Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Ray County, Missouri

34 tornadoes have crossed Ray County since 1950, 33rd of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 26. 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.

  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
34
Deaths
2
Injuries
26
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, May 4, 1977

The deadliest in Ray County

  1. F3, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriJanuary 24, 19672 killed, 18 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Ray, Carroll and Chariton counties, MissouriMay 4, 1977F4, 48.6 mi (78 km)
  2. F4, Clay, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriMay 4, 1977F4, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  3. F3, Ray and Carroll counties, MissouriApril 21, 1967F3, 14.6 mi (23 km)
  4. F3, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriJanuary 24, 1967F3, 14.5 mi (23 km)
  5. F2, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriMay 20, 1957F2, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  6. EF2, Ray and Jackson counties, MissouriMay 10, 2014EF2, 12.6 mi (20 km)
  7. F2, Ray County, MissouriDecember 4, 1960F2, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  8. EF2, Jackson and Ray counties, MissouriMay 16, 2015EF2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Ray County, MissouriMay 7, 1961F2, 7.3 mi (12 km)
  10. F2, Clay and Ray counties, MissouriMarch 14, 1955F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Ray County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF0
20181EF0
20153EF2
20142EF2
20062F1
20051F1
20031F0
20011F0
197726F4
19751F0
19731F1
19712F0
19692F1
19681F1
19672218F3
19661F1
19641F1
19631F1
19621F1
196112F2
19602F2
19581F2
19571F2
19551F2
19511F2

Every tornado that crossed Ray County

34 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 4, 20235:57 PM CDTEF0Ray4.520
October 9, 20182:58 PM CDTEF0Ray4.050
May 16, 201511:51 PM CDTEF1Caldwell2.8100
May 16, 201511:15 PM CDTEF2Jackson10.0250
May 16, 20159:35 PM CDTEF0Ray0.9100
May 10, 20146:00 PM CDTEF0Ray0.625
May 10, 20145:15 PM CDTEF2Ray12.6500
April 15, 20069:15 PM CDTF0Ray10.175$10,000
March 12, 20069:12 AM CSTF1Jackson17.0150$40,000
November 27, 20055:59 PM CSTF1Ray2.075$30,000
June 12, 20034:25 PM CDTF0Ray1.050$30,000
May 30, 20017:17 PM CDTF0Ray0.320
May 4, 19776:15 PM CDTF4Ray48.68801$500,000 to $5 million
May 4, 19775:40 PM CDTF4Clay12.04005$500,000 to $5 million
November 29, 19756:10 PM CSTF0Ray8.050$50,000 to $500,000
July 18, 19736:30 PM CDTF1Ray0.110
August 3, 19712:00 PM CDTF0Ray0.110
July 23, 19717:12 PM CDTF0Ray0.110
June 26, 19698:00 PM GMT-5F1Clay6.2100$5,000 to $50,000
June 26, 19698:00 PM GMT-5F1Ray0.217$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19684:45 PM GMT-5F1Ray3.650$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19671:20 PM GMT-6F3Ray14.6440$50,000 to $500,000
January 24, 196712:40 PM GMT-6F3Jackson14.5200218$500,000 to $5 million
May 11, 19667:00 PM GMT-5F1Ray0.210$50 to $500
June 11, 19643:30 PM GMT-5F1Ray0.510$500 to $5,000
May 15, 19633:10 AM GMT-5F1Ray0.517$5,000 to $50,000
July 15, 19622:00 AM GMT-5F1Ray1.010$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19616:30 PM GMT-5F2Ray7.3502$5,000 to $50,000
December 4, 19608:30 PM GMT-6F2Ray11.017$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19605:15 PM GMT-5F1Ray0.217$500 to $5,000
July 17, 19588:30 AM GMT-5F2Ray2.033$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 19578:37 PM GMT-5F2Jackson12.833$5,000 to $50,000
March 14, 19555:40 PM GMT-6F2Clay3.3250$5,000 to $50,000
July 8, 19519:15 PM GMT-5F2Ray2.3100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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