Jefferson County

Jefferson 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.   

4/13/1911

3:00 PM

F3

10

100

4

45

$1,000,000

G

Formed near Cadet in Washington County and moved NE, passing through the far NW part of St. Francois County before moving into Jefferson County.  Deaths were on farms near Valles Mines.  Tornado and microburst damage was estimated to farms and lead mine facilities.

5/30/1917

1:00 PM

F4

108

400

n/a

n/a

$50,000

G

This was likely a series of tornadoes from one thunderstorm that moved across Texas, Dent, Crawford, Washington, and St. Francois Counties before dissipating over Jefferson County near Valles Mines.  A total of 10 people were killed and 100 injured from this tornado.  The tornado produced damage near Melzo and Valles Mines.  Given the rural and forested nature of the area, the tornado's maximum intensity was probably not experienced by any buildings.  

3/15/1938

11:50 AM

F2

80

400

n/a

n/a

n/a

G

A series of tornadoes from one thunderstorm that moved across Dent, Crawford, Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe (IL) Counties.  A dozen homes were unroofed or destroyed SW and S of Hillsboro.  This tornado killed 1 person, injured 18 others, and caused a total of $150,000 in property damage.

5/6/1961

4:15 PM

F1

6

50

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC 

Tornado passed S and E of DeSoto and was observed by several witnesses.  Damage to roofs of homes, barns, and trees.

5/7/1961

4:15 PM

F1

6

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC 

9/4/1965

7:30 PM

F1

4

750

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC 

Funnel observed just E of Highway 61, S of Festus-Crystal City.   Heavy damage to farm buildings and trees.

5/28/1967

4:50 PM

F2

3

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC 

A deputy sheriff on severe storm patrol observed a "triangular-shaped" pendant cloud moving from WNW to SSE about 1 mile SE of House Springs uprooting trees on hilltops only.  In an area along route MM from 2 to 2 1/2 southeast of Houses Springs the tornado completely destroyed one home and damaged four others.

6/10/1967

5:00 PM

F2

0.2

17

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC 

A small tornado destroyed one house and caused minor damage to several others.  

10/24/1967

10:55 AM

F1

2

50

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC 

A tornado touched down in the Maxville-Arnold area of NE Jefferson County destroying one barn, one home, and severely damaging eight others.  

4/3/1968

6:00 PM

F1

8

100

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC 

A small tornado caused damage to homes, barns, sheds, and timber along an intermittent path from a point on Route WW 0.4 mile NW of Fletcher, through the Lake Ware area and Ware, to a point 2.75 miles W of Hillsboro.   This damage path ends about 30 miles SW of some subsequent tornado damage in Illinois.

5/15/1968

7:40 PM

F1

6

100

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC 

A tornado formed in a wooded area near the intersection of Route WW and the Brown Ford Road, 2 miles east of the junction of Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin Counties (3 miles N and 0.5 mile west of Fletcher).  Intermittent damage occurred to heavily timbered areas and to 4 farms to a point just E of the intersection of Route C and the Reynolds Creek Road (5 miles W and 0.5 N of Hillsboro). 

6/4/1973

9:00 PM

F1

n/a

n/a

0

0

$0

NCDC 

Tornado touched down near Cedar Hills and House Springs with no damage reported.

7/27/1976

1:30 PM

F1

5-Jan

20

0

0

$0

NCDC 

A small tornado touched down briefly 8 miles SSE of DeSoto.  This report came from the highway patrol.  Trees were downed in the area and the storm was supported by weather radar.

5/12/1978

5:00 PM

n/a

5

200

0

0

>$50,000

NCDC 

A tornado traveling ENE at tree-top level first damaged the Westowne Trailer Court in Festus, moving one mobile home 10 feet from its supports, tearing off roofs, breaking 53 windows, tearing apart metal sheds, and bending, and ripping gas lights from the ground.  It then moved over Main St., uprooting trees, breaking windows, bending TV and CB antennas, and tearing off roofs.  A Kentucky Fried Chicken sign was smashed into Westowne Styling Center.  The last sign of damage was at Hug's Landing in Crystal City where several windows were broken a the water treatment plant and extensive damage was down to the dog pound next door.

4/22/1981

5:54 PM

F3

7

100

1

0

$3,000,000

G, NCDC 

This small but destructive tornado touched down in De Soto, hitting the center of town, and moved to E of town.  Two brick buildings were destroyed.  A man was killed in a bank when an adjacent building fell through the roof.

7/20/1981

2:48 PM

F1

1

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC 

12/2/1982

8:30 PM

F1

0.5

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC 

11/9/1984

5:10 PM

F0

0.25

75

0

0

$0

NCDC 

A tornado touched down briefly between House Springs and Cedar Hill.

4/15/1994

3:52 AM

F0

4

50

0

0

$500,000

NCDC 

Numerous large trees were uprooted or snapped at the base when a small tornado touched down initially W of Cedar Hill. The tornado moved rapidly E and uplifted the roof of a small business complex located near the intersection of Highway 30 and County Road BB. A florist shop also experienced minor roof damage. Two nearby buildings also sustained minor roof damage and numerous large trees were knocked down. 

4/15/1994

4:05 AM

F0

2

50

0

0

$50,000

NCDC 

A small tornado touched down causing roof damage to a large lumber storage building along Highway 21. Large trees were uprooted or snapped at the base as the tornado approached Antonia. A barn was also damaged

4/15/1994

4:12 AM

F1

2

100

0

0

$5,000,000

NCDC 

A tornado touched down in Barnhart and nearly destroyed two mobile homes and heavily damaged five homes in a subdivision. Power poles were snapped off near the track with nearby trees uprooted or snapped off at the base. As the tornado moved NNE, it crossed County Road M and traveled along Highways 61-67 damaging the roof of a modern one story brick building. Several other homes had roof damage and a car dealership reported broken automobile windows from debris. Before lifting, the tornado damaged five other homes near Kimmswick and one mobile home, but no injuries were reported.

4/26/1994

8:35 PM

F0

0.3

30

0

0

$5,000

NCDC 

A small tornado touched down briefly damaging a small area of power poles and trees.

4/16/1995

3:57 PM

F0

0.1

10

0

0

$200

NCDC 

A spotter reported a brief touchdown in a wooded area near the Jefferson-St.Francois county line.

5/18/1995

11:05 AM

F2

7

150

0

3

n/a

G, NCDC 

A tornado touched down 6 miles SW of Festus, where a high tension power pole, power lines, and several large trees were downed.  This tornado continued along old County Road A while damaging numerous trees, sheds, and roofs.  The tornado then crossed over I-55 and damaged 4 homes in the Brookshire subdivision before crossing over Highway 61 between Herculaneum and Festus.  Before the storm had lifted, just SE of Herculaneum, it struck an apartment complex and caused minor roof damage.

5/6/2003

6:25 PM

F0

0.1

50

0

0

$0

NCDC 

A small tornado occurred along Highway WW near the Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson County line. This brief tornado downed and mangled trees along a short path which was about 50 yards wide.

5/6/2003

6:30 PM

F0

0.2

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC 

A small tornado formed along a bowing thunderstorm causing tree damage just south of DeSoto High School. 

5/27/2004

7:10 PM

F0

0

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC 

A small tornado hit the Raintree Plantation northwest of Hillsboro. Three homes suffered minor roof damage, a boat dock was damaged, and trees and power lines were down. 

3/11/2006

9:40 PM

F0

0

10

0

0

0

NCDC

The first of three tornadoes from a supercell thunderstorm occurred about 9 miles south of Festus on the north side of Route TT were several trees were blown over.

3/11/2006

9:42 PM

F3

3

200

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The second Jefferson County tornado first formed about 9:42 pm CST about 8.5 miles south southeast of Festus, near Interstate 55 where it sheared off the tops of several trees. The tornado then hit a small subdivision on the east side of the highway destroying three homes. The tornado crossed Highway 61 and destroyed another home and caused one minor injury. The tornado continued northeast causing minor to moderate damage to homes and outbuildings. At it approached the Mississippi River, the tornado blew down two high power electric transmission towers. It then crossed the river into Monroe County Illinois. The Jefferson County portion of the tornado track was about 3.1 miles with a maximum width of 200 yards and a  F3 rating.

9/22/2006

2:20 PM

F1

0

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

As the tornado moved into Jefferson County from Washington County, it was 50 yards wide and produced  F1 damage to trees just north of County Road H. The tornado dissipated just northeast of this location, just to the northwest of Fletcher. No injuries or deaths were reported.

9/22/2006

4:05 PM

F1

1

100

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The tornado touched down two tenths of a mile southwest of Fletcher and moved northeast into Fletcher. The tornado caused minor exterior and roof damage to a mobile home in Fletcher. There was also damage to trees including a 12 inch diameter cedar tree that was snapped off at ground level. The tornado was 100 yards wide and damage was rated F1 in intensity at this location. The tornado continued to the northeast and dissipated half a mile northeast of Fletcher. No injuries or deaths were reported. 

4/30/2010

7:09 PM

EF1

18

580

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The tornado crossed into Jefferson County from Washington County about 3 miles northwest of Fletcher. The tornado travelled northeast crossing just north of Morse Mill on State Highway B. The tornado continued northeast passing through Lake Tishomingo, finally lifting 1.5 miles southwest of Otto. The tornado snapped and uprooted numerous trees and downed numerous tree limbs along the entire path. There were several areas of more substantial damage. On Brook Hollow Lane, 3 miles north northwest of Fletcher, a home was damaged with part of the roof removed and a wall of the garage destroyed. Also, on Brook Hollow Lane, a manufactured home sustained roof, siding and window damage. Another area of damage was along Highway B just north of the Big River. An outbuilding of the Morse Mill Baptist Church had the overhead doors caved in, which caused the roof to be removed and parts of the exterior walls to fail. The last area of significant damage was at Lake Tishomingo, especially along the north shore. Several of the homes suffered damage to the roofs and porches. Also, a number of homes were damaged when trees fell on them. No injuries were reported. 

12/31/2010

11:29 AM

EF1

7

50

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 skipped northeast and moved into northwest Jefferson County. Additional medium to large tree limbs were snapped while some medium size trees were uprooted along the Dittmer-Catawissa Road or 3 miles northwest of Dittmer. As the tornado continued to skip northeast, several large trees including large pine trees were snapped at the base or uprooted on Highway NN or 3 miles north of Dittmer. The tree damage was on a ridge crest along Highway NN. The damage was rated EF1 at this location. The damage width was approximately 50 yards. The tornado moved northeast and caused minor tree damage on Dutch Creek Road 1.5 miles southwest of Byrnesville. The tornado then lifted and dissipated. 

12/31/2010

11:33 AM

EF1

1

150

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 crossed Solidarity Drive from Franklin County into Jefferson County and continued to the northeast. The path narrowed as it crossed Highway F just west of Lake Cattails. The tornado finally lifted around 1135 am near the northeast corner of Lake Cattails, 2 miles southeast of Pacific. The damage along this segment consisted of snapped trees, tree limbs and downed trees, and missing or damaged shingles on a few homes. 

12/31/2010

11:48 AM

EF0

1

50

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 at 11:48 AM approximately one mile east of Murphy, Missouri on W. Lakewood Drive in far northern Jefferson County. The damage path was 40 yards wide. The tornado's second touchdown occurred at the Jefferson, St. Louis County Line at Delmar Gardens on Arbor Terrace. Small trees and minor roof damage occurred at Delmar Gardens. The damage path was 50 yards wide and rated EF0. The tornado continued to the northeast into St. Louis County. 

*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)