EF2 tornado in St. Francois County, Missouri

The tornado began between Highway H and U.S. Highway 67 around 5.4 miles south-southeast of Farmington. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 67 where it topped, snapped, and uprooted trees. The tornado traveled northeast paralleling a portion of Possum Hollow Road where tree damage was extensive with numerous snapped and uprooted trees. Several homes along this stretch were damaged, primarily due to fallen trees. The tornado then struck a farmstead near a bend in Possum Hollow Road where it completely destroyed two outbuildings. Neither of these structures were well-anchored and damage was rated at EF-1. The tornado continued to the northeast snapping and uprooting trees. A homeowner with 40 acres of land along Knob Lick Road estimated that 60-70% of the trees were destroyed. Extensive damage was found near the intersection of Knob Lick Road and Old Fredericktown Road. Three homes in this area lost all or large portions of their roof with one home also losing portions of several walls. This damage was rated EF-2. Damage from the homes, a destroyed garage, and trees was strewn hundreds of yards to the north. The path width of the tornado at this point was just over 400 yards. The tornado then crossed Highway OO where the width was around 450 yards. A home lost part of its roof, a barn was damaged, and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along this stretch. All of this damage was rated at EF-1. The tornado crossed Smith Road destroying several barns and damaging a manufactured home, and then crossed Busiek Road damaging a small barn, several farm outbuildings and totally destroying a large well built farm outbuilding. Damage in this area was rated EF-1 or EF-2. The 400+ yard wide tornado crossed the St. Francois County/Ste. Genevieve County line just north of Green Acres Lane.

Numerous severe thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching cold front across southeast Missouri during the evening hours of Sunday, October 24th, 2021. As the storms moved northeastward, they moved into a moist, energy-rich environment with substantial wind shear in the low and mid-levels. They quickly intensified, remaining somewhat isolated as they moved through southeast Missouri and into southwest Illinois. The environment was very favorable for tornadic development, and these storms produced several tornadoes and wind damage as they moved through the area. Two storms produced tornadoes that remained on the ground for significant distances. The tornado that moved through Fredericktown, MO, passing through Madison County into Perry County, was on the ground for 18.9 miles. Another tornado moved from St. Francois County through St. Genevieve County in Missouri into Randolph County in Illinois, staying on the ground for over 40 miles.