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F3 tornado in Cedar County, Missouri

Tornado May 4, 2003 · Cedar County, Missouri

F3
Rating
72.0 mi
Whole path
880 yd
Path width
3
Deaths
37
Injuries
$48.7M
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Barton County → Cedar County → Polk County → Hickory County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 880 yards (0.50 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 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.

The wider storm

A large tornado laid out a path of destruction across the entire county. During this time, it took a path through the center of Stockton, which is the most populated community in the county. 350 homes, businesses, and outbuildings were destroyed while 650 received major damage. 37 local residents sustained injuries as three individuals lost their lives. The tornado continued on the ground into northern Polk County.Rob Hewitt age 40, was taking cover in his frame home while the tornado completely destroyed the structure. He was deceased from flying debris.Mark Wilcox age 34, was leaving his home to help a neighbor when the tornado approached. He was caught outdoors and deceased from flying debris.John Cassell age 86, was handicapped and refused to take cover in his basement prior to the tornado occurrence. He was then deceased upon the passage of the tornado. His wife who took cover in the basement survived the event.

Began near Jerico Spgs (37.6167, -94.0833).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5358167. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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