[2] The tornado, which was the strongest to hit St. Louis County or City since January 1967, moved through many suburbs and neighborhoods, damaging and destroying many homes and businesses.

The tornado began moving east, first reaching EF2 intensity near a golf clubhouse, where a flag pole and light were pushed over.

[7] The tornado briefly weakened to EF1 before reaching EF3 intensity in a subdivision in the northern part of Maryland Heights, where most walls of a house were collapsed.

As the tornado moved into Bridgeton, it reached EF4 intensity along the northern side of Old St. Charles Road, with several adjacent homes in this area being flattened.

[13] The tornado turned slightly north as it hit the eastern section of St. Louis Lambert International Airport at around 8:10 PM.

The tornado weakened back to EF1 intensity further east, where light damage was reported at the Griffith Elementary School.

[19] The tornado continued into the community of Bellefontaine Neighbors, where light to moderate roof damage was reported at several homes.

Light tree damaged occurred at North Riverfront Park before the tornado crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois.

[20] Low-end EF1 damage would occur in areas west of Nameoki Township, with the tornado narrowly missing an industrial park along Highway 3.

[22] The St. Louis Lambert International Airport was closed by the FAA at 8:54 p.m. CDT (01:54 UTC), and reopened at temporarily reduced capacity on April 23.