St. Louis County, MO |
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Data available through 1/1/2013 |
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Date |
Time (CST) |
Length (Miles) |
Maximum Width (Yards) |
Killed |
Injured |
Property Damage |
Source* |
|
5/18/1878 |
11:30 AM |
F2 |
n/a |
n/a |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
G |
A tornado moved NE across the "Cote Brilliante" suburb of St. Louis. "The air was filled with flying tree limbs." One home was unroofed and another collapsed. |
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1/12/1890 |
4:30 PM |
F2 |
1.5 |
100 |
0 |
n/a |
n/a |
G |
Formed SW of Washington University and moved NE into St. Louis City, where the maximum intensity and deaths occurred there. |
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5/14/1909 |
6:00 PM |
F2 |
0.5 |
30 |
0 |
2 |
n/a |
G |
A small home and two barns were destroyed 1 mile SW of Rosedale. |
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9/29/1927 |
12:50 PM |
F3 |
12 |
600 |
0 |
n/a |
n/a |
G |
Tornado formed in Webster Groves and moved ENE across a corner of Forest Park into downtown St. Louis City, where the maximum intensity and deaths occurred there. |
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9/1/1931 |
5:33 PM |
F2 |
2 |
100 |
0 |
3 |
$30,000 |
G |
Small home and barns were unroofed in the SE part of Eureka and opposite Times Beach, along the Meramec River Bluffs. |
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5/21/1949 |
4:30 PM |
F2 |
n/a |
n/a |
0 |
2 |
n/a |
G |
Formed near the SW edge of Lambert Field. Two homes were unroofed. About 16 other buildings and several airplanes were damaged. |
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5/21/1949 |
4:50 PM |
F3 |
30 |
600 |
0 |
n/a |
n/a |
G |
Formed 4 miles E of Florissant and moved ENE. Homes were destroyed at Spanish Lake before moving into St. Charles and Madison counties. This tornado produced deaths and F4 damage in Wood River and Roxanna, Illinois. |
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1/3/1950 |
11:00 AM |
F3 |
6 |
150 |
0 |
3 |
$500,000 |
NCDC, G |
Formed near Spanish Lake and moved NE to Hartford and Roxana, Illinois. Thirteen homes destroyed and 25 others damaged at Spanish Lake. |
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3/25/1954 |
2:00 AM |
F2 |
3 |
60 |
0 |
0 |
$35,000 |
NCDC, G |
Intermittent path from Gilmore to west of Portage des Sioux. A small home was destroyed at Gilmore. Barns and a hangar were damaged. |
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2/25/1956 |
12:05 AM |
F2 |
n/a |
n/a |
0 |
5 |
$75,000 |
G |
Formed near Lemay (12 miles SSW of downtown) and moved ENE. Four homes were unroofed and torn apart. Other homes were damaged. |
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2/24/1956 |
11:45 PM |
F4 |
35 |
200 |
0 |
n/a |
n/a |
NCDC, G |
May have developed in Franklin county and crossed far southeastern St. Louis county into St. Clair county, Illinois. Maximum intensity and 4 deaths occurred with this tornado in St. Clair county. |
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8/30/1956 |
10:17 PM |
F1 |
9 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
5/9/1957 |
3:30 PM |
F2 |
9 |
150 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
5/22/1957 |
3:30 PM |
F1 |
4 |
33 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
4/23/1958 |
11:10 PM |
F1 |
0.5 |
150 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
5/3/1958 |
1:15 PM |
F1 |
0.3 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
2/10/1959 |
1:40 AM |
F4 |
24 |
200 |
21 |
345 |
$10,000,000 |
NCDC, G |
Formed near Ellisville and moved ENE into the city, where considerable damage and death occurred. |
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2/10/1959 |
1:40 AM |
F0 |
0.2 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
1/24/1967 |
6:55 PM |
F4 |
25 |
200 |
3 |
216 |
$15,000,000 |
NCDC, G |
Formed near Olive Street Road and White Road near the Howard Bend Pumping Station. It then moved NE through the intersection of Dorsett and Fee Fee Roads, the SE edge of Lambert Field, across I-270 near U.S. 67, Spanish Lake, Columbia Bottom Road, before dissipating just south of the Madison Ferry Road.. Damage included 168 homes destroyed (a few leveled), 258 homes suffering major damage, and 1485 having minor damage. 600 businesses were hit. |
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10/24/1967 |
10:45 AM |
F3 |
22 |
100 |
0 |
2 |
n/a |
NCDC, G |
Formed near Creve Coeur Lake and moved ENE through Maryland Heights, Bridgeton, Hazelwood, and Florissant. Twenty five homes were damaged or destroyed. |
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8/15/1968 |
2:35 PM |
F1 |
3 |
100 |
0 |
1 |
>$50,000 |
NCDC |
A small skipping tornado caused intermittent minor structural damage as it crossed the metro area. The funnel cloud was first reported in the suburb of LaDue just east of the intersection of Lindberg and Litzinger Road. It move ENE across Clayton and University City causing sporadic tree and roof damage when it would touch down. The heaviest damage in these suburbs occurred in the vicinity of the Forsyth-Hanley Road intersection and south and north of Delmar between Big Bend and Skinker. It then moved into the City. |
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6/1/1970 |
6:35 PM |
F1 |
6 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
A small tornado touched down in the Missouri River bottoms of extreme north St. Louis county, 2 miles south of Pelican Island. The damage path crossed the eastern part of Pelican Island as it crossed the Missouri River into extreme eastern St. Charles county. |
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5/7/1973 |
5:10 PM |
F2 |
0.5 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
>$5,000 |
NCDC |
5/26/1973 |
9:30 PM |
F2 |
1 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC, G |
Two homes were destroyed and 19 were damaged just south of Mehlville. |
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7/23/1973 |
4:30 PM |
F1 |
0.2 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
The tornado vortex apparently reached to about rooftop level in the vicinity of Gay and Maryland Avenues. There were numerous roofs damaged and some plate glass damage. Strong straight line winds also reported. |
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3/7/1975 |
12:27 AM |
F2 |
0.1 |
20 |
0 |
4 |
$150,000 |
NCDC |
One house was demolished and 8 others heavily damaged at Mehlville. |
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2/23/1977 |
8:26 AM |
F1 |
2 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
>$50,000 |
NCDC |
Tornado produced damage along a intermittent path in Kirkwood. Numerous houses, trees, and several greenhouses were damaged. |
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5/12/1978 |
3:05 PM |
n/a |
0.5 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
>$50,000 |
NCDC |
Tornado produced damage along a intermittent path in Florissant. Seven houses and two buildings in the Villa Del Cresta apartment complex were damaged along with numerous trees and vehicles. |
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4/7/1980 |
10:42 PM |
F3 |
7 |
100 |
0 |
15 |
$1,500,000 |
G, NCDC |
Formed near Florissant and moved NE to Pleasant Hollow and West Alton in St. Charles County. In Florissant, 34 homes were completely destroyed and 150 others had lesser damage. Some frame homes were reduced to piles of rubble. Most of the injuries were from flying glass and debris. |
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6/10/1996 |
5:35 PM |
F0 |
n/a |
n/a |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
NCDC |
Skywarn spotters reported a brief tornado touchdown near Interstate 64 and Mason Road in Town and Country. |
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4/13/1998 |
4:35 PM |
F1 |
3 |
100 |
0 |
1 |
$2,500,000 |
NCDC |
A small tornado left a path of damage across west St. Louis County, from the WestPort area in Maryland Heights to near Ashby Road in Overland. Most of the damage was F0 in intensity; primarily damage to trees, power lines, roofs and some decks and porches. About 30 homes and 40 businesses suffered some type of damage. The F1 damage was limited to a small area near Lackland Road and Lindbergh Boulevard. The Carol House Furniture store suffered the most damage, losing part of a wall and the roof. Two nearby automobile dealerships had about 200 cars damaged. One school had roof damage and windows broken. The one injury occurred when a century-old oak tree crashed into the kitchen where a man was sitting. He was treated for head and leg injuries. |
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5/30/2004 |
4:20 PM |
F1 |
2 |
50 |
1 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
A tornado formed near I-170 and Frost Avenue in Berkeley causing F1 damage to the roof of a business and several apartment buildings. On Frost Avenue, a 15 inch branch from an elm tree fell on a SUV killing the driver. The tornado weakened and caused mainly tree top damage as it moved east northeast The tornado crossed New Florissant Road and entered Calverton Park where several large trees and power lines were downed. The tornado dissipated as it approached North Elizabeth Avenue. M39VE |
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11/27/2005 |
11:05 PM |
F0 |
1 |
40 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
A tornado initially formed about 11:05 PM CST just north of the intersection of Manchester and South Hanley Road. The tornado damaged a large utility pole which then blocked the southbound lanes of South Hanley Road. The tornado then damaged the roof of a Red Lobster restaurant. The tornado also damaged the roof and the air conditioning unit of an Applebee's restaurant. The tornado then crossed a large Wal-Mart parking lot where it moved several vehicles and overturned a tractor-trailer. The last damage noted was the broken windows at the entrance of the Wal-Mart. |
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1/2/2006 |
5:25 AM |
F1 |
1 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
A small tornado first caused damage about 5:25 am in Creve Coeur west of Warson Road and south of Olive Boulevard. One home suffered minor roof damage while another had windows blown in. The remainder of the 1 mile path consisted of tree and power line damage. |
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4/24/2010 |
3:25 PM |
EF0 |
1 |
300 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
The tornado touched down approximately 0.3 of a mile north of Dougherty Ferry Road near Lynkirk Rd. and moved north northwest through part of a subdivision. The tornado lifted briefly, then touched down again near the intersection of Ballas Rd. and Kirk Place Dr. before lifting and disspating just east of West County Mall. The path was approximately six tenths of a mile long and a maximum width around 300 yards across part of the subdivision and an average width of less than 200 yards elsewhere. Widespread tree damage and minor roof damage was observed across the subdivision but the overall lack of structural damage suggests winds did not exceed 70 to 80 mph. In the subdivision, several large healthy trees were uprooted and some roofs had missing or damaged shingles. At least one healthy tree was snapped several feet above its base. More extensive tree damage was observed with the second touchdown near Ballas Rd. and Kirk Place Dr. where several healthy pine trees were snapped at the midpoint and the debris pattern indicated a convergent circulation. Tree damage in this area also downed several powerlines along Ballas Road. |
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4/24/2010 |
3:30 PM |
EF0 |
4 |
325 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
The tornado initially touched down near the intersection of Duke Drive and Blackberry Avenue in University City. The tornado traveled northwest producing intermittent damage for approximately 0.6 of a mile. The damage became more continuous for the next 2.4 miles from just southeast of Olive Boulevard to near Dawes Place just southeast of Lackland Road. Intermittent damage continued beyond Lackland Road to the northwest for an additional 1.4 miles. The last discernible damage was located near St. Ann Lane. The vast majority of the damage along the path consisted of varying degrees of tree damage which included numerous tree branches broken, trees uprooted, and tree trunks snapped well above their base. The most significant structural damage occurred on Wallis Avenue just north of Trescott Avenue where a three foot diameter tree caved in the corner of a home. The tornado reached a maximum width of 325 yards as it crossed Trescott Avenue. This is also where the damage was most intense with wind speeds estimated at 85 mph. Other notable damage was located near the intersection of Woodson Road and Harney Road where there was roof damage to a storage facility. Minor structural damage was noted at other locations along the path caused by tree limbs or trees falling on homes. Any direct tornadic damage to homes and businesses was minor superficial damage which consisted of siding, soffit and shingles. No injuries were reported. |
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12/31/2010 |
11:48 AM |
EF1 |
2 |
175 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down just northwest of the intersection of Manchester Road and Birchwood Drive. The tornado traveled to the northeast around 45 mph crossing Kehrs Mill Road, passing through the east side of the Ballwin Golf Course, then crossing Holloway Road and Baxter Road. The tornado lifted just east of the intersection of Brass Lamp Drive and Morewood Court. There were numerous occurrences of tree damage along the tornado path including snapped trees and tree branches as well as uprooted trees. Nearly three dozen homes sustained damage, although the vast majority of this damage was superficial consisting of damaged fascia, soffit and missing/damaged shingles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: 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. |
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12/31/2010 |
11:49 AM |
EF3 |
6 |
440 |
1 |
6 |
$1,000,000 |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: 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 skip northeast along Highway 30, in St. Louis County, through a large subdivision in which many homes sustained minor roof and tree damage, however three homes on the east end of the subdivision sustained both siding damage and a greater degree of roof damage. The width of the damage area was 100 yards. Damage intensity over much of the subdivision was EF0, except for the three homes, this damage intensity was rated EF1. The tornado crossed Highway 141 just north of Highway 30. A 2007 Honda CR-V was driving northbound on Highway 141 when the tornado picked it up and slammed it sideways into a wall along the highway. The occupant, a 70 year old woman, sustained major injuries and died about eleven days later from her injuries. The tornado then hit a church, elementary school and parsonage, which sustained various degrees of damage with the parsonage having the highest degree of damage. Most of the roof was removed and one wall collapsed. Three trees sustained substantial damage in which one tree was partially debarked. Damage intensity was rated EF2 while the damage width was 100 yards. The tornado moved through the Fenton City Park and crossed the Meramec River half mile north of Highway 30. Much of the tree damage was minor over this area. The tornado paralleled Watson Road and crossed it near Bond Road where three separate large trees damaged a house, vehicle and garage. The tornado continued northeast and crossed Interstate 270, two miles southeast of Interstate 44. Just east of I-270 the tornado paralleled Old Watson Road in which an intermittent path of damage was observed. One home northeast of I-270 sustained minor roof damage and a second home further northeast experienced shingle and tree damage. The damage over this area was rated EF1 while the damage width was 50 yards. At approximately 11:56 AM the tornado rapidly intensified as it neared Lindbergh Blvd. Many trees in Watson Trail Park were snapped or uprooted. Seven homes along Old Watson Road sustained varying degrees of damage. Peak intensity was EF3 with 145 mph winds. Two homes had the roofs removed and most of the exterior walls collapsed. Several homes along Court Drive sustained significant damage. The worst damage occurred on the east end of Court Drive in which four homes had large portions of the roof removed and one had several walls collapsed. Damage intensity was rated EF3 with wind speeds near 150 mph. On Lindbergh Blvd, one home was completely demolished and moved less than 50 yards from the foundation. A brick veneer garage was also destroyed by the tornado. Further north on Lindbergh a medical facility also sustained heavy damage. Damage over this area was rated EF3, but the demolished home was rated high-end EF3. Damage over this area was a quarter of a mile wide. The tornado crossed Lindbergh near Court Drive and crossed over a strip mall. Two cars and a delivery truck were tipped over in the parking lot. Several windows were blown in on the stores in the strip mall and a greenhouse behind and adjacent to the mall suffered roof and water pipe damage. The tornado made a turn to the east-northeast and crossed the east end of Woodfox Drive. About a dozen pine trees along the east end of Woodfox Drive were blown over, all lying to the north. Eight homes on Woodfox Drive suffered roof damage and several trees were either pushed over or snapped off about halfway up the trunk. The tornado crossed Woodpark Drive were it caused roof damage to three more homes and downed a large oak tree. One home had the roof lifted and partially removed. The damage path width from Woodfox to Woodpark was 300 yards wide and was rated EF1. The tornado then turned a bit to the northeast and crossed Eggeling Lane and Gladlea Drive. On Eggeling Lane, four homes suffered roof damage and several trees were downed. On Gladlea Drive, three homes suffered roof damage and several more trees were downed. This damage path was 150 yards wide and rated EF0. The tornado crossed East Watson between Lynn Lane, Watson Woods Court, and Kathy Court. On Lynn Lane, a couple of trees were snapped off and two homes suffered roof damage and had windows blown in. This portion of the damage path was 100 yards wide and rated EF1. The tornado crossed over Kathy Court and Fern Glen Drive. Some large tree branches were broken which took down some power lines. This damage was rated EF0 and the damage path was 100 yards wide. The tornado continued northeast and crossed the area near Maebern Terrace, Sturdy Drive and Crestwood Lane. At Sturdy and Maebern Terrace, two homes suffered roof damage with one home having the roof lifted and partially removed. A couple of large trees were also downed in this area. This damage was EF1 and 100 yards wide. The tornado continued northeast to Watson Road with minor tree and roof damage noted. Six power poles were pushed over along Watson Road. The tornado continued northeast with additional damage to trees and roofs until it weakened and lifted at the intersection of Rayburn Avenue and S. Sappington Road. EPISODE NARRATIVE: 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. |
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2/27/2011 |
11:03 PM |
EF1 |
0.15 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down just northwest of the intersection of Wild Horse Creek Road and Babler Forest Road. Damage to the trees in this area was rated EF1. The tornado then crossed Wild Horse Creek Road and lifted just southeast of the intersection of Wild Horse Creek Road and Puellman Road. Path length was 0.15 miles and maximum width of damage was 50 yards. EPISODE NARRATIVE: 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. |
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2/27/2011 |
11:04 PM |
EF1 |
0.36 |
75 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down in Babler Memorial State Park and caused tree damage southwest of the intersection of Theodore Martin Drive and Guy Park Road in the park, where several large trees where either snapped or uprooted. The tornado moved northeast along Guy Park Road causing more tree damage before lifting. This tornado was rated EF1, had a path length of 0.36 mile and a maximum width of 75 yards. EPISODE NARRATIVE: 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. |
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2/27/2011 |
11:05 PM |
EF1 |
1 |
200 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down causing extensive tree damage in Babler State Park. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped along portions of John Cochran Road and Pine Road. The tornado continued east, crossing Babler Park Drive, where it hit a farmstead. A tin roof to a barn was partially removed and numerous trees were uprooted or snapped. The tornado lifted to the east of this farm. The damage was rated EF1, with a maximum width of 200 yards, and the track length was nine tenths of a mile. EPISODE NARRATIVE: 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. |
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2/27/2011 |
11:06 PM |
EF1 |
0.75 |
70 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down in the campground area of Babler Memorial State Park in the far southern part of the park. Several large trees were either snapped or uprooted at this location and revealed a convergent damage pattern. The tornado again touched down and caused minor tree damage just north of the intersection of Babler Park Drive and Pond Road. The width of the damage area ranged from 40 to 70 yards and was rated EF1. The total path length of the tornado was three quarters of a mile. EPISODE NARRATIVE: 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. |
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2/27/2011 |
11:10 PM |
EF1 |
0.6 |
70 |
0 |
0 |
n/a |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down along Rosemar Lane causing extensive tree damage. The tornado tracked east across Highway 109 causing minor tree and shingle damage to a few homes before lifting. The width of the damage area averaged 70 yards and was rated EF1. The total path length of the tornado was sixth tenths of a mile. EPISODE NARRATIVE: 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. |
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4/22/2011 |
6:59 PM |
EF4 |
16 |
880 |
0 |
5 |
$30,000,000 |
NCDC |
EVENT NARRATIVE: During the evening of Friday April 22nd, an intense supercell thunderstorm produced a long-track tornado which tore a path of destruction from west to east across the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, from St. Louis County Missouri eastward across the Mississippi River into Madison County Illinois. The tornado reached a maximum intensity of EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale as it tracked through the community of Bridgeton, just west of Lambert St. Louis International Airport, in St. Louis County. The total path length was 21.3 miles, with a width of up to half a mile. The tornado initially touched down along the northern edge of Creve Coeur Lake at approximately 759 pm. It tracked nearly due east at about 40 mph, and intensified as it entered Maryland Heights. There it produced up to EF3 damage to many homes and businesses with a damage swath of 200 to 400 yards wide. Damage continued eastward in an unbroken track, crossing I-270 about 1 mile south of I-70. The tornado reached peak intensity of EF4 as it devastated the community of Bridgeton along Old St. Charles Road. From there the tornado paralleled Interstate 70 through the community of St. Ann, and then took aim directly on Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Many of the large windows in the main terminal building were blown out or damaged by flying debris and a large section of roof was peeled from Concourse C. Although the vast majority of people were evacuated to lower levels and to interior rooms before the tornado hit, five people were treated and released from area hospitals for injuries due to flying debris. The airport was closed due to the extensive damage. Damage at the airport was estimated to be around $30 million. The tornado exited Lambert-St. Louis International Airport crossing near the McDonnell Boulevard/Harmon Lane intersection. It then moved into Berkeley where it crossed Interstate 170 between Airport Road and Scudder Avenue. Extensive damage was noted along Fourth Avenue, especially at the Garfield Avenue and Hancock Avenue intersections where a vacant house and several homes lost their entire roof structure. The greatest damage in this neighborhood was rated EF2. The tornado continued to the northeast through neighborhoods south of Airport Road producing significant tree damage including many large trees falling on homes. The tornado then crossed Airport Road near Abston Street. The tornado crossed North Florissant Road where it caused extensive roof damage to the Newger Materials building and the First Baptist Church of Ferguson. Across the road, a Little Caesars Restaurant lost its entire roof. Damage to these structures was rated EF1. The tornado then continued through neighborhoods along and just the north of Hereford Avenue/Chambers Road where it continued to cause extensive tree damage as well as additional partial roof damage to homes along the path toward West Florissant Road. Also along this part of its path, it partially removed the roof at the Griffith Elementary School which was rated as EF1. This is also where the tornado widened to one quarter of a mile with damage noted to trees and some homes on both sides of Chambers Road. Along the entire path from Berkeley to Dellwood, damage varied in intensity from EF1 to low end EF2 with a maximum estimated wind speed of 120 mph, and included numerous snapped power poles in addition to the extensive number of snapped and downed trees. EF2 damage was uncovered at three different locations east of Dellwood. One area was located one quarter mile south of Chambers Road on Halls Ferry Road where four large utility poles were snapped. The second area of EF2 damage was located a quarter of a mile south of Chambers Road along Bellefontaine Road where significant tree damage occurred. The last area of damage was located in Bellefontaine Neighbors just south of Chambers Road on La Roux Court. Roofs were removed from three homes at this location, while other homes sustained varying degrees of damage. The width of the damage area varies from 100 yards to four tenths of a mile with the widest area of damage east of Halls Ferry and south of Chambers Road. The tornadic damage continued as the tornado traveled eastward south of Chambers road, crossing the Mississippi River into Madison County Illinois, approximately 2 miles south of Interstate 270. The majority of the damage in this area was rated EF1 due to fallen trees. Some of these trees fell on homes while a few others fell through homes causing damage not directly relating to the intensity of the wind within the tornado. Overall, in St. Louis County, 233 structures (homes and businesses) sustained major damage, 776 structures sustained moderate damage, and 1,487 structures sustained minor damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong cold front moved through region. With plenty of moisture, instability and decent low level shear, severe storms developed along the Interstate 70 corridor in Missouri and Illinois. Numerous reports of large hail and 5 tornadoes occurred with this event. One of the tornadoes was a long track one that moved through the St. Louis metropolitan area with it being rated an EF4, with only a few minor injuries and no deaths. Also, quite a bit of rain fell during this event and caused flash flooding. The flash flooding persisted for several days as additional rounds of heavy rain fell over the same region through the 26th of April. |
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*Sources |
G - Grazulis, T. P., 1993: Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films, Tornado Project, St. Johnsbury, VT. |
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NCDC - National Climatic Data Center U.S. Local Storms Events Data (www.ncdc.noaa.gov) |