Southeast Missouri's most damaging tornado Friday landed in Butler County

Several tornadoes, a number of severe thunderstorms and significant wind gusts roared through Southeast Missouri on Friday, March 14, and into the early morning hours of Saturday, March 15.

The storms left six people dead in Wayne County and one in Butler County, as an estimated EF-3 twister with wind speeds up to 138 mph traveled through Ripley and Butler counties, damaging a number of structures in and around Poplar Bluff. The National Weather Service estimated the path length of the storm at 7.6 miles and said damage began near Russell Lake and ended near Highway 60 after passing through northern parts of Poplar Bluff.

According to NWS, possible tornadoes in the region occurred in Carter, Wayne, Madison, Perry, Bollinger, Stoddard, Cape Girardeau, Scott and New Madrid counties. The longest-tracked storm began in Carter County and traveled through Wayne and Perry counties in Missouri before moving into Randolph and Perry counties in Illinois. Another long-tracked storm began in Carter County and traveled through Wayne, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties. The weather service plans surveys of damage for all of those storms.

Cape County mostly avoids tornadoes

Although Cape Girardeau County and the immediate surrounding area missed the worst of Friday night’s/Saturday morning’s storms, there were effects felt.

Various structures in Perryville in Perry County sustained damage when a suspected twister came through at about 11:30 p.m.

The storm line did not arrive in Cape Girardeau County until just before midnight Friday night. Although several tornado warnings were issued for the county, the storms were generally on the northern end of the county near Perry County.

However, two recorded wind gusts not associated with tornadic storms exceeded 60 mph in the area. According to National Weather Service data compiled by the Paducah, Kentucky, staff, a 61 mph gust was recorded about 3 miles west/northwest of Scott City at 11:44 p.m., and at 12:28 a.m., a 77 mph gust was recorded at the same site.

The strong winds felled a number of trees in Cape Girardeau.

A social media post from the City of Cape Girardeau indicates Public Works personnel worked overnight to clear trees from various properties in the city.

Perryville tornado

A release from Perryville police chief Derek Hunt says a suspected tornado hit the city at about 11:41 p.m.

The storm damaged Perry County School District #32, continued through City Park and across U.S. 61 before crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois.

One of the high school’s walls collapsed, Hunt said.

“Although there is a wide debris field stretching from Highway B to the bottoms, we are fortunate to have no reported injuries at this time,” Sheriff Jason Klaus reported.

In Perryville, officials temporarily closed 17 streets because of downed power lines.

Preliminary storm data

According to preliminary data from the NWS Paducah, Kentucky office, at least five tornadoes touched down in Southeast Missouri on Friday night.

The most damaging tornado traversed Butler County. It was on the ground for about 7.6 miles, with strength ranging from EF-1 to EF-3. It was most powerful to the west of U.S. 60 near Township Line Road but had sustained EF-2 force as it traveled over Kanell Boulevard and near Barron Road. It left Poplar Bluff north of Wilcox Road as an EF-1 tornado.

In Carter County, a twister ranged up to EF-3 force near Fremont. The storm traveled to the northeast, touching down to the northwest of Van Buren and then exited the county near the Current River Conservation area as an EF-1.

A second Carter County tornado formed southeast of Van Buren and traveled to the east-northeast at EF-1 strength. It passed over U.S. 60 and moved northwest of Crites Corner, causing damage in that area.

Shortly after 1 a.m., an EF-1 tornado formed in northern New Madrid County on the south side of Sikeston. The tornado began along County Road 824 and traveled to the northeast across U.S. 60 and north of Brunt Boulevard, before dissipating near South Ingram Road. The tornado was on the ground for about 4.5 miles and was about 50 yards wide at its maximum.

Another tornado formed in Wayne County near Gads Hill. As of Monday afternoon, March 17, details of that storm’s strength and track were not available.

Throughout the night, NWS in Paducah issued 21 tornado warnings for counties (some including multiple counties) in Southeast Missouri. The warnings began at 9:24 p.m. in Carter County and ended at 1:45 a.m. Saturday, March 15, with a warning that included Mississippi and Scott counties.

Tornado warnings issued Friday by county: Bollinger, 5; Butler, 3; Cape Girardeau, 4; Carter, 4; Mississippi, 3; Perry, 3; Ripley, 4; Scott, 3; Stoddard, 4; and Wayne, 4.

The Daily American Republic provided reporting for this story.