On March 24–25, 1954, a small-but-intense tornado outbreak affected portions of the Central and Southern United States, killing two people and injuring 11. The outbreak generated 18 significant (F2 or stronger) tornadoes, including a deadly, violent event, retroactively rated F4, in Texas County, Missouri. Another intense tornado, rated F3, injured two people in a rural part of Barry County, also in Missouri. An F2 tornado in Benton County, Missouri, injured four. In addition, an F1 tornado in Collin County, North Texas—in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex—injured four more. At least four tornadoes also occurred in or near Greater St. Louis, causing locally extensive damage, and a quartet of strong tornadoes hit Oklahoma, with a few more F2s striking Arkansas.[note 2][2][3]
Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRADDoppler weather radar in 1990–1991.[10][note 6] 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments.[14][note 4] Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.
Color/symbol key
Color / symbol
Description
†
Data from Grazulis 1990/1993/2001b
¶
Data from a local National Weather Service office
※
Data from the 1954 Climatological Data National Summary publication
‡
Data from the NCEI database
♯
Maximum width of tornado
±
Tornado was rated below F2 intensity by Grazulis but a specific rating is unavailable.
This tornado shattered windows and tore off roofing. Television antennae, sheds, and barns were damaged. A grain elevator was wrecked as well. Four injuries occurred.[28][29]
This tornado destroyed or damaged many small frame farmhouses. Outbuildings and barns were wrecked as well. Livestock was killed or injured along the path, and one person was injured.[38][39][40]
Barns, little frame homes, outbuildings, chicken coops, and machinery were destroyed or damaged. Trees were torn up and carried many yards.[20][41][42][43]
This strong tornado formed over Elk Valley, northwest of Christian Center, ripping the roof off a farmhouse and tearing away the front of another home. Barns were wrecked as well, and livestock was injured or killed. Debris obstructed vehicular and pedestrian traffic "for hours".[20][47][40]
2 deaths – This violent tornado hit more than 20 farms, tossing a vehicle a long distance. One home was obliterated, its debris scattered 2 mi (3.2 km). The dead were found 150 yd (450 ft) from the homesite. A truck, barns, and outbuildings were wrecked as well. Trees were uprooted and thrown many yards.[48][20][49][50][40]
A few small, anchor-bolted cottages were blown off their CMU foundations. A small home was wrecked as well. A hangar and a barn sustained damage.[20][51][40]
This strong tornado unroofed a brick home and wrecked another. A CMU garage was demolished, and a 6-foot-long (2.0 yd) timber was embedded in the wall of a dining room. Windows, agricultural implements, and barns were destroyed or damaged as well.[20][53][40]
^All losses are in 1954 USD unless otherwise noted.
^An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[1]
^All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
^ abThe Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.[4][5] Tornado ratings were retroactively applied to events prior to the formal adoption of the F-scale by the National Weather Service.[6] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[7] Canada used the old scale until April 1, 2013;[8] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[9]
^The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Data publication does not list exact damage totals for every event, instead giving damage categories. As such, damage for individual tornadoes is not comprehensive.
^Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information.[11] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[12] Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.[13]
^ abAll starting coordinates are based on the NCEI database and may not reflect contemporary analyses
^ abThe listed width values are primarily the average/mean width of the tornadoes, with those having known maximum widths denoted by ♯. From 1952 to 1994, reports largely list mean width whereas contemporary years list maximum width.[15] Values provided by Grazulis are the average width, with estimates being rounded down (i.e. 0.5 mi (0.80 km) is rounded down from 880 yards to 800 yards.[16][17]
^Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
— (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN1-879362-03-1.
