM CDTF1Howell1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19733:25 PM CDTF2Howell7.41001$5,000 to $50,000
June 24, 19686:00 PM GMT-5F2Howell0.250$5,000 to $50,000
December 20, 196711:15 PM GMT-6F2Howell12.31502$5,000 to $50,000
April 23, 19678:45 AM GMT-6F1Howell0.550$5,000 to $50,000
December 8, 19669:20 AM GMT-6F1Howell0.6100$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19613:15 AM GMT-5F3Marion to MO43.833310$500,000 to $5 million
March 12, 19617:00 PM GMT-6F2Howell21.1150111$50,000 to $500,000
March 5, 19613:00 PM GMT-6F1Howell1.0100$500 to $5,000
March 14, 19598:30 PM GMT-6F2Fulton to MO11.0417115$5,000 to $50,000
May 13, 19573:15 PM GMT-5F1Howell0.210$500 to $5,000
May 13, 19573:15 PM GMT-5F1Howell0.210$500 to $5,000
November 16, 195512:15 AM GMT-6F2Howell4.31,0002$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 19558:00 PM GMT-5F1Howell2.010$50 to $500
July 9, 195112:45 AM GMT-5F1Howell2.0440$50 to $500

Nearby

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