The severe storms that swept through the St. Louis area on April 15 produced 12 tornadoes, including ones that passed through Fenton, Festus, Herculaneum, Hillsboro and Pevely and caused damage in those areas, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
No injuries were reported from the storm, which produced rain, hail, lightning, wind and widespread tornado warnings.
Northern Jefferson County escaped without much damage, officials said.
One of the tornadoes traveled about 4 miles starting northwest of Festus to Herculaneum between 6:30 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., according to the NWS.
The tornadoes that went through Fenton, Festus, Herculaneum and Pevely were classified as F-1, the second-lowest strength rating out of the six-category Enhanced Fujita Scale, and produced winds of up to 100 mph the National Weather Service reported.
“We had uprooted trees and lines down all along Commercial Boulevard,” Pevely Police Chief Mark Glenn said.
In Hillsboro, the tornado was classified as an F-0, which produced a peak windspeed of 77 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Hillsboro Fire Chief Brian Gaudet said the tornado traveled through the city at about 6:25 p.m. April 15, touching down near Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 703 Third St., and traveling along Sunny Lane.
He estimated that more than 50 homes and numerous other buildings were damaged, including Good Shepherd Catholic Church; Hillsboro Fire House 1, 120 Fifth St.; Hillsboro Baptist Church, 10545 Business 21; Jefferson County Health Department, 405 Main St.; and Hillsboro Intermediate School, 10478 Business 21.
“We’re still out doing damage assessment today,” Gaudet said Monday.
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Jefferson County Emergency Management Director Warren Robinson said most of the reported damage was in Pevely, Hillsboro and Herculaneum.
He said a pavilion was destroyed near Kade’s Playground in Herculaneum City Park, 776, Joachim Ave., and a portion of a roof was ripped off a home on Horine Road near Larry G. Crites Memorial Park in Festus.
Robinson said the damage was still being assessed Monday.
“I feel like we could have been luckier, but I feel like it could have been a lot worse too,” Robinson said. “We were busy, but not as busy as we could have been. Given the nature of the storm that came through, it was the best possible outcome.”
Jefferson County 911 Dispatch received 248 calls for service between about 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. April 15, with 115 of those for downed wires and trees or building checks for structural damage, Chief Travis Williams said.
He said most of the calls were from Crystal City, De Soto, Festus, Herculaneum and Hillsboro.
“A lot of the calls coming in were not necessarily life-threatening calls,” Williams said. “It was wires arching because a tree is on a (power) line or a tree is on a house. We needed to send fire departments out to secure the scenes.”
According to Ameren Missouri, about 10,000 Jefferson County customers were affected by the weekend storm, and 14 customers were without power as of Monday morning.
The Crystal City Fire Department responded to 12 calls because of the storm, with most calls about fallen trees and downed power lines, Chief Tony Bova said.
“We were fortune that the damage here was minor compared to other places,” Bova said.
The Festus Fire Department responded to 25 calls during the storm, with the majority for downed wires and trees in wires, Chief Jeffery Broombaugh reported.
He said the city’s Public Works Department was able to clear most streets for use after the storm, and he felt the county handled the storm well.
“With as many emergencies that we had, it took a little bit of time to get to different emergencies,” Broombaugh said. “I think we had a good plan, and we responded in a timely manner. I think that speaks volumes for the emergency services in Jefferson County as a whole.”