Audrain County, MO

Data available through 1/1/2013

Date

Time (CST)

F/EF-Scale

Length (Miles)

Maximum Width (Yards)

Killed

Injured

Property Damage

Source*

5/20/1891

3:15 PM

F4

35

300

3

35

$50,000

G

Tornado touched down near Sturgeon over northern Boone County and moved E, before dissipating near Laddonia.  The funnel was said to be "glowing" as it leveled homes 1 m N of Rush Hill.  The path was said to have had 9 mile break, touching down again 5 miles N of Mexico.  Trees were debarked, ponds and wells were reported as being emptied of water, chickens were plucked, and some were said to be in "partially cooked" condition.  The deaths were in 4 of the 15 farms that were damaged or destroyed. 

7/2/1892

7:00 PM

F2

13

100

0

4

n/a

G

Formed 11 miles WNW of Mexico and moved ESE, dissipating 2 miles SSE of town.  Farm homes were destroyed or badly damaged; other homes and barns were twisted and unroofed.  Debris was spread for miles. 

4/28/1896

8:30 PM

F2

10

100

n/a

n/a

n/a

G

Formed 3 miles W of Centralia and moved NE.  A farm house was unroofed and a small house was destroyed.  A horse was "carried off" and 2 barns leveled.  Two-foot-thick trees were "snapped like reeds". 

5/27/1896

1:45 PM

F2

8

70

0

0

n/a

G

Moved ESE, passing 5 miles N of Sturgeon and N of Centralia.  Barns were leveled and 4 farm homes were destroyed, and 5 homes were "nearly destroyed". 

5/27/1896

3:15 PM

F3

17

300

5

50

n/a

G

Touched down 3 miles N of Mexico and moved ENE, passing E of Bean to W of Vandalia.  This tornadoes bath began 1 mile S of the May 20, 1891 killer tornado.  Three children were killed and 16 people injured at the Dye School.  The tornado then passed N of Rush Hill and struck the Bean Creek School, killing 1 student (possibly 2), and injuring 19.  Two people died in farm homes.  Three people were injured west of Vandalia, where downburst damage totaled $45,000. 

4/3/1913

2:30 PM

F3

12

200

2

 25

n/a

G

Formed over Boone County and moved NE, causing extensive damage near Sturgeon before derailing a train in Audrain County.  This tornado killed 2 people and injured 25. 

6/5/1917

8:30 PM

F4

42

400

n/a

n/a

n/a

G

Formed over Cooper County and moved NE through Boone County causing extensive damage and death before dissipating in Audrain County.  This tornado caused 20 deaths and 68 injuries.

4/19/1927

11:15 AM

F2

40 

n/a

0

0

n/a

G

Complex of tornadoes and downbursts formed over Boone County and moved NE through Callaway County before dissipating SW of Benton. 

5/8/1927

9:15 PM

F4

40

400

2

n/a

n/a

G

Formed over Cole County and moved NE through Boone and Callaway Counties before dissipating 4 miles S of Benton City.  Extensive damage was done in Callaway County.  The tornado cause a total of 6 deaths, 30 injuries, and $170,000 in property damage. 

3/30/1938

11:36 AM

F2

30

400

n/a

n/a

n/a

G

Formed near Columbia in Boone County and moved NE through Callaway County before dissipating 2 miles N of Mexico.   This tornado killed one person near where the 3 counties meet.  The tornado also injured 18 along it's track and caused $120,000 in property damage.

4/5/1954

2:00 AM

F1

0.25

10

0

0

n/a

NCDC

4/5/1954

2:00 AM

F1

0.3

17

0

0

n/a

NCDC

12/4/1956

10:30 PM

F2

11

400

0

0

n/a

G, NCDC

Formed over Boone County and moved NE, passing 2 miles S of Centralia.  This tornado destroyed three barns and unroofed at least one home.  Eight other homes were damaged.  Total property damage was $75,000.

6/11/1960

3:30 PM

F1

4

33

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC

Caused damage in Vandalia and also at Middletown in Montgomery County.  Damage to crops, several homes, trees, as well as power and telephone lines.

6/7/1961

7:35 PM

F0

0.25

10

0

0

Minor

NCDC

Brief touchdown 3 miles SE of Mexico. 

7/9/1965

4:00 AM

F1

1

300

0

0

>$500

NCDC

Farm family described the sound of the storm "like a jet".  A metal bucket was wrapped around a post and nails were removed from a board without splintering it.  A gate to a barnyard lot was standing open, although the bolt-type lock was still in place.  The storm touched down briefly near the intersection of Highways 19 and 54. 

12/8/1966

2:55 AM

F2

0.3

50

0

0

>$5,000

NCDC

A small tornado destroyed several small sheds and unroofed  part of a home while twisting it on its foundation and bulging its walls near Thompson.   

6/12/1970

4:40 PM

F3

16

100

0

0

>$50,000

G, NCDC

A tornado which first touched down just west of Route JJ, 1.25 mile S of U.S. 54 SE of Mexico and moved ENE, causing considerable damage to farmsteads before lifting just W of Route AA, 1.5 miles S of Farber.  Damage was particularly heavy from the point were the tornado crossed U.S. 54 , a mile W of Route A, for the next 6 miles.  In this stretch most buildings in its path suffering extensive damage or destruction, including the complete destruction of all buildings and equipment on a farm 1.75 miles E and 0.5 mile S of Rush Hill.  The tornado again crossed Route K 2 miles E of Laddonia and before lifting, destroying a barn and an unoccupied house on a farm 1.5 miles south of Farber.  Multiple funnels were observed at several points along the path and damage was near F4.  A car was blown 150 yards, and a truck hurled 80 yards.

6/11/1971

11:05 AM

F0

5-Jan

17

0

0

>$500

NCDC

A small tornado touched down briefly near the intersection of County Routes T and E and caused minor damage to several farm buildings.  One person who observed the tornado described it as "smoke boiling out of the ground". 

6/8/1984

6:15 PM

F0

3-Jan

50

0

0

$0

NCDC

Tornado touched down briefly 3 miles S of Mexico. 

6/8/1984

6:30 PM

F1

1

77

0

0

>$50,000

NCDC

Tornado destroyed 2 barns 10 miles NE of Mexico. 

6/15/1991

5:15 PM

F0

5-Jan

23

0

0

$0

NCDC

The Missouri Highway Patrol reported a brief touchdown 7 miles E of Mexico. 

9/22/1993

4:50 PM

F2

12

120

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A tornado with an intermittent damage track first touched down in Martinsburg where many windows were shattered and numerous large trees were blown down. The county sheriff office reported the heaviest damage in a well defined path through town. The tornado crossed into Montgomery County at about 455 pm CST.  The most extensive damage was in Montgomery County and the total damage for this tornado was $5,000,000.

6/14/1998

12:55 PM

F0

4

50

0

0

$0

NCDC

A sheriff deputy followed a small rope tornado as it moved across farmland in Audrain County. There was no damage.

4/8/1999

5:30 PM

F1

10

100

0

0

n/a

NCDC

The supercell that spawned the Midway and Hinton tornadoes produced a third tornado in Audrain County. The tornado first caused damage just west of Mexico where 3 billboards and several trees were downed. Just to the northeast of Mexico, the tornado caused damage at an industrial complex. One factory lost part of its roof and several smaller sheet metal buildings were destroyed. Near Highways J and KK a barn was extensively damaged and 2 grain bins destroyed. The last observed damage was about 5 miles northeast of Mexico. One barn was destroyed, 2 equipment buildings destroyed, and 2 homes suffered minor roof damage.

3/12/2006

3:25 PM

F0

6

75

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A small tornado formed near the intersection of County Road 377 and Highway T causing tree damage. The tornado moved northeast causing intermittent tree damage, with the most significant tree damage at the intersection of County Road 353 and 364. The tornado damaged a barn, a grain bin and some outbuildings southeast of Molino. The tornado dissipated near the South Fork of the Salt River northeast of Molino.

6/22/2006

12:05 PM

F0

0

40

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A severe storm with downburst winds, hail and several tornadoes moved through Audrain County. The first of four tornadoes in Audrain County briefly touched down 6.4 miles north northwest of Mexico, about three quarters of a mile west of Route 15 and just south of Highway T. Several large trees were uprooted or snapped off along the tenth of mile damage path. Some of the branches caused minor damage to the roof and side of a home and a machine shed. No injuries were reported.

6/22/2006

12:07 PM

F1

1

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A severe storm with downburst winds, hail and several tornadoes moved through Audrain County. The second of four tornadoes in Audrain County briefly touched down 5.6 miles north northwest of Mexico, about half a mile east of Route 15. A large machine shed was totally destroyed with debris from the shed displaced 300 yards to the east. Numerous trees were blown down and a home sustained moderate roof damage. The tornado traveled to the east for about a mile before lifting and dissipating. No injuries were reported. 

6/22/2006

12:10 PM

F0

0

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A severe storm with downburst winds, hail and several tornadoes moved through Audrain County. The third of four tornadoes in Audrain County briefly touched down 6.0 miles north of Mexico, about 1.2 miles east of Route 15. A grain bin was destroyed and several large trees were topped along the quarter of a mile path. No injuries were reported.

6/22/2006

12:25 PM

F0

4

50

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A severe storm with downburst winds, hail and several tornadoes moved through Audrain County. The last of four tornadoes in Audrain County touched down 1 mile northeast of Laddonia, in an open field. As it traveled to the northeast it moved into the southwest portions of Farber. It blew down several large trees and numerous tree limbs in town. One tree severely damaged the roof of a home in Farber. The tornado lifted and dissipated about six tenths of a mile northeast of Farber, near U.S. Route 54. No injuries were reported.

12/27/2008

10:03 AM

EF1

4

30

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A tornado touched down about 2 and a half miles west of Laddonia. A grain silo was damaged at this location. The tornado rapidly skipped northeast and damaged a large machine shed about three quarters of a mile north of Laddonia. Also, it destroyed an airplane hanger on a nearby farm and blew down numerous trees.A strong cold front moved through the region...triggering showers and thunderstorms. Some of the thunderstorms became severe with large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes and flash flooding reported.

7/20/2010

6:15 AM

EF0

1

40

0

0

n/a

NCDC

A tornado briefly touched down about a mile southwest of the Mexico Memorial Airport. It initially damaged some trees and then travelled to the southeast crossing Highway JJ, destroying a barn on the east side of the highway. It caused additional tree damage further to the southeast before lifting and dissipating.

*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)