On April 18, 1880, Missouri was struck by numerous tornadoes statewide, killing a total of 151 people. Tornadoes ravaged areas of southwest and central Missouri. The most devastating damage was in Marshfield, where nearly every building was destroyed or significantly damaged and 99 people lost their lives. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranks the Marshfield tornado as the 16th most deadly in the U.S. The villages of Licking (Texas County) and Barnettsville (Morgan County) experienced almost complete destruction of all buildings.
In several instances two or more tornadoes occurred within tens of minutes of each other following near parallel paths.