41
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
97
Direct injuries
$85.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Pettis County, Missouri: 41 recorded events between 1952 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #598 nationally and #16 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Pettis County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Pettis County is the 2000s, when 15 of the county's 41 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 Pettis County archive, tornado makes up 8.3% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #598 for this hazard and #16 within Missouri, putting it in the 79.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Pettis County with 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-05-12 | EF3 | 15.8 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-04 | EF3 | 11.2 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-20 | EF3 | 19.4 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-20 | EF3 | 10.1 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 11.2 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1952-08-21 | EF2 | 1.3 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 2.1 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 20.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 12.8 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-20 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 1952 | F2 | 1 | 13 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 12, 2006 | GREEN RIDGE | F2 | 1 | 6 | $2.5M |
| Mar 31, 2006 | GREEN RIDGE | F1 | 1 | 0 | $450K |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 0 | 24 | $25.0M | |
| May 12, 1980 | F3 | 0 | 23 | $25.0M | |
| May 25, 2011 | SEDALIA | EF2 | 0 | 20 | $4.0M |
| Apr 21, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| May 6, 2003 | SEDALIA | F0 | 0 | 2 | $2K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2024 | LAMONTE | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 24, 2021 | SEDALIA ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 24, 2021 | SEDALIA | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 7, 2017 | LA MONTE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2013 | LAMONTE | EF1 | $20K |
| May 25, 2011 | BEAMAN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 25, 2011 | SEDALIA | EF2 | $4.0M |
| May 20, 2010 | SEDALIA | EF0 | $8K |
| Sep 12, 2008 | HUGHESVILLE | EF0 | $5K |
| Mar 31, 2006 | GREEN RIDGE | F1 | $450K |
Other hazards here
More from Pettis County
- Thunderstorm Wind 215
- Hail 201
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
F2 tornado touched down 6.5 miles east of Green Ridge at 1612 CST and moved northeast. The tornado caused the death of one woman…when the trailer she was fleeing was blown on top of her. Another 6 people were injured as well. Numerous homes suffered varying degrees of damage. The tornado lifted one mile southwest of Smithton at 1625 CST.
Tornado touched down at 2028 CST 2 miles northwest of green Ridge producing damage to trees. The tornado traveled northeast and crossed Highway 50 just west of Sedalia. It produced high end F0 damage to a Morton Building and to a farmstead. Low end F1 damage was noted to a home 3 miles north of Sedalia…just west of Highway 65…where a modular home lost its roof and a large calenabra on a broadcast tower was bent. The tornado damaged a total of 57 homes, with one being completely destroyed. The tornado lifted after this at 2042 CST. A 66 year old man injured in the tornado, died from his injuries on June 15th.
At 1122CST an EF2 tornado touched down 2.7 miles south southeast of Sedalia. The tornado traveled north, and lifted 0.7 miles southeast of Sedalia at 1128CST. Heavy damage to several businesses, was observed along highway 65, with 70 mobile homes in two different mobile home parks, destroyed or heavily damaged. Several homes were also damaged or destroyed. A tanker truck was overturned. Power poles were snapped off. Twenty people suffered minor injuries.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Pettis County, Missouri?
41 tornado events are recorded in Pettis County between 1952 and 2024, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Pettis County?
The strongest tornado on record in Pettis County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Pettis 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 Pettis County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/pettis-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.