Event narrative (NOAA)
The tornado destroyed a permanent home and a mobile home. Major damage occurred to two other permanent homes. The sole fatality occurred about midway between Gatewood and Briar, where a two-story house was destroyed. The victim was sleeping on the second floor at the time. His body was found in a field about 75 yards from the residence. Two people on the first floor of the house escaped from under the debris without injury. Two mobile homes were unroofed. Many trees were snapped or uprooted. Several trees blocked U.S. Route 160 where the tornado crossed it. Much of the tornado's path was in the Mark Twain National Forest. The average path width was 200 yards. Peak wind speeds were estimated near 140 MPH. The strongest winds and widest path extended from near Tucker to the destroyed house
Other notable tornado events in Missouri
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.