After a year-long review of new ground survey data and aerial imagery, NWS St. Louis made several adjustments to the May 16, 2025 tornado damage assessment. Read More >
This slider shows the previous survey (left) compared to the updated survey (right).
Number of damage points: Over 10,000 damage points were added to the survey from various sources, with most stemming from the Missouri Structural Assessment and Visual Evaluation (SAVE) Coalition. This high-resolution and high-density dataset allowed for a much more comprehensive damage assessment. These points can be viewed in and downloaded from the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
Number of tornadoes: It was found that two tornadoes occurred in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The EF-3 tornado that tracked through St. Louis County, St. Louis City, and far-western Madison County, IL dissipated outside of Granite City. A second tornado rated EF-1 with a maximum wind speed of 107mph was found to have tracked through western Madison County, dissipating just east of SIU Edwardsville.
Width of the St. Louis Tornado: The tornado width was increased to 3,168 yards (1.8 miles), which is the widest tornado in the region since 1950 when reliable records began. Including non-tornadic wind that occurred south and east of the tornado’s path, the swath of damage exceeds 2 miles. The second tornado had a path width of 525 yards (0.3 miles).
It is among the NWS’ highest priorities to provide a timely and accurate assessment following a tornado, however the availability of new ground survey data and high-resolution aerial imagery provides an opportunity to refine the official survey.
The updated damage assessment can be viewed, interacted with, and downloaded from the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
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