Columbia, MO Tornado History — 79 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Columbia, MO had?
Columbia has had 79 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 3 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Columbia?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Columbia was an EF2 on April 20, 2025.
When is tornado season in Columbia?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Columbia, with 17 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Columbia
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 9 total, averaging 0.5 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Columbia since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Columbia. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Columbia
1 fatality has been recorded within 25 miles of Columbia since 1950, across 1 event. 33 injuries have been reported across all events. 2001 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F1 on April 10, 2001, which caused 1 fatality along a 3.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Columbia
About Tornadoes in Columbia
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Whole seasons can slip past Columbia with hardly a rumble, and then a volatile day over mid-Missouri makes up the difference in hours. An F2 on April 30, 1954 tracked 89.6 miles across central Missouri, and another F2 stayed on the ground for 42.7 miles on May 12, 1980. The cold season has produced its own bursts: an F3 ran 12 miles near the city on November 27, 1990, injuring 3 people, and another F3 struck on November 10, 1998, injuring 16. An F1 on April 11, 2001 killed one person, and an F2 tracked 13 miles on March 13, 2006. On April 20, 2025, an EF2 and an EF1 touched down the same afternoon.
Geography explains the swings. Columbia sits on low, rolling till plains between the Missouri River valley and open prairie to the north, with the Ozark highlands well off to the south — terrain that neither blocks nor slows the warm, humid Gulf air streaming north up the river corridors. When that moisture collides with Pacific cold fronts and dry air spilling east off the Plains beneath a strong spring or late-autumn jet stream, storms organize quickly over Boone County's open ground. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center's severe-weather archive traces this boom-and-bust rhythm, and the event list elsewhere on this page shows it playing out decade after decade.