Type Tornado outbreak Tornadoes confirmed 32 confirmed Duration of tornado outbreak 1 day Start date January 24, 1967 | Duration January 24, 1967 Max rating Damage Unknown | |
Total fatalities 7 fatalities, 225+ injuries Similar January 2008 tornado o, June 2008 tornado outbreak, August 2005 Wisconsi, 1967 Oak Lawn tornado o, Early‑May 1965 tornado o | ||
The 1967 St. Louis tornado outbreak was the rare winter outbreak that occurred on January 24, 1967. Thirty-two tornadoes broke out from Oklahoma to Wisconsin. Fourteen tornadoes struck Iowa, nine in Missouri, eight in Illinois, and one in Wisconsin.
This outbreak broke a major record. The lone F3 tornado reported in Wisconsin was the farthest north in the United States that a tornado had ever occurred in January at the time. This would later happen again on January 7, 2008 when several tornadoes hit southeastern Wisconsin with a similar system. This outbreak is also possibly the farthest north a tornado outbreak has occurred in the winter.
The tornadoes broke ahead of a deep storm system. Several temperature records were broken in the Midwest on this day. One of the most notable tornadoes struck St. Louis County, Missouri where three people were killed and 216 were injured. The tornado ranked at F4 on the Fujita scale.
Two more tornadoes were reported in Newton County and Jasper County in southwestern Missouri just after midnight on January 26.
The next day thunderstorms produced sleet, freezing rain, and snow in St. Louis. Three days later, on January 27, a blizzard crippled Chicago, dumping 23 inches (58 cm) of snow on the city.