It did damage in Missouri, west of Cape Girardeau with peak winds of 180 mph. It seemed to diminish in Cape Girardeau County, but picked up intensity as it crossed the Mississippi River into Union County IL.

 

 

It first touched down in a forest area just north of Mill Creek before 2 am and two to three small tornadoes cleared a path along Sweet Potato road to the Dongola Lake, destroying houses on the lake. It crossed the railroad and front street in the south part of town, climbed across the hill behind the old high school building. Just east of town, on Shakerag road, it claimed the life of an elderly woman as she tried to get from her mobile home to her car.

 

The twister went on to destroy the Cypress Grade school, 9 miles east. The same storm system continued well into Western Kentucky, and on to Maryland. It killed six people.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/dongolafire/Disasters1 -- pics of Dongola Tornado & 1914 fire

 

DETAILS of 2002 tornado in Dongola Disaster page