Sunday, May 22nd

Monday, May 23nd

• 5:34pm

  The tornado initially touched down just east of the Kansas state line near the end of 32nd Street and tracked just north of due east. Damage was minor in the rural areas southwest of Joplin, with only minor tree damage.

• 5:35pm

• 5:41pm

  The tornado intensified greatly as it entered a more densely populated portion of the city and damage became widespread and catastrophic as it entered residential subdivisions in southwest Joplin. St. John's Regional Medical Center was heavily damaged with many windows, exterior walls and upper floors destroyed. Several fatalities were reported.

• 5:42pm

  St. John's Regional Medical Center

  

• 5:49pm

  As the tornado tracked eastward, it intensified even more as it crossed Main Street between 20th and 26th Streets. Virtually every business along that stretch was heavily damaged or destroyed, and several institutional buildings were destroyed.

• 5:53pm

  The tornado now begins to Range Line Road, the main commercial strip in the eastern part of Joplin, near 20th Street. Damage in that area was rated as a low-end EF5.

• 5:54pm

  The tornado peaked in intensity as it crossed Range Line Road. In that corridor between about 13th and 32nd Streets, the damage continued to be intense and the tornado was at its widest at this point, being nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) wide.

• 5:55pm

  As the tornado hit the Pizza Hut at 1901 South Range Line Road, store manager Christopher Lucas herded four employees and 15 customers into a walk-in freezer. Since the door could not be shut Lucas wrapped a bungee cable holding the door shut around his arm until he was sucked into the tornado, where he died.

• 5:56pm

  N Rangeline destruction

  

• 5:57

  The tornado continued on an east to east-southeast trajectory towards Interstate 44 where it weakened; nonetheless, vehicles were flipped and mangled near the U.S. Route 71 (Exit 11) interchange. The weakened tornado continued to track into the rural areas of southeastern Jasper County and northeastern Newton County where damage was generally minor to moderate.

• 6:12pm

  The tornado lifted east of Diamond according to aerial surveys. The tornado's total track length was at least 22.1 miles (35.6 km) long. A separate EF2 tornado touched down near Wentworth from the same supercell about 25 miles (40 km) east-southeast of Joplin.

• 6:20pm

  Emergency Services Audio

• 9:53pm

  Oklahoma Emergency Crews Respond To Joplin Devastation

  An EMSA Strike Team from the Tulsa area has been dispatched to Joplin, according to Public Information Officer Chris Stevens.more

• 12pm

  Tornado Aftermath

• 2:29pm

  News9 Shares Photos Of Tornado

  JOPLIN, Missouri -- The tornado that struck Joplin left a path of destruction 6 miles long destroying St John Regional Medical Center along with churches, businesses and hundreds of homes. more

• 5:31pm

  Joplin Family Search Home Where Grandomother Died In Tornado

  News 9 and our sister station News on 6 have received many photos of storm damage in Oklahoma. Here are some photos that were taken in Delaware County near Grand Lake. more

• 6:35pm

  A Third Of Joplin Gone After Tornado Ravages City

  JOPLIN, Missouri -- The half-mile wide tornado that swept through Joplin created a six mile long debris path. Block after block neighborhoods are wiped out. An estimated 30 percent of Joplin was destroyed. more

• 9:21pm

  Joplin Tornado Survivor: 'I Believed I'd Die'

  JOPLIN, Missouri -- Amid all of the devastation and loss after a tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri Sunday evening, there are some heroic tales of survival. more

• 9:44pm

  Couple Moves To Oklahoma, Narrowly Misses Deadly Joplin Tornado

  EDMOND, Oklahoma -- It was a close call for an Oklahoma couple who moved out of Joplin, Missouri, just hours before the tornado destroyed their apartment. more

• 9:53pm

  Rescue Effors In Joplin Hampered By More Storms

  JOPLIN, Missouri -- The tornado that tore through Joplin, Missouri killed at least 116 people and destroyed 2,000 homes and businesses. Winds were close to 200 miles per hour.more