A look back at the Good Friday tornado in St. Louis

On Good Friday 2011, the evening hours turned frantic quickly as a tornado outbreak hit St. Louis, threatening the nearly 2.5 million people that live there. Five tornadoes were on the ground that day. Miraculously no fatalities occurred.

The strongest tornado was on the ground for 21 miles. The tornado tracked through 10 St. Louis municipalities, including the Lambert St. Louis International Airport. There were 2,700 structures damaged along its path, including 251 homes. The Lambert St. Louis International Airport sustained nearly $30 million in damages.

The four other tornadoes on the ground that Good Friday range in strength from EF1 to EF2. Three tornadoes tracked into Illinois. While damage occurred along the path of all of these storms, few were injured, and none died.

The National Weather Service gives credit to the 34 minutes of tornado warning lead time individuals had, along with wall-to-wall media coverage.

Since Good Friday is a floating holiday, the date fell on April 22, 2011. Exactly one month later, a massive EF5 tornado struck the other side of the state, making a direct hit on Joplin, Mo. The outcome for Joplin wasn’t nearly as positive as the tornado claimed 158 lives.

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