2025 St. Louis tornado
The tornado at peak intensity over St. Louis, as seen from the Gateway Arch, with the tornado hidden beneath the rain. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 16, 2025, 2:39 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00) |
| Dissipated | May 16, 2025, 3:05 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00) |
| Duration | 26 minutes |
| EF3 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 152 mph (245 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Injuries | 38 |
| Damage | $1.6 billion (2025 USD) |
Part of the Tornado outbreak of May 15–16, 2025 and Tornadoes of 2025 | |
On the afternoon of May 16, 2025, an intense and destructive mile-wide tornado tracked more than 20 miles (32 km) through urban areas of Greater St. Louis, including Greater Ville and Fountain Park. The tornado produced major damage in St. Louis and comparatively minor damage in Illinois. FEMA officials called the residential damage the largest-scale the organization had surveyed since the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Federal aid has been requested but is pending acceptance. Volunteer engineers have been surveying homes throughout the city. According to city officials, the tornado caused $1.6 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest tornadoes ever recorded. The tornado was the first deadly tornado in St. Louis since 1959.