The Joplin tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011.

Quick Scoop: When Was the Joplin Tornado?

  • Date: May 22, 2011.
  • Day of week: Sunday evening.
  • Location: Joplin, in southwest Missouri.
  • Time it formed near Joplin: Around 5:34–5:41 p.m. local time (CDT).
  • Classification: EF5 tornado, the most intense rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

A Brief Look at What Happened

On the evening of May 22, 2011, a powerful EF5 tornado formed just west of Joplin and quickly intensified as it moved into the city. It carved a path roughly a mile wide at its peak, destroying or damaging thousands of homes and buildings along a several-mile track.

This tornado became one of the deadliest single tornadoes in modern U.S. history, with at least 161 people losing their lives and many more injured. In the years since, it has remained a key reference point in discussions about tornado safety, building resilience, and disaster response.

TL;DR: The Joplin tornado happened on May 22, 2011, in the early evening, striking Joplin, Missouri, as a catastrophic EF5 storm.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.