May 4, 2003

Tornadoes rip through Missouri, killing nearly two dozen people in southwest Missouri as towns including Butterfield, Stockton, and Pierce City are hit especially hard. The severe weather system produced more violent storms than had been seen in any other week in U.S. history, with May 4 the worst day of that sequence. Tornadoes also hit North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Liberty. Jackson was hammered by a twister the following day.

Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.

Photo—Nikolas Noonan on Unsplash