The May 22, 2011, Joplin tornado was one of the most destructive weather events in modern U.S. history. The storm was officially classified as an EF-5, the highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, and remains the single deadliest tornado since the National Weather Service began keeping official records in 1950. Its power and intensity resulted in catastrophic loss and left a permanent mark on the city’s timeline.
The Specific Duration
The Joplin tornado began at 5:34 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on Sunday, May 22, 2011. It first touched down just west of the city, near the Missouri-Kansas state line, before rapidly intensifying as it moved east-northeastward. The tornado remained continuously on the ground for a total of 38 minutes.
The tornado finally lifted and dissipated at 6:12 p.m. CDT, after impacting portions of rural Jasper and Newton counties east of Joplin. The storm’s relatively slow forward speed, estimated to be around 10 to 20 miles per hour, meant the most intense parts of the vortex lingered over the city for a longer period, magnifying the resulting damage.
Geographical Path and Distance
The tornado traveled approximately 22.1 miles across the ground. The path began in Newton County, southwest of Joplin, and extended into Jasper County before it finally lifted. The tornado’s initial width was considerable, but it grew significantly as it moved through the densely populated areas of Joplin.
At its peak, the funnel reached a maximum width of nearly one mile while passing through the southern part of the city. This immense size contributed to the widespread nature of the destruction, affecting a broad area simultaneously. The storm’s path through the city itself was roughly six miles long, where it inflicted the most significant and concentrated damage.
EF-5 Intensity Rating
The Joplin tornado was officially rated as an EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the highest classification for tornado intensity. This rating is assigned when estimated wind speeds exceed 200 miles per hour. For the Joplin event, wind speeds were estimated to have peaked in the range of 225 to 250 miles per hour.
An EF-5 designation is based on the visible damage to structures and vegetation, not on direct wind speed measurements. The defining characteristic of an EF-5 is catastrophic damage, which includes strong-frame houses being swept clean from their foundations. In Joplin, this was evident as large sections of residential areas were completely leveled, with concrete foundation slabs exposed.
The extreme wind power was also demonstrated by the destruction of robust commercial buildings and the St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Steel support beams were twisted and concrete walls were crushed, illustrating the sheer force applied to well-engineered structures. The intensity was so high that asphalt was scoured from parking lots and roads in certain areas, and trees were completely debarked.
Immediate Scope of Destruction
The combination of the EF-5 intensity and the tornado’s path through a densely populated area resulted in a staggering immediate impact. The storm directly caused 161 fatalities, making it the seventh-deadliest tornado in U.S. history and the deadliest single tornado since 1953. Over 1,000 residents suffered injuries along the path.
The physical destruction was expansive, with approximately 8,000 structures damaged or destroyed across the city. More than 4,000 homes were completely destroyed, while the tornado also struck 553 business structures. The financial toll was immense, with the event becoming the costliest single tornado in U.S. history, totaling approximately $2.8 billion in damages.