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F4 tornado in Butler County, Missouri

Tornado April 24, 2002 · Butler County, Missouri

F4
Rating
40.5 mi
Whole path
650 yd
Path width
16
Injuries
$45.0M
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Carter County → Butler County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 650 yards (0.37 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F4 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F4 meant devastating damage: well-built houses levelled; the scale paired it with winds of 207–260 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado crossed into Butler County in the Mark Twain National Forest, then proceded east-southeast, passing 6 to 7 miles north of Poplar Bluff. An upscale residential subdivision beyond the northern outskirts of Poplar Bluff, just off U.S. Route 67, received extensive damage. At least two well-constructed homes were levelled by peak winds estimated around 210 MPH. A total of 50 homes were destroyed in Butler County, 16 others received major damage, and 30 homes received minor damage. Most of the damaged homes were north of Poplar Bluff. Total damage figures for Butler County included timber losses in the national forest. The total number of injuries requiring hospital care that were directly attributed to the storm was 16. Five of the injured were admitted in critical condition. There were no fatalities from the storm. A woman who lived off U.S. Highway 67 took shelter in her bathtub. She reported that she and the bathtub were blown about 200 feet. She was reportedly found in the median of the highway. She was treated for a cracked sternum, broken ribs, a broken toe, and bruised lungs. In another incident on Highway 67, a large chunk of asphalt was blown through a vehicle's window, striking one of the people inside. The car was extensively damaged when it was blown off the road, but the 3 people inside received only cuts and bruises.

Began near Hendrickson (36.9000, -90.6833).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5292197. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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