50
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
68
Direct injuries
$46.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Howell County, Missouri: 50 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #372 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Howell County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Howell County is the 2000s, when 12 of the county's 50 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 Howell County archive, tornado makes up 5.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #372 for this hazard and #5 within Missouri, putting it in the 86.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Howell County with 14 recorded events, while Aug 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-04-02 | EF4 | 20.0 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 35.5 mi | 1,200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-01 | EF3 | 15.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF3 | 12.4 mi | 750 yd | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-08 | EF3 | 2.2 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-07 | EF3 | 43.8 mi | 333 yd | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-12 | EF2 | 21.1 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1959-03-14 | EF2 | 11.0 mi | 417 yd | Crossed in |
| 2015-04-02 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-08 | EF2 | 27.9 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1982 | F4 | 2 | 28 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 13, 1961 | F2 | 1 | 11 | $250K | |
| Mar 1, 2007 | CAULFIELD | EF3 | 1 | 0 | $750K |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| May 26, 2024 | TRASK | EF3 | 0 | 5 | $1.5M |
| Feb 21, 1976 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 28, 2005 | POTTERSVILLE | F1 | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Nov 28, 2005 | CAULFIELD | F1 | 0 | 2 | $75K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | PEACE VLY | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2026 | WILLOW SPGS MEM ARPT | EF0 | $30K |
| Apr 2, 2025 | SOUTH FORK | EF1 | $10K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | LEOTA | EF3 | $5.0M |
| May 26, 2024 | TRASK | EF3 | $1.5M |
| Oct 21, 2019 | FIELDS STORE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2019 | WILLOW SPGS MEM ARPT | EF0 | $12K |
| Apr 3, 2015 | BURNHAM | EF2 | $600K |
| Mar 25, 2015 | TRASK | EF0 | $5K |
| May 31, 2013 | OLDEN | EF1 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Howell County
- Thunderstorm Wind 296
- Hail 294
- Flash Flood 195
- Flood 95
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is an extension of the Ozark County tornado. A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that a large tornado ripped through rural sections of southwest Howell County, Missouri. The community of Caulfield experienced a direct hit. Numerous farms and structures were damaged or destroyed. One fatality occurred as the tornado ripped through a mobile home northeast of Caulfield. Four other injuries occurred in the same mobile home. The tornado lifted approximately one mile southwest of the West Plains city limits.
This is a continuation of the EF-3 tornado from Ozark County. This tornado traveled into southwest Howell County and continued to the northeast and passed just south of South Fork before causing damage along the portion of Highway 63 that turns southeast as it exits West Plains. The tornado finally lifted along Highway 160 seven miles east of West Plains. In Howell County, the tornado damaged numerous homes and uprooted numerous trees.
A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-2 tornado tracked across rural sections of northern Howell County. The tornado damaged several homes and outbuildings. Numerous trees were also uprooted from the tornado. This tornado continued into southeastern Texas County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Howell County, Missouri?
50 tornado events are recorded in Howell County between 1951 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Howell County?
The strongest tornado on record in Howell County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Howell 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 Howell County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/howell-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.