Campus Alert Archive
Mizzou

An Easter Sunday EF-1 Tornado and a Late-Night MU Alert in Columbia

MOtornadoemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, an EF-1 tornado tracked across Columbia, Missouri, home to the University of Missouri, prompting the university to activate its MU Alert system to warn students to take shelter. The National Weather Service determined the tornado was on the ground for about seven minutes and traveled a little more than six miles, starting as an EF-0 and strengthening to an EF-1 near Albert-Oakland Park. It downed transmission lines, knocked out power to roughly 4,000 customers and destroyed the city's recycling facility; no deaths and only one minor injury (in nearby New Bloomfield) were reported.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
University of Missouri
Public R1 · MO
~31,000 studentsMU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWEA/IPAWS
Approximate reconstruction158 chars
MU Alert: TORNADO WARNING for Columbia. Take shelter immediately in the lowest level, interior room away from windows. Stay there until the warning is lifted.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed because the verbatim MU Alert text was not archived; reporting confirmed the university sent an alert telling students to take shelter after the EF-1 tornado hit Columbia.
The shelter instruction matches MU's documented tornado protocol, which directs people to a basement or windowless interior room on the lowest level when sirens sound.
Context

Background

The University of Missouri's flagship campus sits in Columbia, in the heart of tornado-prone Mid-Missouri. On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, the National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado moved through Columbia, on the ground for about seven minutes along a path of just over six miles. It began as an EF-0 on Rustic Meadows Drive, moved east causing tree damage through residential areas, and strengthened to an EF-1 just north of Albert-Oakland Park. The Boone County Office of Emergency Management said the tornado destroyed the city's Material Recovery Facility and took down electric transmission lines, leaving about 4,000 customers without power. The university activated MU Alert to warn students to shelter; students later recalled receiving the alert as the tornado hit. No deaths were reported and the lone injury was in nearby New Bloomfield.
Analysis

Key Findings

The University of Missouri used MU Alert to push a tornado-shelter warning during an EF-1 that struck on a holiday evening, when many students were off campus or in residence halls
Although the tornado caused substantial municipal damage (destroyed recycling facility, downed transmission lines, 4,000 without power), it produced no deaths and only one minor regional injury
The event reinforced Mizzou's reliance on layered warning (MU Alert text, email and X posts plus Boone County's outdoor sirens), which the university later cited when preparing for severe weather in March 2026
Outcome
The EF-1 tornado caused significant property damage, including destroying Columbia's Material Recovery Facility and downing transmission lines that left about 4,000 customers without power, but resulted in no deaths and only one minor injury in the region. The University of Missouri reported no campus fatalities.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Tornado determined to have hit Columbia on Easter Sunday - ABC17 News
    abc17news.com
  2. News
    NWS charts path of Columbia EF1 Easter tornado - KOMU
    komu.com
  3. Official
    Columbia MRF destroyed by tornado (April-May 2025) - City of Columbia, MO
    beheard.como.gov
  4. Official
    MU Alert - University of Missouri
    mualert.missouri.edu
Tags
tornadosevere-weathermissouricolumbiashelter-in-placepublic-r1emergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion