40
Recorded events
24
Direct deaths
251
Direct injuries
$64.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Pemiscot County, Missouri: 40 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #620 nationally and #19 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Pemiscot County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Pemiscot County is the 2000s, when 8 of the county's 40 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 Pemiscot County archive, tornado makes up 14.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #620 for this hazard and #19 within Missouri, putting it in the 78.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Pemiscot County with 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 6.5 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-10 | EF4 | 81.2 mi | 1,800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF3 | 77.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 2004-10-18 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 125 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 19.4 mi | 550 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-19 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1955-03-20 | EF2 | 89.4 mi | 250 yd | Crossed in |
| 1952-02-13 | EF2 | 6.8 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-20 | EF1 | 0.0 mi | 25 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-20 | EF1 | 0.2 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 17 | 100 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 19, 2004 | COOTER | F2 | 3 | 7 | $300K |
| Apr 2, 2006 | DEERING | F3 | 2 | 130 | $60.0M |
| Dec 11, 2021 | SAMFORD | EF4 | 2 | 9 | $1.3M |
| Feb 20, 2014 | DEERING | EF1 | 0 | 5 | $75K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2025 | BRAGG CITY | EF2 | $200K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | GAYOSO | EF2 | $0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | SAMFORD | EF4 | $1.3M |
| May 4, 2021 | CONCORD | EF0 | $50K |
| Sep 1, 2020 | DEERING | EF0 | $0 |
| May 2, 2019 | KINFOLK RIDGE | EF0 | $5K |
| Feb 20, 2014 | HAYTI HGTS | EF1 | $10K |
| Feb 20, 2014 | DEERING | EF1 | $75K |
| Apr 5, 2012 | CONCORD | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2012 | NETHERLANDS | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Pemiscot County
- Thunderstorm Wind 132
- Hail 82
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado struck just south of Cooter and moved east. The tornado produced substantial damage to a farm house and a couple of modular homes. The tornado killed three persons who lived at the farm another injured seven others. A large grain trailer and several trees were blown over.
The tornado continued east out of Dunklin County into Pemiscot County. The tornado lifted near the Mississippi River. There were two fatalities in Braggadocio. One hundred thirty people were injured. The most affected area was the southern portion of Caruthersville. Two hundred twenty-six homes were destroyed and five hundred forty-two homes were damaged. In addition, the city of Caruthersville's water tower was destroyed, cutting off water access to the entire city.
The tornado seemed to reach its peak intensity as it moved into Pemiscot County, Missouri from Dunklin County, Missouri. A home along County Road 454 was substantially damaged. Further northeast, near Highway J and County Road 407, two homes were completely destroyed with debris carried off to the northeast. A fatality occurred in one of these homes. Several vehicles, including semi-tractor-trailers, were blown off of the road as the tornado crossed Interstates 55 and 155, resulting in another fatality. An indirect fatality occurred when a vehicle struck a downed utility pole. Aerial and satellite imagery showed ground scouring marks in this area across the Mississippi River. The tornado then moved into Lake County, Tennessee. Peak winds in Pemiscot County were estimated at 170 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Pemiscot County, Missouri?
40 tornado events are recorded in Pemiscot County between 1952 and 2025, causing 24 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Pemiscot County?
The strongest tornado on record in Pemiscot County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Pemiscot 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 Pemiscot County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/pemiscot-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.