47
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
45
Direct injuries
$59.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Butler County, Missouri: 47 recorded events between 1968 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #432 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Butler County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Butler County is the 2010s, when 16 of the county's 47 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 Butler County archive, tornado makes up 9.1% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #432 for this hazard and #10 within Missouri, putting it in the 85.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Mar is the peak month for tornado in Butler County with 10 recorded events, while Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-04-22 | EF4 | 63.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF4 | 116.0 mi | 1,400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-24 | EF4 | 40.5 mi | 650 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 17.9 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-21 | EF3 | 23.7 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-07 | EF3 | 36.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-30 | EF3 | 8.2 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-05-16 | EF2 | 15.0 mi | 77 yd | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 45.5 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2013-01-29 | EF2 | 3.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1976 | F3 | 1 | 13 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 15, 2025 | STRINGTOWN | EF3 | 1 | 0 | $15.0M |
| Apr 24, 2002 | HENDRICKSON | F4 | 0 | 14 | $30.0M |
| May 7, 1973 | F3 | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Apr 20, 1993 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $5.0M | |
| Jun 5, 1975 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 19, 1973 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| May 1, 1970 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2025 | PARKS | EF0 | $40K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | STRINGTOWN | EF3 | $15.0M |
| Mar 15, 2025 | PARKS | EF2 | $1.4M |
| Aug 31, 2024 | (P02)POPLAR BLUFF AR | EFU | $0 |
| May 26, 2024 | PARKS | EF1 | $275K |
| Mar 6, 2022 | NEELYVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2021 | QULIN | EF0 | $15K |
| Mar 12, 2020 | STRINGTOWN | EF0 | $5K |
| May 17, 2018 | QULIN | EF0 | $3K |
| May 28, 2017 | STRINGTOWN | EF0 | $40K |
Other hazards here
More from Butler County
- Thunderstorm Wind 181
- Hail 141
- Flash Flood 58
- Flood 52
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-3 tornado started along County Road 462 southeast of Stringtown and moved east northeast along County Road 450 all the way into Poplar Bluff. On the way it damaged numerous trees and did significant damage to several homes. Right as it crossed U.S. 67 on the northwest side of Poplar Bluff it struck a church and a nearby mobile home park. One person was killed when their mobile home was destroyed. It then did mainly roof damage to numerous buildings as it continued east northeast through town. It crossed U.S. 60 and headed northeast and completely destroyed a home on Highway T. It eventually dissipated as it reached County Road 572 northwest of Rombauer or just east of Saint Francois. Hundreds of trees were damaged. The estimated peak wind was 145 mph.
An EF-4 tornado that started in Arkansas lifted northeast through Ripley County and into Butler County just north of U.S. 160 east of Fairdealing. The tornado produced EF-2 damage as it briefly moved east, paralleling U.S. 160, and then turned northeast, dissipating just south of Lone Hill. The most significant damage was along County Road 488 where it destroyed one house and did major roof damage to a few others. It also snapped dozens of trees and an wooden power pole in that area. The estimated peak wind was 132 mph. The total path length of the tornado was 118 miles.
Peak winds were estimated near 100 mph. This tornado passed across Highway 51 about a mile south of Broseley. A farm machine shed was leveled. Numerous other sheds or small structures were damaged or destroyed. Large irrigation piping was blown hundreds of feet in varying directions. Farm implements were blown over, and two camper units were rolled over. At least four houses received minor to moderate damage to roofs, siding, and windows. Numerous trees were uprooted. There was also some spotty straight-line wind damage to outbuildings and trees just north and east of the tornado track. This tornado was the first of several that were spawned by the same eastward moving supercell.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Butler County, Missouri?
47 tornado events are recorded in Butler County between 1968 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Butler County?
The strongest tornado on record in Butler County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Butler 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 Butler County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/butler-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.