Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Oregon County, Missouri

22 tornadoes have crossed Oregon County since 1950, 75th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.5 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 25. 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
22
Deaths
2
Injuries
25
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, December 24, 1982

The deadliest in Oregon County

  1. F2, Oregon, Ripley and Carter counties, MissouriDecember 24, 19821 killed, 2 injured
  2. F3, Oregon and Shannon counties, MissouriOctober 18, 19841 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Sharp, Fulton, Oregon and Carter counties, Arkansas and MissouriDecember 24, 1982F4, 63.0 mi (101 km)
  2. EF3, Oregon, Sharp, Shannon, Izard, Randolph, Carter, Ripley, Reynolds, Stone and Butler counties, Missouri and ArkansasMarch 14, 2025EF3, 57.2 mi (92 km)
  3. F3, Oregon and Shannon counties, MissouriOctober 18, 1984F3, 26.0 mi (42 km)
  4. EF3, Oregon County, MissouriMarch 14, 2025EF3, 23.5 mi (38 km)
  5. F3, Oregon County, MissouriJuly 19, 1970F3, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  6. EF2, Oregon, Ripley and Butler counties, MissouriMay 26, 2024EF2, 45.5 mi (73 km)
  7. F2, Oregon, Ripley and Carter counties, MissouriDecember 24, 1982F2, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  8. F2, Oregon County, MissouriNovember 5, 2005F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  9. F2, Oregon County, MissouriJune 24, 1968F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Oregon County, MissouriDecember 21, 1967F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Oregon County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF3
202411EF2
20171EF0
20111EF1
20091EF0
20081EF0
20062F0
20051F2
199912F1
19851F0
1984211F3
19822113F4
197017F3
19681F2
196711F2
19641F1
19572F1

Every tornado that crossed Oregon County

22 tornadoes, newest first. 2 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
March 14, 20259:36 PM CDTEF3Oregon23.5800$800,000
March 14, 20259:11 PM CDTEF3Oregon to AR57.2800$2.5 million
May 26, 20246:04 AM CDTEF2Oregon45.54001$1.1 million
May 19, 20173:12 AM CDTEF0Oregon0.8300$50,000
May 25, 20112:56 PM CDTEF1Oregon2.5100$20,000
June 9, 20097:59 PM CDTEF0Oregon0.020
January 8, 20084:59 AM CSTEF0Oregon1.150$1,000
May 3, 20061:57 PM CDTF0Oregon2.020
April 25, 20064:40 PM CDTF0Oregon8.050
November 5, 200510:20 PM CSTF2Oregon9.0300$1.5 million
April 3, 19994:50 PM CSTF1Fulton to MO10.5502$50,000
April 30, 19855:43 PM CDTF0Oregon1.050
October 18, 19848:30 PM CDTF3Oregon26.044011$500,000 to $5 million
April 29, 19847:12 PM CDTF1Oregon5.077$50,000 to $500,000
December 24, 19826:05 PM CSTF2Oregon33.030012$500,000 to $5 million
December 24, 19825:00 PM CSTF4Sharp to MO63.044011$500,000 to $5 million
July 19, 19708:45 PM CDTF3Oregon5.02007$50,000 to $500,000
June 24, 19686:00 PM GMT-5F2Oregon2.050$5,000 to $50,000
December 21, 19673:45 AM GMT-6F2Oregon1.5501$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 19644:50 PM GMT-5F1Oregon2.3220$500 to $5,000
May 13, 19573:15 PM GMT-5F1Oregon0.210$500 to $5,000
May 13, 19573:15 PM GMT-5F0Oregon0.210under $50

Nearby

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