Tornadoes · United States · Missouri
Tornadoes in Saint Francois County, Missouri
26 tornadoes have crossed Saint Francois County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 57th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 13 people and injured 72. 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.
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
- 26
- Deaths
- 13
- Injuries
- 72
- F4 and above
- 1
- Worst on record
- F4, June 22, 1969
The deadliest in Saint Francois County
The strongest
- F4, Saint Francois County, MissouriJune 22, 1969
- F3, Washington and Saint Francois counties, MissouriMay 21, 1957
- EF3 Fredericktown tornado, MissouriOctober 24, 2021
- F2, Washington and Saint Francois counties, MissouriMay 24, 1971
- F2, Madison, Saint Francois and Perry counties, MissouriSeptember 22, 2006
- F2, Saint Francois and Sainte Genevieve counties, MissouriMarch 18, 1952
- F2, Saint Francois County, MissouriFebruary 9, 1960
- F2, Saint Francois County, MissouriMay 16, 1963
- F2, Saint Francois County, MissouriDecember 18, 1957
- F2, Saint Francois County, MissouriJune 10, 1963
Every year with a tornado
The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saint Francois County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.
Every tornado that crossed Saint Francois County
26 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 31, 2026 | 9:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Saint Francois | 0.8 | 100 | |||
| June 7, 2025 | 8:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Saint Francois | 1.3 | 65 | $25,000 | ||
| May 19, 2025 | 11:31 PM CDT | EF1 | Saint Francois | 4.2 | 500 | $30,000 | ||
| October 24, 2021 | 8:23 PM CDT | EF3 | Fredericktown tornado | 16.7 | 450 | 1 | ||
| July 31, 2021 | 10:50 AM CDT | EF0 | Saint Francois | 0.9 | 120 | $20,000 | ||
| June 27, 2020 | 9:14 PM CDT | EF1 | Saint Francois | 0.7 | 125 | |||
| May 14, 2009 | 1:11 AM CDT | EF1 | Saint Francois | 0.6 | 200 | |||
| September 22, 2006 | 3:30 PM CDT | F2 | Madison | 25.0 | 880 | 1 | $150,000 | |
| April 2, 2006 | 5:00 PM CDT | F0 | Saint Francois | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| March 11, 2006 | 8:54 PM CST | F1 | Madison | 11.0 | 300 | |||
| June 12, 2004 | 8:45 AM CDT | F0 | Saint Francois | 1.5 | 50 | |||
| May 27, 2004 | 8:40 PM CDT | F0 | Saint Francois | 0.2 | 40 | |||
| May 12, 2002 | 6:18 PM CDT | F1 | Saint Francois | 7.0 | 100 | |||
| April 28, 1994 | 12:15 PM CDT | F0 | Saint Francois | 0.3 | 30 | |||
| December 2, 1982 | 7:55 PM CST | F1 | Saint Francois | 1.0 | 50 | 2 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| April 11, 1979 | 5:30 PM CST | F1 | Saint Francois | 8.5 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 3, 1973 | 7:00 PM CDT | F2 | Saint Francois | 0.1 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 24, 1971 | 1:40 AM CDT | F2 | Washington | 25.4 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| June 22, 1969 | 7:35 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Saint Francois | 15.1 | 440 | 4 | 14 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| December 8, 1966 | 10:55 AM GMT-6 | F1 | Saint Francois | 2.0 | 70 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 10, 1963 | 7:15 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Saint Francois | 2.0 | 50 | 2 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| May 16, 1963 | 5:30 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Saint Francois | 4.9 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| February 9, 1960 | 8:10 PM GMT-6 | F2 | Saint Francois | 9.3 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| December 18, 1957 | 1:50 PM GMT-6 | F2 | Saint Francois | 2.7 | 33 | 1 | 1 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
| May 21, 1957 | 4:45 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Washington | 22.2 | 400 | 8 | 50 | $5 million to $50 million |
| March 18, 1952 | 5:25 PM GMT-6 | F2 | Saint Francois | 18.4 | 100 | 1 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Saint Francois CountyThe forecast for Saint Francois CountyThe live radar over Saint Francois 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.