Tornadoes · United States · Missouri

Tornadoes in Wayne County, Missouri

28 tornadoes have crossed Wayne County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 45th of the 115 counties in Missouri with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 39. 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
28
Deaths
6
Injuries
39
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, March 14, 2025

The deadliest in Wayne County

  1. EF3, Reynolds, Wayne, Iron and Madison counties, MissouriMarch 14, 20253 killed, 2 injured
  2. EF3, Carter and Wayne counties, MissouriMarch 14, 20252 killed
  3. EF3, Wayne and Bollinger counties, MissouriMarch 14, 20251 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Carter, Wayne and Madison counties, MissouriMay 25, 2011EF3, 47.4 mi (76 km)
  2. F3, Carter, Reynolds and Wayne counties, MissouriMarch 25, 1964F3, 46.0 mi (74 km)
  3. EF3, Carter and Wayne counties, MissouriMarch 14, 2025EF3, 30.6 mi (49 km)
  4. EF3, Reynolds, Wayne, Iron and Madison counties, MissouriMarch 14, 2025EF3, 29.9 mi (48 km)
  5. EF3, Wayne and Bollinger counties, MissouriMarch 14, 2025EF3, 28.6 mi (46 km)
  6. EF2, Wayne and Bollinger counties, MissouriApril 2, 2025EF2, 8.3 mi (13 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Wayne County. Each year links to every tornado in Missouri that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
2025463EF3
20231EF1
20211EF1
20152EF1
201162EF3
20042F1
19971F0
19951F0
19931F0
19893F1
19842F1
198218F1
1964126F3
19571F1

Every tornado that crossed Wayne County

28 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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 20265:51 PM CDTEF1Wayne1.6125
April 2, 20256:13 PM CDTEF2Wayne8.3175$630,000
March 14, 202511:15 PM CDTEF3Wayne28.650011$4.5 million
March 14, 202510:28 PM CDTEF3Carter30.63252$3.5 million
March 14, 202510:20 PM CDTEF3Reynolds29.91,52532$5.0 million
April 5, 20232:48 AM CDTEF1Carter6.4300$210,000
October 24, 202111:04 PM CDTEF1Wayne24.5400$420,000
December 23, 201510:08 AM CSTEF1Wayne3.075$50,000
December 23, 20159:56 AM CSTEF1Wayne3.050$5,000
May 25, 20114:37 PM CDTEF1Wayne17.8150$70,000
May 25, 20113:49 PM CDTEF3Carter47.41,2002$800,000
April 25, 20115:58 PM CDTEF1Wayne5.9500$70,000
April 25, 20115:47 PM CDTEF1Wayne11.8200$25,000
April 22, 20118:10 PM CDTEF1Wayne2.1300$100,000
April 19, 20117:43 PM CDTEF1Wayne5.2500$25,000
May 1, 20044:24 AM CDTF1Wayne0.250$10,000
April 24, 20045:52 PM CDTF1Wayne4.0100$100,000
July 8, 19976:41 PM CDTF0Wayne0.230
June 8, 19955:52 PM CDTF0Wayne0.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19939:20 AM CDTF0Wayne0.813$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19895:40 PM CDTF1Wayne2.050$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 19895:20 PM CDTF1Wayne0.550$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19895:12 PM CDTF0Wayne0.2350
November 9, 19844:30 PM CSTF1Wayne1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
November 9, 19844:05 PM CSTF1Wayne8.0100$500 to $5,000
December 2, 19827:00 PM CSTF1Wayne2.0508$50,000 to $500,000
March 25, 19641:00 PM GMT-6F3Carter46.030026$5,000 to $50,000
May 21, 19574:30 PM GMT-5F1Wayne13.033$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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