SPC Stats
Path length: 27 miles
Width: 100 yards
Fatalities: 1
Injuries: 26
Rating: F2
County: Stoddard, Scott
A total of 40 tornadoes are a part of the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Database, December 14-15, 1971. Most that occurred on the 15th were during the early AM hours. We look at one of those in this summary. It was given a rating of F2 and had an intermittent path of 22+ miles through from Bell City to Scott City in Missouri. There is a discrepancy on path length. Storm Data states 22 miles while SPC states 27 miles.
There was damage to a farm near the development point SW of Bell City. On the north edge of town there were several businesses and homes that sustained damage. Just south of Messler, four box cars of a freight train were lifted off their tracks. Two barns and businesses were damaged near Oran.
In the Illmo area, a man was killed when his mobile home was destroyed.
Tornado Path
SPC Coordinates: 37.02 / -89.85 End: 37.25 / -89.48
Corrected Coordinates based on Storm Data:
Start: 37.020436/-89.828125 End: 37.295438/-89.485481
Veers in path: 37.059803/-89.798129, 37.111258/-89.649129, 37.222136/ -89.506175
Note: Exact tornado path may not be straight and/or continuous.
Newspaper Clippings
Discrepancies:
We gathered information for this event from the SPC & NCDC Databases, the December 1971 Storm Data Publication and Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes and found the following differences:
Path Length:
- SPC/NCDC have a 27 mile path length.
- Grazulis and Storm Data have a length at 22 miles. Both mention “skipping”.
Width:
- SPC/NCDC have a 100 yard width.
- Grazulis and Storm Data have a width at 200 yards.
Sources:
December 1971 Storm Data Publication
Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. Page 1128.
Questions or comments about this summary? Contact us here!
Join the tornado history discussion on our Discord Server!
0 Comments