St. Louis, MO

Weather Forecast Office

April 15, 2023 Tornadoes

Overview

Several strong to severe thunderstorms moved into eastern Missouri in the afternoon hours of April 15. These storms were initially producing copious large hail, but rapidly transitioned into tornadic storms. The first tornado was associated with a supercell ahead of a congealing line of convection moving rapidly toward the Mississippi River. A portion of this line of storms rapidly surged eastward, resulting in numerous tornadoes in Jefferson county in Missouri, and Monroe, Madison, St. Clair, and Washington counties in Illinois. In total, 12 tornadoes have been identified, including 3 EF-1s, 6 EF-0s, and 3 tornadoes of unknown intensity that produced no damage.

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado
Wind
Radar
Storm Reports

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Fenton to Sunset Hills
St. Louis County, MO

Date	04/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:19 PM - 6:27 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	4.5 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved from near I-44 and Highway 141 to Tapawingo National Golf Course causing damage to numerous trees and minor structural damage.

Track Map

Map of Fenton, MO to Sunset Hills, MO Tornado Track

Tornado - Hillsboro
Jefferson County, MO

Date	04/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:24 PM - 6:25 PM
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	77 mph
Path Length	0.6 miles
Max Width	200 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved through northern Hillsboro causing damage to numerous trees and minor structural damage.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Festus to Herculaneum
Jefferson County, MO

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:30 pm - 6:35 pm
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	4.0 miles
Max Width	300 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved from northwest of Festus to Herculaneum causing damage to numerous trees and minor to moderate structural damage.

Track Map

Map of Festus, MO to Herculaneum, MO tornado track

Tornado - Pevely
Jefferson County, MO

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:34 PM - 6:36 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	0.9 miles
Max Width	150 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved through Pevely causing damage to numerous trees and minor structural damage.

Track Map

Tornado - Maeystown to Hecker
Monroe and St. Clair County, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:34 PM - 6:59 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	19.5 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved from southwest of Maeystown through and to the northeast of Hecker damage to numerous trees, wood power poles, and minor to moderate structural damage.

Track Map

Map of Maeystown, IL to Hecker, IL tornado track

Tornado - Valmeyer
Monroe County, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:39 PM - 6:46 PM
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	85 mph
Path Length	5.0 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved from the Mississippi river bottoms southwest of Valmeyer to southeast of Valmeyer causing damage to numerous trees and minor structural damage.

Track Map

Tornado - Columbia
Monroe County, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:43 PM - 6:43 PM
EF Rating	Unknown
Est. Peak Winds	Unknown
Path Length	0.3 miles
Max Width	25 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A tornado briefly touched down in the Mississippi river bottoms near Columbia, IL. The only evidence of this tornado was a video provided via local media. No damage was found.

Track Map

Tornado - Signal Hill
St. Clair, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	6:59 PM - 7:00 PM
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	84 mph
Path Length	0.6 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado through Signal Hill causing damage to numerous trees and minor structural damage.

Track Map

Tornado - Collinsville
Madison County, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	7:01 PM - 7:01 PM
EF Rating	Unknown
Est. Peak Winds	Unknown
Path Length	0.2 miles
Max Width	25 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A tornado briefly touched down near Collinsville, IL. The only evidence of this tornado was a video provided via local media. No damage was found.

Track Map

Tornado - Belleville
St. Clair County, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	7:03 PM - 7:07 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	98 mph
Path Length	3.0 miles
Max Width	200 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved through Belleville causing damage to numerous trees and minor structural damage. Several of the trees fell on buildings, causing more significant structural damage.

Track Map

Tornado - Swansea
St. Clair County, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	7:03 PM - 7:04 PM
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	85 mph
Path Length	1.1 miles
Max Width	90 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado moved through Swansea causing damage to numerous trees and minor structural damage.

Track Map

Tornado - Covington
Washington County, IL

Date	4/15/2023
Time (Local)	7:33 PM - 7:33 PM
EF Rating	Unknown
Est. Peak Winds	Unknown
Path Length	0.2 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A tornado briefly touched down near Covington, IL. The only evidence of this tornado was a video provided via social media. No damage was found.

Track Map

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Wind:

Along with the tornadoes, there were numerous reports of strong straight line winds producing damage similar to low-end tornadoes. Here are some examples of some of the strongest winds.


Highland Saddle Club near Highland, IL	Damage to an outbuilding in Sullivan, MO	Roof Damage in Sullivan, MO	Roof damage in Hecker, IL from south of the tornado track