F4 Tornado — Carter, Missouri

2002-04-24 · near Van Buren, Carter, Missouri

Event narrative

The tornado damage path began on the west side of Van Buren, right along the Current River, and crossed U.S. Route 60 very close to the Current River bridge. Two businesses in Van Buren, a lodge and a restaurant, were heavily damaged by F-2 intensity winds. The tornado travelled southeast across hilly and forested terrain until reaching the community of Ellsinore. Damage on the south side of Ellsinore was severe, where about 7 businesses were destroyed. Most of the damage at Ellsinore, which was inflicted by F-4 intensity winds, occurred along and near U.S. Highway 60. Across Carter County, 13 homes were destroyed and 12 homes suffered major damage. The tornado then moved into the Mark Twain National Forest and crossed into Butler County north of Highway 60.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.0000, -91.0167)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5292196. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.