Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Iron County, Missouri

26 tornadoes have crossed Iron County since 1950, 58th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 63. 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
26
Deaths
6
Injuries
63
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, December 21, 1967

The deadliest in Iron County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 14 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Iron County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
2025332EF3
20247EF1
20211EF1
20191EF1
20101EF0
20063F2
20042F1
20001F0
19841F1
19821F2
19732F1
197214F2
19671352F4
195015F2

Every tornado that crossed Iron County

26 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 19, 20258:56 PM CDTEF1Washington2.850
May 16, 20252:53 PM CDTEF2Iron3.3150
March 14, 202510:20 PM CDTEF3Reynolds29.91,52532$5.0 million
May 26, 20246:51 PM CDTEF0Reynolds18.2167$500
May 8, 20249:01 PM CDTEF1Iron4.1100
May 8, 20249:01 PM CDTEF1Iron12.0150
May 8, 20248:53 PM CDTEF1Iron1.7150
May 8, 20248:50 PM CDTEF0Iron0.675
May 8, 20248:49 PM CDTEF1Iron2.6250
May 8, 20248:44 PM CDTEF1Reynolds14.1150$10,000
October 24, 20218:29 PM CDTEF1Iron10.2250
April 30, 201911:26 PM CDTEF1Iron0.130
April 30, 20109:05 PM CDTEF0Iron0.350
September 22, 20065:02 PM CDTF2Iron4.8100
September 22, 20062:42 PM CDTF2Reynolds25.2550
March 11, 20067:55 PM CSTF2Reynolds35.5450
October 18, 20044:35 PM CDTF0Iron0.5100
October 18, 20044:26 PM CDTF1Iron2.0400
May 18, 20008:00 PM CDTF0Iron0.550$3,000
October 16, 19844:15 PM CDTF1Iron5.0200$5,000 to $50,000
December 2, 19827:55 PM CSTF2Iron12.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 26, 197311:30 PM CDTF1Iron3.0210
May 26, 19739:05 PM CDTF1Iron1.050
April 21, 19723:15 PM CSTF2Iron26.0504$5,000 to $50,000
December 21, 196712:45 AM GMT-6F4Washington27.9200352$500,000 to $5 million
January 25, 19507:30 PM GMT-6F2Iron2.33005$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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