Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri

45 tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County since 1950, 14th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 10. 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
45
Deaths
2
Injuries
10
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, December 31, 2010

The deadliest in Jefferson County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jefferson County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF2
20243EF1
202331EF1
20172EF0
20151EF0
20141EF1
20131EF1
2010416EF3
20063F3
20041F0
20032F0
199523F2
19944F1
19841F0
19821F1
198121F3
19781F1
19761F1
19731F1
19682F1
19673F2
19651F1
19612F1

Every tornado that crossed Jefferson County

45 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 7, 20257:05 PM CDTEF1Jefferson4.9300
May 19, 20258:02 PM CDTUnratedJefferson2.41
March 14, 20259:18 PM CDTEF2Jefferson25.3850$905,000
July 16, 202412:01 PM CDTEF0Jefferson2.025
May 26, 20245:44 PM CDTEF0Jefferson0.2100$10,000
April 18, 20245:30 PM CDTEF1Jefferson7.840$100,000
April 15, 20236:34 PM CDTEF1Jefferson0.9150
April 15, 20236:30 PM CDTEF1Jefferson4.03601
April 15, 20236:24 PM CDTEF0Jefferson0.6200
March 7, 201712:39 AM CSTEF0Jefferson1.175
March 7, 201712:29 AM CSTEF0Jefferson2.680
July 8, 20157:06 PM CDTEF0Jefferson0.150
September 1, 201410:43 PM CDTEF1Jefferson6.460
May 31, 20138:01 PM CDTEF1Jefferson12.4200
December 31, 201011:48 AM CSTEF3Saint Louis6.744016$1.0 million
December 31, 201011:27 AM CSTEF1Jefferson8.650
December 31, 201011:19 AM CSTEF2Franklin12.2370
April 30, 20108:08 PM CDTEF1Jefferson18.3581
September 22, 20065:05 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.7100
September 22, 20063:18 PM CDTF1Jefferson1.5100
March 11, 20069:42 PM CSTF3Monroe to IL5.1200
May 27, 20048:10 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.250
May 6, 20037:30 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.250
May 6, 20037:25 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.150
May 18, 199512:05 PM CDTF2Jefferson7.21503$50,000 to $500,000
April 16, 19954:57 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.110$500 to $5,000
April 26, 19949:35 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.330$500 to $5,000
April 15, 19945:12 AM CDTF1Jefferson2.3100$500,000 to $5 million
April 15, 19945:05 AM CDTF0Jefferson2.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 15, 19944:52 AM CDTF0Jefferson4.050$50,000 to $500,000
November 9, 19845:10 PM CSTF0Jefferson0.377
December 2, 19828:30 PM CSTF1Jefferson0.550$50,000 to $500,000
July 20, 19813:48 PM CDTF1Jefferson1.050$500 to $5,000
April 22, 19815:54 PM CSTF3Jefferson7.11001$500,000 to $5 million
May 12, 19786:00 PM CDTF1Jefferson4.5200$50,000 to $500,000
July 27, 19762:30 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.220
June 4, 197310:00 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.110
May 15, 19688:40 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson5.9100$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19686:00 PM GMT-6F1Jefferson7.6100$5,000 to $50,000
October 24, 196711:55 AM GMT-5F1Jefferson2.050$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 19676:00 PM GMT-5F2Jefferson0.217$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 19675:50 PM GMT-5F2Jefferson2.550$5,000 to $50,000
September 4, 19658:30 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson3.6750$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19615:15 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson5.650$500 to $5,000
May 6, 19615:15 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson5.750$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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