Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Newton County, Missouri

55 tornadoes have crossed Newton County since 1950, 3rd of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 190 people and injured 1,594. 3 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
55
Deaths
190
Injuries
1,594
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF5, May 22, 2011

The deadliest in Newton County

  1. EF5 Joplin tornado, MissouriMay 22, 2011158 killed, 1,150 injured
  2. EF4 Picher–Neosho tornado, Oklahoma and MissouriMay 10, 200821 killed, 350 injured
  3. F3, Newton, Lawrence, Greene and Christian counties, MissouriMay 4, 20037 killed, 48 injured
  4. F4, Newton County, MissouriApril 24, 19753 killed, 22 injured
  5. F3, Newton, Jasper and Lawrence counties, MissouriMarch 26, 19761 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. EF5 Joplin tornado, MissouriMay 22, 2011EF5, 21.6 mi (35 km)
  2. EF4 Picher–Neosho tornado, Oklahoma and MissouriMay 10, 2008EF4, 75.5 mi (121 km)
  3. F4, Newton County, MissouriApril 24, 1975F4, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  4. F3, Newton, Lawrence, Greene and Christian counties, MissouriMay 4, 2003F3, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  5. F3, Newton, Jasper and Lawrence counties, MissouriMarch 26, 1976F3, 29.1 mi (47 km)
  6. EF2, McDonald and Newton counties, MissouriApril 4, 2017EF2, 16.5 mi (27 km)
  7. EF2, Newton and Lawrence counties, MissouriMay 22, 2011EF2, 14.1 mi (23 km)
  8. F2, Newton and Jasper counties, MissouriJanuary 27, 1967F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Newton County, MissouriMarch 12, 1961F2, 1.9 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Newton County, MissouriApril 13, 1974F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 35 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Newton County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20231EF1
20211EF1
20181EF0
20173EF2
20161EF1
20151EF1
20143EF1
20132EF1
201121581150EF5
2008321353EF4
200621F1
20053F0
20041F1
20031748F3
20021F0
200131F1
19961F1
19942F0
199321F1
19911F0
19852F1
19831F0
1976113F3
19751322F4
197436F2
197123F1
19701F1
19681F1
19671F2
19622F1
196116F2
19581F2
19561F1
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Newton County

55 tornadoes, newest first. 5 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Missouri.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 29, 20259:35 AM CDTEF0Newton2.150$80,000
February 27, 20231:02 AM CSTEF1Newton0.8200$550,000
October 11, 20211:08 AM CDTEF1Newton3.390$75,000
August 19, 20185:51 PM CDTEF0Newton1.140$20,000
May 19, 20173:10 PM CDTEF0Newton4.1300$50,000
May 10, 201712:34 AM CDTEF0Newton1.0100$100,000
April 4, 20176:48 PM CDTEF2McDonald16.5300$1.1 million
April 26, 201612:21 AM CDTEF1Newton0.8150$50,000
May 16, 201512:51 AM CDTEF1Ottawa to MO12.2200$200,000
September 1, 201411:36 PM CDTEF0Newton1.2100$10,000
September 1, 201411:14 PM CDTEF1Newton2.7400
September 1, 201411:13 PM CDTEF1Newton2.2100$50,000
May 20, 20136:32 PM CDTEF1Adair to MO2.0150
May 20, 20136:32 PM CDTEF1Ottawa to MO9.3600$250,000
May 22, 20116:10 PM CDTEF2Newton14.1800$1.0 million
May 22, 20115:34 PM CDTEF5Joplin tornado21.61,6001581150$2.8 billion
May 10, 20085:20 PM CDTEF4Picher–Neosho tornado75.51,76021350$61 million
March 31, 20081:59 PM CDTEF0Newton3.8803$100,000
March 31, 20081:44 PM CDTEF1Ottawa to MO5.4200$125,000
March 12, 20069:36 PM CSTF0Newton0.115$10,000
March 12, 20069:25 PM CSTF1Newton7.0751$200,000
June 30, 200510:25 PM CDTF0Newton2.025
June 30, 200510:13 PM CDTF0Newton2.025
June 13, 20056:10 PM CDTF0Newton0.225
July 4, 20047:05 AM CDTF1Newton1.0150$150,000
May 4, 20036:50 PM CDTF3Newton49.0880748$48 million
December 17, 200210:24 PM CSTF0Newton0.550$50,000
May 20, 20018:30 PM CDTF0Newton0.5200$10,000
April 15, 20011:17 AM CDTF1Newton8.0400$4.0 million
April 15, 20011:10 AM CDTF1Newton5.01001$2.0 million
September 26, 19963:20 AM CDTF1Newton9.050$30,000
September 25, 19947:15 PM CDTF0Newton0.520
September 25, 19946:55 PM CDTF0Newton0.520$500 to $5,000
October 8, 19936:20 PM CDTF1Newton0.1120$50 to $500
June 29, 19935:00 AM CDTF0Newton0.5231$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 199111:39 PM CDTF0Newton0.250
May 29, 19853:00 PM CDTF1Newton1.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 29, 19852:15 PM CDTF1Newton0.5100$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 198310:20 PM CDTF0Newton1.050$50 to $500
March 26, 19764:00 PM CSTF3Newton29.14013$50,000 to $500,000
April 24, 19757:40 PM CDTF4Newton11.9500322$5 million to $50 million
June 8, 197410:40 PM CDTF1Newton2.050
June 8, 197410:30 PM CDTF1Newton1.01506$500,000 to $5 million
April 13, 19745:00 PM CDTF2Newton0.5100$500 to $5,000
December 14, 197110:00 PM CSTF1McDonald24.21003$50,000 to $500,000
February 4, 19718:10 AM CSTF1Newton0.230$500 to $5,000
October 26, 19702:45 PM CSTF1Newton0.110$500 to $5,000
April 19, 19689:00 PM GMT-6F1Newton1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
January 27, 196712:20 AM GMT-6F2Newton4.9200$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 196210:00 AM GMT-5F0Newton0.567under $50
June 2, 19628:45 PM GMT-5F1Newton0.517$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19616:10 PM GMT-6F2Newton1.9506$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 195812:15 AM GMT-5F2Newton0.520$5,000 to $50,000
February 24, 195610:30 PM GMT-6F1Newton0.3100$5,000 to $50,000
March 24, 195411:00 PM GMT-6F1Newton11.950$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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