Sedalia, MO Tornado History — 92 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Sedalia, MO had?
Sedalia has had 92 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 7 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Sedalia?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Sedalia was an EF1 on May 19, 2025.
When is tornado season in Sedalia?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Sedalia, with 29 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 Sedalia
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 18 total, averaging 0.9 per year over this window.
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 Sedalia
4 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Sedalia since 1950, across 4 events. 119 injuries have been reported across all events. 2006 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F2 on March 12, 2006, which caused 1 fatality along a 11.2-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Sedalia
About Tornadoes in Sedalia
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.
Sedalia sits on rolling prairie in west-central Missouri, along the low divide separating the Missouri River lowlands from the wooded rise of the Ozarks — open country that offers a supercell little resistance. An F2 crossed the area on August 21, 1952, killing one person and injuring thirteen. April 1973 brought consecutive days of trouble: an F4 plowed a ten-mile path on April 20, injuring five, while an F3 and an F2 followed the next day. An F3 injured twenty-four people on May 4, 1977, and another F3 hurt twenty-three on May 12, 1980. March 2006 was crueler: an F2 killed one person on March 12, and an F3 tracked thirty-five miles a day later. An EF2 injured twenty people on May 25, 2011, and an EF1 brushed town on May 20, 2025.
Those dates trace the area's seasonal rhythm. From late winter through spring, humid Gulf of Mexico air streams north over Missouri and collides with drier continental air, while a vigorous jet stream adds the wind shear storms need to rotate — which is why Sedalia's tornado history clusters in March, April, and May. By summer the jet withdraws and the threat slackens, though the tornado of August 1952 shows the season carries a long tail. The chronology behind this page comes from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, whose database supplies the event list shown elsewhere here.