Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Lafayette County, Missouri

30 tornadoes have crossed Lafayette County since 1950, 43rd of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 17. 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
30
Deaths
1
Injuries
17
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 4, 1977

The deadliest in Lafayette County

  1. F3, Lafayette County, MissouriMay 4, 19771 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Lafayette County, MissouriMay 4, 1977F3, 26.2 mi (42 km)
  2. EF3, Jackson and Lafayette counties, MissouriMarch 6, 2017EF3, 17.7 mi (29 km)
  3. F2, Lafayette and Saline counties, MissouriSeptember 20, 1965F2, 13.0 mi (21 km)
  4. F2, Johnson and Lafayette counties, MissouriMay 15, 1968F2, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  5. F2, Lafayette and Saline counties, MissouriMay 9, 2003F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  6. F2, Lafayette County, MissouriJune 13, 1958F2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  7. F2, Lafayette County, MissouriMay 1, 1973F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lafayette County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF0
20191EF0
2017312EF3
20141EF0
20131EF0
20114EF0
20081EF0
20031F2
20002F1
19961F0
19952F0
19821F1
1977115F3
19731F2
19682F2
19672F0
19651F2
19601F1
19583F2

Every tornado that crossed Lafayette County

30 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 6, 202411:39 PM CDTEF0Jackson4.450
May 24, 20198:19 PM CDTEF0Lafayette2.740
June 17, 20179:47 PM CDTEF0Lafayette4.850
March 6, 20178:34 PM CSTEF1Lafayette1.850
March 6, 20178:11 PM CSTEF3Jackson17.740012
April 27, 201412:51 PM CDTEF0Lafayette2.450
July 26, 20135:50 PM CDTEF0Lafayette0.125$750
May 25, 20111:07 PM CDTEF0Lafayette0.140
May 22, 20113:58 PM CDTEF0Lafayette0.150$3,000
May 22, 20113:25 PM CDTEF0Lafayette0.150
May 22, 20112:38 PM CDTEF0Lafayette0.340$500
June 5, 200812:23 AM CDTEF0Lafayette0.325$500
May 9, 200310:15 PM CDTF2Lafayette10.0300$500,000
June 20, 20004:22 PM CDTF0Lafayette1.050$10,000
May 21, 20006:05 PM CDTF1Lafayette1.070$70,000
May 26, 199610:36 PM CDTF0Lafayette0.220
May 27, 19957:45 PM CDTF0Lafayette4.540$5,000 to $50,000
May 27, 19957:20 PM CDTF0Lafayette4.030$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19823:25 PM CSTF1Lafayette1.330$50 to $500
May 4, 19772:15 PM CDTF3Lafayette26.210015$500,000 to $5 million
May 1, 19732:30 PM CDTF2Lafayette0.550$500 to $5,000
May 15, 19685:00 PM GMT-5F2Johnson12.350$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19685:00 PM GMT-5F1Lafayette4.950$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 196712:00 PM GMT-5F0Lafayette0.217under $50
April 21, 19673:03 PM GMT-6F0Lafayette0.110under $50
September 20, 19657:30 PM GMT-5F2Lafayette13.0100$500 to $5,000
June 29, 19607:20 PM GMT-5F1Lafayette0.550$50,000 to $500,000
June 24, 195811:30 PM GMT-5F1Lafayette0.533$5,000 to $50,000
June 24, 195810:35 PM GMT-5F1Lafayette0.533$5,000 to $50,000
June 13, 19586:50 PM GMT-5F2Lafayette4.1440$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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