Updated Damage Assessment for May 16, 2025 St. Louis Tornado

Showers and Storms in the East; Dangerously Hot and Dry in the West

A frontal boundary will bring scattered showers and storms to portions of the Central and Eastern U.S. through the end of the week. Meanwhile, dangerous heat will intensify across the Intermountain West and expand into the Central U.S. by early next week. Elevated wildfire conditions will develop across portions of the Northern/Central Plains and air quality issues will persist in the Northwest. Read More >

After a year-long review of new ground survey data and aerial imagery, NWS St. Louis made the following adjustments to the May 16, 2025 tornado damage assessment:

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).

Why was the assessment updated?

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.

Where can I view the updated damage assessment?

The updated damage assessment can be viewed, interacted with, and downloaded from the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

Showers and Storms in the East; Dangerously Hot and Dry in the West

Updated Damage Assessment for May 16, 2025 St. Louis Tornado

After a year-long review of new ground survey data and aerial imagery, NWS St. Louis made the following adjustments to the May 16, 2025 tornado damage assessment:

Why was the assessment updated?

Where can I view the updated damage assessment?

Questions regarding this update may be sent to nws.stlouis@noaa.gov.