Tornado outbreak of May 16, 2021

The tornado outbreak of May 16, 2021 was a moderate-sized but intense tornado outbreak that affected the states of Kansas and Missouri on May 16, 2021. A total of 21 tornadoes occurred during the course of the outbreak, including a violent EF4 tornado which affected areas near Warsaw, Missouri, killing nine people, and an additional four tornadoes which were rated EF3. Considerable straight-line wind damage and very large hail also occurred during the outbreak.

The outbreak was the most prolific 24-hour period of tornadic activity in Kansas since 2017, with 19 tornadoes confirmed in the state. Its total would be more than doubled two years later on May 8, 2023, on which 41 tornadoes occurred in Kansas.

A total of 12 tornado-related deaths occurred during the outbreak; ten in Missouri and two in Kansas. Another death caused by hail occurred in Butler County, Kansas. In addition to the fatalities, 576 people were injured, primarily in and near Warsaw, Missouri and Independence, Kansas. The outbreak caused a total of $208 million USD in damages, and was the costliest in Missouri since the EF5 2011 Joplin tornado, ten years earlier.