53
Recorded events
163
Direct deaths
1,258
Direct injuries
$2.9B
Property damage
Tornado in Jasper County, Missouri: 53 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #337 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Jasper County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Jasper County is the 1990s, when 9 of the county's 53 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Jasper County archive, tornado makes up 4.8% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #337 for this hazard and #4 within Missouri, putting it in the 88.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Jasper County with 15 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-03 | EF4 | 41.8 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 25.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-22 | EF3 | 11.3 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-26 | EF3 | 29.1 mi | 40 yd | Crossed in |
| 1971-05-05 | EF3 | 13.1 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-22 | EF3 | 9.2 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-03-15 | EF3 | 9.0 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1993-10-08 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 220 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-10-08 | EF2 | 7.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-21 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | CENTRAL CITY | EF5 | 158 | 1,150 | $2.8B |
| May 4, 2003 | CARL JCT | F3 | 2 | 15 | $21.2M |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 1 | 60 | $2.5M | |
| May 10, 2008 | KENDRICKTOWN | EF1 | 1 | 10 | $1.0M |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Apr 28, 1996 | JOPLIN | F1 | 0 | 12 | $12.0M |
| May 15, 1968 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Apr 22, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | CHITWOOD | EF1 | $250K |
| Apr 20, 2025 | BELLEVILLE | EF1 | $500K |
| May 7, 2024 | MORGAN HGTS | EF1 | $50K |
| May 7, 2024 | JOPLIN | EF1 | $160K |
| May 2, 2024 | (JLN)JOPLIN MUNI ARP | EF1 | $30K |
| Oct 11, 2021 | DUDENVILLE | EF0 | $80K |
| May 23, 2019 | JASPER | EF3 | $275K |
| May 23, 2019 | ORONOGO | EF0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2019 | BELLE CENTER | EF3 | $5.3M |
| May 20, 2019 | DUDENVILLE | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Jasper County
- Thunderstorm Wind 445
- Hail 335
- Flash Flood 155
- Flood 74
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-1 tornado impacted rural areas east of Carthage. One fatality occurred from a large tree falling on a mobile home. A 17 year old female was struck by the tree when taking cover. Five other homes had moderate damage while numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. Several outbuildings were also destroyed.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that a tornado touched down north of Galena in Cherokee County, Kansas and moved quickly across the Missouri state line along SE 118th Street. The tornado increased in intensity as it tracked along West Evergreen Road and North Pheasant Lane before crossing Turkey Creek, causing damage to outbuildings and roofs. Sporadic minor damage continued to Fir Road before damage intensified, including throwing several cars from a salvage yard east of Highway JJ. It then increased further to EF-3 intensity as it carved a path through the Briarbrook Country Club subdivision with dozens of well-built two and three story homes suffering significant damage. Numerous other homes had light to moderate roof damage. The tornado uprooted or snapped numerous trees and several power poles were snapped or leaning. Damaged occurred to several outbuildings between Highway 171 and Ivy Road before the tornado then lifted as it crossed 24th Drive.
A tornado touched down near the Joplin Regional Airport and lifted near Carterville. The weather observer at the airport first reported a tornado sighting at 1651 CST. The worst damaged was in Webb City where numerous homes were damaged, one destroyed, and acres of trees were blown down. One house was lifted off its foundation, turned 60 degrees, and dropped down on the family dog killing it. Power lines were twisted off as well with other damage to trailered boats and nearby cars.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Jasper County, Missouri?
53 tornado events are recorded in Jasper County between 1951 and 2026, causing 163 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Jasper County?
The strongest tornado on record in Jasper County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Jasper County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Jasper County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/jasper-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.