Franklin County

Franklin County, MO

Data available through 1/1/2013

Date

Time (CST)

F/EF-Scale

Length (Miles)

Maximum Width (Yards)

Killed

Injured

Property Damage

Source*

6/5/1805

1:00 PM

n/a

n/a

1000

n/a

n/a

n/a

G

This may have been a tri-state tornado or a family of tornadoes extending from Missouri, across Illinois, to Indiana.  The most well documented part of the path was near the Mississippi River.  The tornado crossed the river one mile below the mouth of the Merrimac River.  The massive funnel crossed the rich alluvial plain called the "American Bottom (which ran for 80 miles from Alton to Kaskaskia).  Fish from the river were "scattered all over the prairie" on the Illinois side.  Some pine tree tops were identified as having been carried at least 50 miles from eastern Missouri to American Bottom, for none of that species grew any closer than that distance.  Clothes from one destroyed home were carried 8 miles.  The start of the event was in unsettled territory in Missouri.  The eastern-most documented damaged was in Edwards County, IL, where settlers had moved W from the Wabash River.  In central Illinois, the 3/4 mile wide swath of downed trees was a major obstacle for early pioneers.  A straight line from the above points would place the path directly over Mt. Vernon.   

5/30/1917

n/a

F2

1

n/a

0

1

n/a

G

A house and several barns were destroyed 6 miles W of Washington.

4/19/1920

5:45 PM

F2

12

100

0

1

n/a

G

Formed SW of Union and moved NE into St. Charles County.  Several barns and a bridge was destroyed near Union.  A shoe factory was unroofed and 75,000 pairs of shoes were exposed to the rain.  Newspapers reported that "millions of gallons" of water were drawn up as the funnel crossed the Missouri River, making an "awe inspiring waterspout".

3/19/1948

5:00 AM

F2

7

n/a

0

n/a

n/a

G

Formed 3 miles west of Sullivan and moved N, then NE destroying one home and all outbuildings near Noser Mill.

3/19/1948

7:00 AM

F2

16

200

0

18

$250,000

G

Moved erratically to the NE, passing near Neier and ending near Union.  About 40 farms were damaged, but all injuries were in the small town of Jeffriesburg (just W of Union) where a dozen homes were torn apart.

5/21/1949

4:00 PM

F2

5

n/a

0

0

n/a

G

Moved NE, passing south of Washington.  Four barns and 21 other farm buildings were destroyed.

8/1/1953

3:00 PM

F1

8

n/a

0

0

n/a

NCDC

3/25/1954

2:00 AM

F1

n/a

100

0

0

n/a

NCDC

3/25/1954

2:00 AM

F2

3

60

0

0

n/a

G, NCDC

Formed SW of Pacific and followed an intermittent track to the NE, passing near St. Albans before moving into St. Louis County near Chesterfield.  One brick house was destroyed and another was unroofed.  A six-foot-timber was driven into a dining room wall. 

8/18/1954

5:00 PM

F0

1.5

10

0

0

n/a

NCDC

2/25/1956

12:05 AM

F1

0.2

100

0

0

n/a

NCDC

8/18/1965

3:15 PM

F1

0.25

200

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC

Touched down briefly at airport, damaging several planes and a hangar.  One plane was carried 100 feet in the air and deposited 200 yards away.  Funnel was observed by witness.

12/20/1967

11:45 PM

F1

10

100

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC

A tornado destroyed barns and outbuildings on 10 farms beginning 1 mile ESE of the intersection of Highways 19 and E (12 miles S of Hermann, MO) in Gasconade County and ending 2 miles W of New Haven, MO 0.5 miles N of Highway 100.

4/7/1980

9:50 PM

F2

7

30

0

0

>$50,000

NCDC

A small tornado dropped out of a severe thunderstorm in Gerald destroying several buildings.  The debris from one home was found several miles away from the initial touchdown.  One mile away, several large cedar trees were completely uprooted and blown into some nearby houses causing extensive damage.  On Angell Road, south of Gerald, two grain bins were destroyed as well as numerous trees, antennas, sheds, and buildings along the road.  The tornado appeared to touch down briefly several times in its six mile path.  Other damage occurred at the Gerald Lions Park as a number of bleachers, trash barrels, and sheets of roofing tin were blown completely out of the park.  A restroom building made of concrete blocks was blown apart with the blocks being carried several yards away.  The tornado missed a subdivision by 100 yards at the edge of the town.

12/2/1982

5:50 AM

F2

13

100

0

n/a

n/a

NCDC

Developed over Crawford County and moved NE, passing E of Argo, 1 mile SE of Japan, to Spring Bluff.  A woman was badly hurt when she was thrown from her trailer as it was destroyed.  The tornado destroyed a church and a farm, leveled a home, and caused heavy damage to 5 farms.  This tornado caused a total of 3 injuries.

9/13/1993

4:31 PM

F1

12

60

0

0

$500,000

NCDC

A narrow tornado touched down 5 miles north-northeast of Beaufort and tracked towards Washington. Damage was intermittent with numerous trees snapped off or knocked down. As many as 30 homes west and southwest of Washington had damage to roofs, siding, gazebos, or fences.

9/13/1993

5:07 PM

F0

0.3

30

0

0

$5,000

NCDC

A tornado touched down briefly at the 244 mile marker along Interstate 44 damaging several trees.

9/13/1993

5:45 PM

F0

2

45

0

0

$50,000

NCDC

A tornado produced a 2-mile-track of minor damage to a few homes and trees southwest of Washington along County Road A. Damage was mainly to roofs and was not continuous.

4/15/1994

3:25 AM

F0

2

30

0

0

$500,000

NCDC

A small tornado touched down just southwest of New Haven damaging the roof of a house. As the storm moved quickly east-northeast, it peeled the roof of a oil station off and pushed telephone poles along County Road C over. Just before crossing Highway 100, the tornado caused minor damage to the corner of a barn and snapped numerous large trees in half. The tornado lifted shortly after damaging a chicken house north of Highway 100. Witnesses said marble-size hail covered the ground and the storm sounded like a train passing by.

7/19/1996

6:40 PM

F0

0

50

0

0

$0

NCDC

The public reported a small tornado touched down briefly. There was no damage. 

4/16/2000

2:39 PM

F0

1

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A small tornado caused damage in Catawissa. A couple of homes had roof shingles blown off, siding was damaged, windows were broken on a mobile home, a couple of outbuildings damaged, and trees downed. At least 3 people saw the tornado.

5/6/2003

5:32 PM

F1

1

80

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A small tornado caused damage west of St. Clair. Trees and power lines were down and a few outbuildings were damaged. 

9/26/2003

6:15 PM

F0

0.2

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The county sheriff office reported a brief tornado just west of Sullivan along I-44.  Some highway billboards were blown down and trees uprooted.

5/27/2004

6:35 PM

F0

2

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A small tornado downed some trees and caused roof damage to some outbuildings near the small community of Detters. The tornado formed near Highway T and tracked southeast along Fiddle Creek Road. 

12/31/2010

11:16 AM

EF1

1

100

0

0

$40,000

NCDC

Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front, triggering numerous showers and thunderstorms. A number of tornadoes were reported as well as damaging winds and large hail.    A tornado touched down along Country Club Road and produced minor tree damage. It continued to the northeast and struck Rivendell Farms, a horse farm, where it removed the majority of the roof from a large metal pole barn and caused minor injuries to one horse. Another outbuilding sustained roof damage and the residence had some shingles blown off. Also, a thirty five foot radio tower was blown down. The damage to the pole barn is rated EF1 intensity while the rest of the damage at this location is EF0. The tornado crossed Country Club Road near a sharp curve to the west. A house had shingles missing at this location as well as minor tree damage. The tornado lifted just past this point.

12/31/2010

11:17 AM

EF0

n/a

n/a

0

0

n/a

NCDC

Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front, triggering numerous showers and thunderstorms. A number of tornadoes were reported as well as damaging winds and large hail. A tornado formed near the intersection of Country Club Road and Country Club Lane where it blew over a road sign and produced minor trim damage to a home. The tornado continued to the northeast and passed through a new subdivision and produced minor tree damage. The tornado lifted before reaching Highway 47. 

12/31/2010

11:19 AM

EF2

11

370

0

0

n/a

NCDC

Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front, triggering numerous showers and thunderstorms. A number of tornadoes were reported as well as damaging winds and large hail.    The tornado touched down around three quarters of a mile southwest of Bruns Bridge on Mill Hill Road and four tenths of a mile east of the northern end of Ely Road, within the Meramec River valley. The tornado moved rapidly northeast at 50 mph crossing the Meramec River six times while producing extensive tree damage along its entire path to Robertsville. Large sections of trees were completely leveled within wooded areas in rural southeast Franklin County. Over two dozen structures were also damaged along the path to the southwest of Robertsville, including one house that was totally destroyed at the intersection of Eagle Ridge Road and Woods Creek Road, and another building on south Oak Drive. In Robertsville, seven homes were damaged on Hayfield Drive in the Hayfield Estates subdivision, with two sustaining significant damage. The tornado then hit the Shiloh Baptist Church causing severe damage to its west facing wall, and leveling the old church sanctuary just north of the church. The tornado then destroyed a building at the intersection of Route O and Route N as it exited town. The tornado weakened some as it moved northeast of Robertsville moving across the southeast portion of the Robertsville State Park and crossing Highway N just south of Mueller Road, about six tenths of a mile north of Catawissa. The tornado then continued northeast, crossing Solidarity Drive, which is on the Franklin/Jefferson county line, into Jefferson County.  

12/31/2010

11:27 AM

EF0

2

20

0

0

n/a

NCDC

Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a strong cold front, triggering numerous showers and thunderstorms. A number of tornadoes were reported as well as damaging winds and large hail.   The tornado initially touched down northeast of Highway 30 and County Road HH in southeast Franklin County. Several medium size tree limbs were snapped in the upper parts of the trees. The width of the tree limb damage was 20 yards. Further to the northeast, a barn sustained moderate roof damage on Woodland Road. The tornado then skipped northeast and moved into northwest Jefferson County.  

2/27/2011

11:01 PM

EF1

3

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A quasi-stationary frontal boundary was the main focusing mechanism for a round of significant severe weather over the forecast area. A strong shortwave moved along the boundary triggering widespread showers and thunderstorms. Numerous reports of large hail, damaging winds and 22 tornadoes occurred with this system. As the tornado crossed the Missouri River from St. Charles County into extreme northeast Franklin County, it blew down and snapped off numerous trees in the flood plain before lifting and dissipating just north northeast of St. Albans. The width of the damage was around 50 yards and was rated EF1. The total overall length of the tornado for both St. Charles and Franklin counties was 9.35 miles. 

*Sources

G - Grazulis, T. P., 1993: Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991.  A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films, Tornado Project, St. Johsnbury, VT.

NCDC - National Climatic Data Center U.S. Local Storms Events Data (www.ncdc.noaa.gov)