Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Jackson County, Missouri

51 tornadoes have crossed Jackson County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 7th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 47 people and injured 259. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
51
Deaths
47
Injuries
259
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, May 20, 1957

The deadliest in Jackson County

  1. F5 Ruskin Heights tornado, MissouriMay 20, 195744 killed, 207 injured
  2. F3, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriJanuary 24, 19672 killed, 18 injured
  3. F3, Cass and Jackson counties, MissouriApril 12, 19641 killed, 10 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Ruskin Heights tornado, MissouriMay 20, 1957F5, 69.4 mi (112 km)
  2. F4, Clay, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriMay 4, 1977F4, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  3. F3, Cass and Jackson counties, MissouriApril 12, 1964F3, 19.5 mi (31 km)
  4. EF3, Jackson and Lafayette counties, MissouriMarch 6, 2017EF3, 17.7 mi (29 km)
  5. F3, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriJanuary 24, 1967F3, 14.5 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Jackson County, MissouriJune 22, 1957F2, 19.8 mi (32 km)
  7. F2, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriMay 20, 1957F2, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  8. EF2, Ray and Jackson counties, MissouriMay 10, 2014EF2, 12.6 mi (20 km)
  9. EF2, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriMay 16, 2015EF2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  10. EF2, Jackson County, MissouriJune 8, 2022EF2, 9.6 mi (15 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF0
20252EF1
20242EF1
20222EF2
20201EF0
20193EF0
20183EF0
2017212EF3
20153EF2
20141EF2
20081EF0
20061F1
20051F0
19971F0
199221F1
19823F1
198151F1
19781F1
197735F4
19711F1
19691F1
19671218F3
196524F2
19642110F3
19611F2
1957344207F5
195211F2

Every tornado that crossed Jackson County

51 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 6, 202611:34 PM CSTEF0Johnson to MO7.950
June 13, 20268:34 PM CDTEF0Clay9.2200
June 3, 20252:35 PM CDTEF1Jackson3.750
June 3, 20252:24 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.840
May 6, 202411:39 PM CDTEF0Jackson4.450
May 6, 202411:26 PM CDTEF1Jackson5.850
June 8, 20221:37 AM CDTEF2Jackson9.6200
June 8, 20221:10 AM CDTEF1Johnson to MO14.4125
June 4, 20202:20 AM CDTEF0Jackson5.740
September 22, 20195:29 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.110
May 24, 20198:08 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.725
May 24, 20198:00 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.350
June 26, 20181:09 PM CDTEF0Jackson3.4100$150,000
May 2, 20189:26 PM CDTEF0Jackson1.325
May 2, 20189:24 PM CDTEF0Jackson1.625
March 6, 20178:11 PM CSTEF3Jackson17.740012
March 6, 20178:03 PM CSTEF0Jackson2.325
July 1, 20157:04 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.250
July 1, 20156:51 PM CDTEF1Jackson0.9100
May 16, 201511:15 PM CDTEF2Jackson10.0250
May 10, 20145:15 PM CDTEF2Ray12.6500
September 12, 20086:36 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.025$6,000
March 12, 20069:12 AM CSTF1Jackson17.0150$40,000
April 21, 20057:50 PM CDTF0Jackson2.050
June 13, 19974:40 PM CDTF0Jackson0.123$10,000
September 20, 19927:12 PM CDTF0Jackson0.650$500 to $5,000
September 20, 19926:55 PM CDTF1Jackson2.01001$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 19827:10 PM CDTF0Jackson0.550under $50
April 2, 19822:32 PM CSTF1Jackson2.0700$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19822:30 PM CSTF1Jackson6.8300$50,000 to $500,000
June 29, 19817:05 PM CDTF0Jackson1.050
June 21, 19817:38 PM CDTF0Jackson0.350$50 to $500
June 21, 19817:14 PM CDTF0Jackson1.050
June 21, 19816:58 PM CDTF0Jackson1.050
June 15, 19817:45 AM CDTF1Jackson1.0501$50,000 to $500,000
April 5, 19789:40 PM CSTF1Jackson0.150$500 to $5,000
November 20, 19779:15 AM CSTF0Jackson0.110$500 to $5,000
November 8, 19778:55 PM CSTF0Jackson1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19775:40 PM CDTF4Clay12.04005$500,000 to $5 million
May 31, 19718:35 PM CDTF1Jackson0.117
April 26, 19696:10 PM GMT-6F1Jackson0.550$5,000 to $50,000
January 24, 196712:40 PM GMT-6F3Jackson14.5200218$500,000 to $5 million
September 20, 196511:30 PM GMT-5F2Jackson1.530$50,000 to $500,000
May 26, 19653:15 AM GMT-5F2Jackson4.95004$50,000 to $500,000
May 26, 19644:00 PM GMT-5F1Jackson1.550$500 to $5,000
April 12, 19646:00 PM GMT-6F3Cass19.5100110$500,000 to $5 million
July 22, 196110:00 PM GMT-5F2Jackson1.3133$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19571:00 AM GMT-5F2Jackson19.810$50 to $500
May 20, 19578:37 PM GMT-5F2Jackson12.833$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19577:15 PM GMT-5F5Ruskin Heights tornado69.444044207$500,000 to $5 million
May 22, 19528:00 PM GMT-5F2Jackson1.34401$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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