What the record says
On 22 April 1981, a tornado touched down near Olympian Village, Missouri. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 7.1 miles long and up to 100 yards wide, rated F3 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 1 person.
- F3Fujita rating
- 1death
- 0injuries
- 7.1 mipath length
- 100 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 3 and killed at least one person.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 38.18, -90.50 and the end point at 38.23, -90.38 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in Missouri
- Joplin, Missouri tornado22 May 2011, EF5, 158 deaths, 1,150 injuries, 21.6 miles long
- Overland Park, Kansas tornado20 May 1957, F5, 44 deaths, 207 injuries, 69.4 miles long
- Welch, Oklahoma tornado10 May 2008, EF4, 21 deaths, 350 injuries, 75.5 miles long
- St. Louis, Missouri tornado10 February 1959, F4, 21 deaths, 345 injuries, 23.9 miles long
- Cooter, Missouri tornado21 March 1952, F4, 17 deaths, 100 injuries, 6.5 miles long
- Bay, Arkansas tornado10 December 2021, EF4, 8 deaths, 14 injuries, 81.2 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1981
- Bixby, Oklahoma tornado19 April 1981, F3, 5 deaths, 49 injuries, 9.9 miles long
- Cardington, Ohio tornado13 June 1981, F3, 4 deaths, 56 injuries, 3.8 miles long
- West Bend, Wisconsin tornado4 April 1981, F4, 3 deaths, 53 injuries, 1.8 miles long
- Hurtsboro, Alabama tornado1 April 1981, F3, 2 deaths, 23 injuries, 0.1 miles long
- Sikeston, Missouri tornado22 April 1981, F4, 1 death, 32 injuries, 63 miles long
All tornadoes of 1981 · Missouri tornado history · All notable tornadoes