See map of Belton tornado’s path of destruction. It was rated EF-1, with 110 mph wind
The tornado that touched down in Belton Friday afternoon was rated an EF-1 and reached an estimated peak wind speed of 110 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
A preliminary damage survey released Saturday showed the tornado’s path of destruction, a two-mile arc passing through Belton Cemetery, south of the local high school and ending southwest of Missouri Route 58 and Interstate 49.
The touchdown and damage occurred over a span of about five minutes, from 5:19 to 5:24 pm. The path was measured at 2.13 miles with a maximum width of 100 yards.
No injuries or deaths were reported.
The tornado in Belton was part of a large storm system that caused power outages and local flooding across the Kansas City area. That came after a week in which storms and tornadoes caused damage across the region, from Ottawa and Hillsdale in Kansas to Clinton, Missouri.
On Saturday morning, around eight power outages in Belton were affecting just over 330 customers. South of Missouri Route 58, one outage was affecting 214 customers from Pacific Drive to just south of East 187th Street.
Belton residents, officials described damage
Residents and city officials described the damage on Friday.
Trees were toppled, and homes on Canal Street, Bienbille Street and Conti Court took significant damage as parts of roofs and siding were sent flying.
Debris was scattered across green spaces.
Power was knocked out for a swath of homes and businesses in the area as power lines went down.
“I’ve lived in Kansas City my entire life, and I’ve heard many sirens,” said Christy Coratti, whose home took damage that caused a gas leak.
“It’s never been this experience. It’s always been a possibility, but then today it was the real thing.”
At a press conference Friday evening, Belton Mayor Norman Larkey said city officials had not received reports of any serious injuries. “We’ll bounce back from this,” he said.
“We’ll clean up, we’ll repair, and we’ll move on.”
Officials said anyone needing assistance can contact the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS.
This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 1:22 PM.
