–51 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 505, 947-948.

Illinois (09) (Grazulis 1993, 505, 947-948)

–4 Palestine restaurant destroyed, Crawford County

–5 Wood River, Madison County

Indiana (17) (Grazulis 1993, 505, 947-948)

— 1 Eel River between Lewis and Clay City; cabin destroyed, man killed.

–13 Shelburn (NW part), Sullivan County

— 3 Vigo County

–2 Deming Park

Missouri (25) (Grazulis 1993, 505, 947-948)

— 1 Bowling Green area (7M S), Pike County

— 1 Clarksville, Pike County. AP. “Tornadoes Take Toll in 6 Towns.” Joplin Globe, MO, 5-22-1949, p. 1.

–23 Cape Girardeau. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 948.

–22 Cape Girardeau. Lynch, Fred. “Cape tornado of 49.” Southeast Missourian, 5-21-2009.

–21 Cape Girardeau. AP. “Death Toll Reaches 21 at Cape Girardeau.” Sikeston Standard, MO. 5-23-1949, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Grazulis: “MO MAY 21, 1949 1530 lk 20inj 200y 20m F3. PIKE–Moved ENE from near New Hartford, destroying 14 homes and damaging nine others in and near New Hartford, Ashley, Cyrene, and SE of Clarksville. A young girl was killed and seven people were injured in a tenant home 7m S of Bowling Green. $200,000….

“MO-IL MAY 21, 1949 1650 5k 55inj 600y 30m F4. ST. LOUIS /ST. CHARLES, MO/ MADISON, IL—Moved ENE from 4m E of Florissant, Missouri to Wood River, Illinois. Homes were destroyed at Spanish Lake, Missouri (F3), but the worst damage was at Wood River (F4) and the north edge of Roxanna, Illinois. About 300 homes were damaged or destroyed in those towns. Further along, F2 damage occurred at Livingston and Worden. All deaths were at Wood River. $1,500,000….

“IL-IN MAY 21, 1949 1700 4k 7inj 50y 8m F4 CRAWFORD, IL / SULLIVAN, IN -Moved NE from just SW of Palestine. Three homes were destroyed and 20 buildings were damaged along the west side of town. At the north edge of Palestine, a restaurant was leveled and the four patrons who could not get to the cellar were killed. One body was retrieved from a tree. Cars parked outside were carried 100-300 yards. The tornado dissipated about 4m W of Sullivan, Indiana.

“IN MAY 21, 1949 1705 3k l0inj 200y 8m F3. VIGO–Moved NNE along the east edge of Terre Haute to SW of Burnett. The tornado touched down just south of Cox Field. Two of the three deaths were at a family picnic in Deming Park, where the roar was mistaken for a freight train. Ten homes were damaged in Terre Haute. $250,000.

“IN MAY 21, 1949 1715 14k 251inj 150y 40m F4. SULLIVAN/CLAY/OWEN—Moved NE from NE of Graysville, devastating part of Shelburn, passing south of Lewis, south of Bowling Green and ending north of Jordan. Farm homes were destroyed at a half dozen points along the path. The worst damage was along the NW part of Shelburn, where 160 homes were “shredded” and 13 people died. One man was killed in a cabin along the Eel River, between Lewis and Clay City. Losses totaled about $1,000,000. Hundreds of animals were killed. Damage may have extended to Cloverdale, Putnam County….

“MO MAY 21, 1949 1745 lk 6inj 250y 15m F3. BOLLINGER/CAPE GIRARDEAU–Moved ENE, destroying seven homes, seven barns, and many smaller buildings from 10m N of Marble Hill to east of Oak Ridge. Near the start of the path, a man was killed by flying debris as he ran from his car to a ditch.

“MO-IL MAY 21, 1949 1855 23k 130inj 200y 10m F4 CAPE GIRARDEAU, M0/ ALEXANDER, IL–Moved NE from 3m SW of Cape Girardeau, passing across the NW part of that city and destroying 203 homes. About 231 other homes were damaged and losses totaled $3,500,000….” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 947-948.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Death Toll Reaches 21 at Cape Girardeau.” Daily Sikeston Standard, MO. 5-23-1949, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sikeston-daily-standard-may-23-1949-p-1/

Associated Press. “Tornadoes Take Toll in 6 Towns.” Joplin Globe, MO, 5-22-1949, p. 1. Accessed 9-12-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/joplin-globe-may-22-1949-p-1/

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

Lynch, Fred. “Cape tornado of 49.” Southeast Missourian, 5-21-2009. Accessed 9-12-2023 at: https://www.semissourian.com/coverage/tornado1949

Text content

1949 — May 21, Tornadoes, IL (9), IN (17) and MO (25), esp. Cape Girardeau area (23)– 51