St. Louis tornado outbreak of February 1959 facts for kids

In February 1959, a powerful and dangerous series of 17 tornadoes struck parts of the Midwest and Southeast. Most of these tornadoes happened at night between February 9 and 10. The strongest tornado was an F4, which is a very violent type of tornado. It caused a lot of damage in Northwestern Downtown St. Louis. Another strong F3 tornado hit a school in Southern Highland County, Ohio while classes were happening. Overall, these storms caused 21 deaths, all in St. Louis, and injured 358 people. The damage cost about $53.7 million in 1959 money. Other parts of the storm, like heavy rain and ice, also caused two more deaths and at least 70 injuries.

How the Storms Formed

On February 7, a low-pressure system, which is like a big area of swirling air, started to form over Southeastern Oregon. This system grew stronger as it moved slowly southeast. By February 9, it had become very strong and started to move quickly across the Central Plains. At the same time, unusually warm weather for February moved into the Midwest. When the low-pressure system reached this warm air on February 9, it created many strong thunderstorms, some of which turned into tornadoes. These storms continued through the night and into the next day as the low-pressure system moved toward the Great Lakes.

Tornadoes That Were Confirmed

Tornadoes on February 9

Tornadoes on February 10

The St. Louis F4 Tornado: Crescent to Downtown St. Louis

This extremely powerful F4 tornado first touched down in St. Louis County, near Crescent. It caused minor damage as it moved northeast through several small towns. As the tornado reached Warson Woods, it became much stronger, reaching F2 strength. Homes and stores lost their roofs, and many trees and power lines fell. Even worse damage happened in Rock Hill, Brentwood, and Maplewood. In St. Louis County alone, this tornado killed 10 people, injured 170, and caused $25 million in damage.

The tornado then moved into St. Louis City, causing huge destruction. It first damaged many buildings and homes in neighborhoods like Franz Park and Hi-Pointe. It ripped part of the roof off the St. Louis Arena and knocked down a TV tower. The tornado reached its strongest point as it tore through Forest Park and into the Central West End and other neighborhoods in Northwestern Downtown St. Louis. Here, it caused widespread F3 damage and some F4 damage. Many brick apartments and restaurants were badly damaged. Some homes were completely destroyed, and one three-story house collapsed, killing eight people inside. More buildings were wrecked, and an apartment building lost its entire back wall, looking like a dollhouse. The tornado continued its path of destruction through more neighborhoods. Cars, trees, and power lines were damaged or destroyed, and debris was everywhere. Hundreds of people were trapped in the rubble. In St. Louis City, the tornado killed 11 people, injured 175, and caused another $25 million in damage.

After St. Louis, the tornado weakened and crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois. It caused minor to moderate damage to factories in Brooklyn, Illinois and then some more damage in Southern Venice before fading away. Damage in Illinois was about $250,000, and thankfully, no one was hurt there.

In total, this tornado was on the ground for at least 35 minutes, traveled about 24 miles, and was 200 yards wide. It caused over $50 million in damage. More than 2,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including 16 homes that were completely ruined and over 100 others that were severely damaged. 345 people were injured, and 21 people died, making it the third deadliest tornado in St. Louis's history.

It's interesting to note that a severe thunderstorm warning was in place, but forecasters didn't have enough information from their old radar to issue a tornado warning. This was especially true because it was winter, and tornadoes are less common then. This proved to be a very sad mistake.

The Ohio F3 Tornado: Sugar Tree Ridge to Northern Belfast

This strong tornado touched down west of Sugar Tree Ridge and quickly became very powerful as it moved into the small town. About 12 farms were damaged. On one farm, all buildings were leveled, the house caught fire, and a car was thrown 75 yards into a ditch and destroyed. A garage was ripped from its foundation and thrown into a backyard. Another house with four people inside was leveled, but everyone escaped with only minor injuries.

The tornado stayed strong as it passed south of Folsom and then hit Northern Belfast. The Belfast school was in session when the tornado hit, and its roof, walls, and windows were badly damaged. Two children were hurt when a brick chimney fell through the roof into their classroom. Cars were smashed, and many power lines were knocked down. Dozens of farm buildings were damaged or destroyed before the tornado weakened and disappeared.

This tornado traveled about 10.5 miles and was 400 yards wide. It was later rated as an F3 tornado. Six people were injured, and the damage cost about $250,000.

Other Storm Impacts

This huge storm system brought many other problems across the Central United States. There were at least 20 reports of strong thunderstorm winds and hail. On February 9, hail as large as 1.75 inches fell east of Nowata, Oklahoma. On February 10, winds gusted up to 75 miles per hour east of Campbell, Missouri. Before the tornadoes, heavy thunderstorms dropped 3 inches of rain in the Greater St. Louis area, causing basements and streets to flood. Sadly, one man drowned in floodwaters in Alton, Missouri.

Between February 9 and 15, snow, sleet, and freezing rain hit all of Iowa. The freezing rain created a layer of ice that caused widespread damage, knocking down power and telephone lines. Hundreds of people were hurt in falls and traffic accidents, and one person died, with 70 others injured.

What Happened After the Storms

The F4 tornado in St. Louis destroyed 47 homes and buildings, severely damaged 245 others, and caused minor damage to 1,633 more. This left almost 1,400 people without homes. The tornado struck so suddenly, around 2 AM, when most people were asleep, that emergency responders were slow to realize how bad the disaster was. The Weather Bureau didn't get its first report of serious damage until 2:38 AM, more than 20 minutes after the tornado had ended. Communication was difficult because many utility wires were down. The city's Civil Defense agency wasn't called until about 4 AM. Rescuers worked through the night to save people trapped under debris. Temperatures dropped to 31 degrees Fahrenheit by noon the next day. In the days that followed, people donated $240,000 to the Red Cross to help.

This tornado also led to questions about tornado sirens. Even with the deaths and damage, the Weather Bureau stood by its decision not to issue a tornado warning. Also, even if a warning had been issued, the city's sirens were only meant for air-raid strikes during the Cold War, not for weather warnings. It wasn't until another deadly F4 tornado hit the same area in 1967, killing three people, that tornado sirens were finally installed in St. Louis.

In Southern Highland County, Ohio, the F3 tornado injured and killed many farm animals and knocked down over 100 power lines in Sugar Tree Ridge. The Belfast School was so badly damaged that classes were immediately dismissed. The school's roof was heavily damaged, and with more bad weather expected, emergency workers stayed late into the night to make quick repairs.