Madison County

Madison County, MO

Data available through 9/30/2011

Date

Time (CST)

F/EF-Scale

Length (Miles)

Maximum Width (Yards)

Killed

Injured

Property Damage

Source*

5/30/1917

4:00 PM

F2

15

100

0

0

n/a

G

Developed near "Silver Mine"  which is 10 miles WSW of Fredericktown and moved NE into St. Francois County 1 mile S of Knob Lick.

5/30/1917

4:30 PM

F2

9

n/a

3

5

n/a

G

Developed 8 miles S of Fredericktown and moved NE to 4 miles E of town.  Three people were killed in one of several farm homes that were destroyed.

3/18/1925

1:01 PM

F2

219

1200

0

0

n/a

G

The start of the Great Tri State Tornado that killed 695 people, injured 2027, and $16,500,000 in property damage developed over Reynolds County and quickly moved through Iron County before entering Madison County.  There were no injuries across all of Madison County.  The damage track was very wide which may indicate downburst activity and a break in the tornado's path 2 miles S of Fredericktown.  It then quickly moved NE out of Madison County before moving through parts of southern Illinois and southwest Indiana.  While F2 was probably the maximum damage caused in Iron County, this tornado did caused F5 damage later in its path.  It is widely accepted that this was likely a series of tornadoes instead of one long tracked tornado.

4/25/1957

1:30 AM

F1

2-Jan

500

0

0

n/a

NCDC

4/29/1963

3:45 PM

F0

4-Jan

17

0

0

>$500

NCDC

Damage reported to farm buildings from a brief touchdown 3 miles NW of Fredericktown.

8/12/1963

6:00 PM

F1

4-Jan

17

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC

Observer reported a "roaring train" sound as storm approached.  House was twisted off its foundation and carried 15 feet away.

4/3/1968

7:05 PM

F2

13

500

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A tornado caused touched down 4.2 miles E and 3.3 miles N of the SW corner of Madison County.  It moved NE to cross the NW edge of Saco up Highway C to enter the Clark National Forest 3.5 miles W of Highway 67 and across heavily timbered lands to cross Highway 67 and dissipate 1.5 miles S of the intersection of Highway 67 and State Route C.  Two homes were destroyed in Saco and damage occurred to scattered homes and barns along the path, but the majority of the destruction was confined to heavily timbered areas.  An aerial survey indicates a total of 900 acres of National Forest timber destroyed along the path with about an equal amount on private lands.

4/12/1970

8:00 PM

F1

9

50

0

0

>$50,000

NCDC

Tornado followed an intermittent path, first touching down at a saw mill in the Jewett area on Highway C in SW Madison County.  Spotty damage to timber occurred as it moved NE before damaging a home, barn, and other buildings in Zion on U.S. 67, 11 miles N of Fredericktown.  In Zion the tornado could be heard as it approached sounding to one observer "like grease popping in a frying pan only 100 times louder", and "like a freight train" to another.  This damage in Madison County may be related to prior damage in Reynolds County.

4/21/1972

3:15 PM

F2

26

50

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC

Tornado originated over Iron County near Annapolis and followed an intermittent path to the NE, touching down in a grove of trees 1.5 miles SW of Milcreek and then moved across U.S. Highway 67 where it caused considerable damage to a trailer sales lot.  It is not known if this storm touched down anywhere in the Clark National Forest.  

5/7/1973

405 pm

F2

15

100

0

0

>$50,000

NCDC

Tornado touched down 15 miles SW of Fredericktown and moved to near Fredericktown.

5/26/1973

1100 pm

F2

3

200

0

0

n/a

G, NCDC

Tornado reported near Maquand.  Five homes were destroyed and 100 were damaged.

12/2/1982

755 pm

F2

13

50

0

0

>$50,000

NCDC

A tornado touched down in extreme NE Iron County 2 miles E of Minimum just S of Highway C.  The storm then moved NE into Madison County, dissipating to the NE of Silver Mines.  Some damage  was reported to trees and outbuildings along the path.  The damage path was about 90 percent continuous. 

12/2/1982

8:00 PM

F1

2-Jan

50

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC

Tornado touched down briefly near Fredericktown producing structural damage and some tree damage.

4/19/1996

8:10 PM

F0

0

50

0

0

$0

NCDC

A tornado touched down briefly at the end of a runway at the Fredericktown Municipal Airport. No damage.

4/15/1998

7:39 PM

F1

12

100

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A tornado formed just southeast of Saco near Highway HH and tracked NE to just SW of Marquand. Rows of trees were downed along the path. A barn and some outbuildings were damaged at the end of the track near the intersection of County Road 310 and Highway M.

4/24/2002

3:45 PM

F2

9

800

0

3

n/a

NCDC

A tornado hit Madison County, first causing damage about 9 miles south of Fredericktown along Highway 67. A mobile home was destroyed and a frame house lost its roof. The tornado moved east through a heavily wooded area uprooting and damaging trees. The tornado reached Marquand, a small town of about 400 people, about 4 pm and caused considerable damage. Large trees were uprooted or snapped off and nearly every structure in a 3 to 4 block area was damaged. The Fire Station was completely destroyed as was a restaurant that was next to it. Several other frame buildings lost all or parts of their roofs. A State Emergency Management Agency damage assessment reported that 6 homes were destroyed, 12 homes suffered major damage, and 22 homes had minor damage. There were 3 minor injuries reported. 

10/18/2004

3:59 PM

F0

1.5

250

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The same supercell that spawned the Iron County tornadoes spawned two more tornadoes over Madison county.  The first tornado caused damage in an area northwest of Fredericktown know as Catherine Place.  Witnesses observed the tornado form in an open field and then move east crossing Highway H and causing damage at the County Star Mobile Home Park.  The majority of the damage was from downed trees or large tree limbs.  One home just south of the mobile homes suffered major damage from a large downed tree.  Another home just east of the mobile home park suffered minor roof damage and had four windows blown in.  The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 67 near County Road 220 and caused damage in the White Tail Cross neighborhood.  Trees were downed and snapped off at this location.

10/18/2004

4:10 PM

F1

5.5

100

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A second tornado in Madison County first caused damage near County Road 217 when it blew off part of the roof of a barn, caused minor roof damage to a home, and downed and snapped off trees.  The tornado moved east and destroyed a detached garage at a home on County Road 219 just north of County Road 221.  The owner of the home was outside and saw the tornado coming.  He moved inside just before the tornado arrived and was not injured.  The tornado moved east through fields causing intermittent tree damage.  The next significant damage occurred near the end of the tornado's track just north of Higdon along County Road 257.  A home had almost all of the roof shingles blown off and a couple of windows blown in.  The owner commented that he ended up with about 2 inches of leaves inside his house.  A trampoline in the backyard was picked up, blown to the north and wrapped abound a tree.  A 14 foot fishing boat that was on a pond behind the house was picked up and ended up and ended up 100 yards away suspended in some. 

3/11/2006

8:33 PM

F1

10

200

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The tornado that started in  Reynolds County and moved across Iron County then moved into Madison County crossing the county line northeast of Patterson Mountain. The tornado continued through the remote area of the Mark Twain National Forest causing considerable tree damage. The tornado finally dissipated just northeast of the intersection of Highway 72 and Route K.

3/11/2006

8:48 PM

F1

1

75

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The supercell thunderstorm that produced the Reynolds County, Iron County and Madison County tornado spawned another short lived tornado near Highway 72 and County Road 504 southeast of Oak Grove. A swath of trees were uprooted or snapped off.

3/11/2006

8:54 PM

F1

5

300

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The third tornado from the southeast Missouri supercell formed just southwest of Mine La Motte. The tornado traveled through the the west and north sections of the town producing F1 damage. A mobile home was destroyed, a barn was damaged, a metal outbuilding was destroyed, a barn damaged and a number of trees were either split or uprooted. The tornado continued northeast causing tree damage before crossing into extreme southeast St. Francois County near Little Peg Knob Mountain.

9/22/2006

2:30 PM

F2

18

880

0

1

n/a

NCDC

The tornado touched down just west of Route K approximately one mile north of Highway 72. As it traveled east, numerous trees and tree limbs were blown down. The tornado moved across U.S. Highway 67 about 4 miles northwest of Fredericktown, knocking down additional trees and tree limbs. The damage path was about 50 yards wide with a damage intensity of  F0. As it approached the Fredericktown Municipal Airport, along Copper Mines Road, it began to produce multiple vortices. Two tornadic damage tracks were uncovered across a lake west of Highway OO along County Roads 271 and 272. Over 20 homes, mobile homes and machine sheds sustained varying degrees of damage. Several witnesses observed twin tornadoes merging into one large tornado over this area. The width of the damage path of the northern track was approximately 150 yards wide while the southern damage path was about 100 yards wide. The damage intensity ranged from F1 to F2 in this location. As the large tornado crossed Highway OO, five homes, four mobile homes and several machine sheds sustained varying degrees of damage. The damage path was 300 yards wide and high end F1 intensity. The tornado continued east along County Road 217. Four homes sustained F1 to F2 damage with debris from two of the homes thrown between 50 to 100 yards to the east. Also, numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted in this area. The width of the damage path in this area was about 250 yards. Further east, two tornadic damage tracks were uncovered about half a mile to a mile north of the intersection of County Roads 215 and 217. Four homes sustained varying degrees of damage while one mobile home was completely destroyed. One person was critically injured near the destroyed mobile home. Debris from the mobile home was tossed over 150 yards to the east. The width of the northern damage path was about 150 yards, while the width of the southern track was about 50 yards. The damage was rated high end F1 in this location. Witnesses observed the twin tornadoes merge again into one large funnel as it crossed a second small lake north of County Road 217. Four homes and several machine sheds sustained damage. Also, over a thousand trees around the lake were snapped or uprooted. The damage path was a quarter of a mile wide in this location and was rated F1 to low end F2. The tornado continued eastward into northeast Madison County crossing County Road 219 just south of the Madison/St. Francois County line. Three homes were damaged and three machine sheds were destroyed, as well as thousands of trees snapped or uprooted. The width of the damage path in this area was half a mile and was rated F2. The tornado then crossed into extreme southeastern St. Francois County near Martin Road. 

5/8/2009

11:05 AM

EF0

1

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A tornado briefly touched down and traveled to the east from 1 Mile east southeast of Mine La Motte to 1 mile north of the Fredricktown Municipal Airport.  Several trees were blown over by the tornado before it lifted and dissipated.

5/8/2009

11:10 AM

EF1

n/a

n/a

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A tornado briefly touched down near the intersection of County roads 229 and 234, traveling from 1 mile west of Cornwall to 1 Mile West South West of Cornwall. The tornado then traveled east along County road 234 for half a mile before lifting and dissipating. It blew down a few trees as well as numerous large tree limbs.

5/25/2011

3:35 PM

EF1

5.5

40

0

0

n/a

NCDC

Strong area of low pressure moved into the forecast area with a dry line out ahead of the main cold front. Storms fired up along and just ahead of the dry line beginning in the early afternoon hours. There were numerous reports of large hail with isolated damaging winds and tornadoes with this event. A tornado touched down just to the southwest of Fredericktown near the intersection of County Roads 500 and 501 where large tree limbs were blown down. The tornado then crossed Old U.S. 67 and either uprooted or snapped several cedar and oak trees as it moved northeast along County Road 201. The diameter of the tree trunks ranged from 2 to 3 feet. About 100 yards northeast of County Road 201, a machine shed composed of large cement bricks was severely damaged. Additional tree damage occurred north and northeast of the machine shed. An older machine shed was damaged 100 yards southwest of the City of Fredericktown. A two vehicle garage located across County Road 201 was completely destroyed. One vehicle in the garage was severely damaged. Within the southwest city limits of Fredericktown medium to large branches (3 to 10 inches) in diameter were snapped by the tornado. There was damage to a fence at a tennis court and also at a baseball park. Additional tree damage was located just south of Main Street. Half a mile northeast of the downtown area, medium size tree branches were downed in a residential area. Some of the large tree limbs damaged one home. Another nearby home lost over 60 percent of its roof covering. The tornado then struck a distributing company which transports Styrofoam blocks on State Highway J just northeast of the intersection with Highway 72. The large blocks weighing around 300 pounds each were tossed 40 to 80 yards to the northeast. The tornado continued to the east along State Highway J for about another mile before lifting and dissipating. The total damage track was 5.5 miles, while damage width was between 30 to 40 yards. The damage intensity was rated EF1.

5/25/2011

3:43 PM

EF1

3

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

Strong area of low pressure moved into the forecast area with a dry line out ahead of the main cold front. Storms fired up along and just ahead of the dry line beginning in the early afternoon hours. There were numerous reports of large hail with isolated damaging winds and tornadoes with this event. The tornado originated in Carter County then crossed into Wayne County (WFO Paducah's CWA) before crossing into Madison County about 3 miles southwest of Buckhorn and travelled to the northeast. In Madison County, numerous large trees were blown down before the tornado lifted and dissipated about a mile northwest of Buckhorn. The total path length for the tornado was 47.4 miles with a max width of 1200 yards and a max EF rating of EF3. 

5/25/2011

3:46 PM

EF1

5

440

0

0

$0

NCDC

Strong area of low pressure moved into the forecast area with a dry line out ahead of the main cold front. Storms fired up along and just ahead of the dry line beginning in the early afternoon hours. There were numerous reports of large hail with isolated damaging winds and tornadoes with this event. A tornado touched down just southwest of the intersection of U.S. 67 and State Highway N. As it travelled to the northeast and crossed U.S. 67 it blew down or uprooted numerous trees. The damage path width in this area was about 100 yards wide. The tornado continued to the northeast knocking down a lot of trees. As it crossed Madison County Road 303, about a mile southeast of the intersection with U.S. 67, the width of the tornado damage to the trees in this area was about a quarter of a mile wide. The tornado continued to the northeast for about a mile before lifting and dissipating. 

5/25/2011

3:47 PM

EF1

4

580

0

0

$0

NCDC

Strong area of low pressure moved into the forecast area with a dry line out ahead of the main cold front. Storms fired up along and just ahead of the dry line beginning in the early afternoon hours. There were numerous reports of large hail with isolated damaging winds and tornadoes with this event. Another tornado formed about a mile north of the one that had touched down near the intersection of U.S. 67 and State Highway N. It paralled the path of the other tornado lifting and dissipating about half a mile northeast of Madison County Road 303, about three quarters of a mile southeast of the intersection of U.S. 67 and Madison County Road 303. The damage was limited to numerous large trees blown down or uprooted along its path. The widest part of the damage path, about a third of a mile, was where the tornado crossed Madison County Road 303.

5/25/2011

4:26 PM

EF1

2

200

0

0

$0

NCDC

Strong area of low pressure moved into the forecast area with a dry line out ahead of the main cold front. Storms fired up along and just ahead of the dry line beginning in the early afternoon hours. There were numerous reports of large hail with isolated damaging winds and tornadoes with this event. A tornado touched down about a mile and a half south of Marquand on State Highway DD. It travelled to the northeast for about two miles before moving into Bollinger County (WFO Paducah's CWA). It snapped off or uprooted numerous trees along its path in Madison County. At its widest, the tree damage was 200 yards wide. The total path length for the tornado was 13 miles with a max width of 250 yards and a max EF rating of EF1.

2/29/2012

2:55 AM

EF2

22

200

0

1

n/a

NCDC

A tornado touched down on Madison County Road 437 (about half a mile north of intersection with Co. Road 424) at 255 am. At this location part of the roof of an abandoned house was blown off and several windows were blown out. Also, there was lots of tree damage in the area. The damage was rated EF1 in this location. The tornado continued to the east northeast. On Madison County Road 431, about a mile north of the intersection with Highway C, a home was completely blown apart and swept off the foundation. The debris was thrown in different directions. It was not bolted down into the concrete foundation, only nailed, so the EF rating given for this was EF2. All the hardwood trees next to the home were uprooted. The width of the damage path in this location was 200 yards. Further to the east additional tree damage was found on Madison County Road 411 near the intersection with Highway EE. As it travelled to the east northeast, the tornado approached U.S. Highway 67 near Zion. On the west side of U.S. Highway 67, about a third of a mile north of the intersection with Highway JJ, an abandoned single wide mobile home was rolled onto its roof. A bit further north of the mobile home, there was about a 100 yard wide swath of hardwoods that were uprooted on the west side of U.S. Highway 67. All of the damage in this area was rated EF1. Further to the east, about 1.6 miles west northwest of Marquand on Highway A, there was significant roof damage to a large well-constructed barn. There was some evidence of convergent flow in the tree damage nearby. A utility pole was bent over back to the south. Just to the east of the tree damage, about half the roof was lifted off of a business and numerous large oaks were uprooted in the area. Damage width was about 200 yards in this location with a rating of EF1. On Highway F, about two tenths of a mile north of the intersection with Highway A, a large swath of trees was uprooted, with additional sporadic tree damage along the rest of the path before crossing into Bollinger County (WFO Paducah’s forecast area) about a mile and a half northeast of Marquand on the south side of Highway A at 320 am. The path length in Madison County was 21.54 miles with a max width of 200 yards and a max rating of EF2. Overall, the tornado was on the ground for 31.88 miles with a max width of 800 yards and a max rating of EF2.