Tornadoes · United States · Missouri
Tornadoes in Platte County, Missouri
17 tornadoes have crossed Platte County since 1950, 90th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 4.5 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 91. 2 were 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 17
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 91
- F4 and above
- 2
- Worst on record
- F4, May 4, 2003
The deadliest in Platte County
The strongest
- F4, Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Platte and Clay counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 7, 1961
- F4 Kansas City tornado, Kansas and MissouriMay 4, 2003
- F3, Leavenworth, Platte and Buchanan counties, Kansas and MissouriApril 10, 1965
- F3, Leavenworth and Platte counties, Kansas and MissouriApril 12, 1964
- F3, Clay and Platte counties, MissouriJune 26, 1969
- F3, Buchanan and Platte counties, MissouriMay 29, 2004
- F2, Leavenworth, Platte, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 18, 1971
- F2, Platte County, MissouriJune 26, 1969
Every year with a tornado
The 11 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Platte County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.
Every tornado that crossed Platte County
17 tornadoes, newest first. 6 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Missouri.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2024 | 10:59 PM CDT | EF0 | Platte | 6.0 | 50 | |||
| May 29, 2004 | 6:30 PM CDT | F3 | Buchanan | 7.0 | 400 | $30,000 | ||
| May 4, 2003 | 4:18 PM CDT | F4 | Kansas City tornado | 21.0 | 500 | 2 | 30 | $48 million |
| May 4, 2003 | 3:54 PM CDT | F1 | Leavenworth to MO | 3.0 | 50 | $1.9 million | ||
| April 30, 2003 | 7:35 PM CDT | F0 | Platte | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| April 30, 2003 | 7:15 PM CDT | F0 | Platte | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| May 30, 1985 | 6:25 PM CDT | F1 | Buchanan | 15.6 | 50 | 5 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| May 23, 1981 | 4:53 PM CDT | F0 | Platte | 3.8 | 50 | under $50 | ||
| December 5, 1975 | 1:40 AM CST | F1 | Platte | 4.9 | 27 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 18, 1971 | 2:45 PM CDT | F2 | Leavenworth to MO | 55.4 | 100 | 6 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| June 26, 1969 | 7:35 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Platte | 0.5 | 100 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| June 26, 1969 | 7:30 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Clay | 10.1 | 100 | 5 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| June 22, 1969 | 2:00 AM GMT-5 | F1 | Platte | 0.3 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 10, 1965 | 2:15 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Leavenworth to MO | 23.2 | 200 | 11 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| April 10, 1965 | 1:30 PM GMT-6 | F0 | Platte | 2.0 | 100 | under $50 | ||
| April 12, 1964 | 4:00 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Leavenworth to MO | 14.0 | 440 | 1 | 22 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| May 7, 1961 | 4:15 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Leavenworth to MO | 26.2 | 50 | 12 | $500,000 to $5 million |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Platte CountyThe forecast for Platte CountyThe live radar over Platte 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.