Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Scott County, Missouri

49 tornadoes have crossed Scott County since 1950, 10th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 10 people and injured 78. None was rated F4 or 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
49
Deaths
10
Injuries
78
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 16, 2025

The deadliest in Scott County

  1. F2, Scott County, MissouriDecember 18, 19573 killed, 1 injured
  2. EF2, Scott County, MissouriJune 4, 20123 killed
  3. EF3, Stoddard and Scott counties, MissouriMay 16, 20252 killed, 10 injured
  4. F2, Stoddard and Scott counties, MissouriDecember 15, 19711 killed, 26 injured
  5. F2, Scott County, MissouriMay 15, 19861 killed, 15 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Stoddard, New Madrid and Scott counties, MissouriMay 26, 2024EF3, 19.6 mi (31 km)
  2. EF3, Stoddard and Scott counties, MissouriMay 16, 2025EF3, 16.1 mi (26 km)
  3. EF3, Scott County, MissouriNovember 17, 2013EF3, 14.3 mi (23 km)
  4. F2, Stoddard and Scott counties, MissouriDecember 15, 1971F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  5. EF2, Stoddard and Scott counties, MissouriMay 26, 2024EF2, 25.6 mi (41 km)
  6. F2, Scott County, MissouriMay 4, 2003F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties, MissouriMay 24, 1981F2, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  8. F2, Scott and New Madrid counties, MissouriMay 15, 1986F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  9. EF2, Scott and Stoddard counties, MissouriMarch 14, 2025EF2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  10. F2, Scott County, MissouriMay 15, 1986F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Scott County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20255210EF3
20242EF3
202312EF2
20191EF1
20151EF1
20131EF3
201223EF2
20112EF0
20062F1
20042F1
20032F2
20012F1
20001F0
19995F1
19971F0
19941F0
19911F1
19863134F2
198141F2
197611F1
19711126F2
19702F1
19671F2
196212F1
196011F1
19591F0
1957131F2
19551F2

Every tornado that crossed Scott County

49 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 16, 20256:40 PM CDTEF1Scott1.3100$175,000
May 16, 20253:59 PM CDTEF0Scott0.6100$10,000
May 16, 20253:54 PM CDTEF3Stoddard16.1200210$15 million
April 2, 20257:30 PM CDTEF1Scott1.0250$600,000
March 14, 202512:17 AM CDTEF2Scott6.4100$1.1 million
May 26, 20247:15 AM CDTEF3Stoddard19.6300$1.8 million
May 26, 20247:07 AM CDTEF2Stoddard25.6300$215,000
July 24, 20232:10 PM CDTEF2Scott0.3252$400,000
May 29, 20198:44 AM CDTEF1Scott1.075$50,000
July 8, 20158:35 PM CDTEF1Scott to IL6.3125$66,000
November 17, 20131:07 PM CSTEF3Scott14.3600$1.0 million
June 4, 20128:44 PM CDTEF2Scott0.5753$100,000
February 29, 20124:24 AM CSTEF1Scott15.775$250,000
May 25, 20116:30 PM CDTEF0Scott0.450$1,000
April 27, 20114:10 PM CDTEF0Scott0.240
April 2, 20066:43 PM CDTF0Scott1.550$20,000
February 16, 20067:18 PM CSTF1Scott0.5225$100,000
October 26, 20045:16 PM CDTF0Scott0.350
October 26, 20045:09 PM CDTF1Scott0.1100$100,000
May 6, 200310:22 PM CDTF1Scott5.0200
May 4, 20038:53 PM CDTF2Scott11.5130$70,000
October 24, 20013:50 PM CDTF1Scott2.550$100,000
August 7, 20015:20 PM CDTF0Scott0.130
May 23, 20009:04 PM CDTF0Scott0.230
January 21, 199911:05 PM CSTF1Scott0.530$150,000
January 21, 199911:00 PM CSTF0Scott0.230
January 21, 199910:07 PM CSTF1Scott1.70$10,000
January 21, 19996:15 PM CSTF1Scott0.840$50,000
January 21, 19994:50 PM CSTF0Scott0.840
June 13, 19978:10 PM CDTF0Scott0.123
April 28, 19944:53 PM CDTF0Scott0.113
February 13, 19914:44 PM CSTF1Cape Girardeau5.030$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19867:30 PM CDTF2Scott4.0400115$500,000 to $5 million
May 15, 19866:30 PM CDTF2Scott9.050019$5 million to $50 million
May 15, 19866:15 PM CDTF1Stoddard15.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 19813:55 PM CDTF2Cape Girardeau9.14001$500,000 to $5 million
April 22, 19817:02 PM CSTF0Scott1.0100under $50
April 22, 19815:42 PM CSTF1Scott1.0100under $50
April 22, 19815:30 PM CSTF1Scott1.0100under $50
March 20, 19764:10 PM CSTF1Scott1.0171$5,000 to $50,000
December 15, 19712:30 AM CSTF2Stoddard27.0100126$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 197010:00 PM CDTF0Scott0.110under $50
April 19, 19705:30 PM CSTF1Scott0.217$5,000 to $50,000
October 24, 19672:15 PM GMT-5F2Scott0.117$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 19624:30 PM GMT-5F1Scott0.2172$5,000 to $50,000
March 29, 19609:30 PM GMT-6F1Scott0.2171$5,000 to $50,000
July 16, 19594:00 PM GMT-5F0Scott0.210under $50
December 18, 19575:22 PM GMT-6F2Scott0.53331$500,000 to $5 million
April 22, 19555:10 PM GMT-6F2Scott0.210$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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