across the Midwest starting late on December 30, with most of the activity on December 31. Early that morning, an EF3 tornado touched down in Washington County, Arkansas, destroying houses and killing at least four people. In nearby Benton County, Arkansas, another tornado caused significant damage and injuries. More damaging tornadoes touched down late that morning across much of Missouri and into west-central Illinois. In Rolla, Missouri, at least four people were killed and several others were injured. It is the deadliest December tornado outbreak in the US since December 16, 2000 and they were the first killer US tornadoes since September 16. Numerous tornadoes also touched down in the St. Louis metropolitan area which were embedded in a squall line, including reports in the city of St. Louis itself. The most significant damage was in Sunset Hills and injuries were reported there. Another round of storms developed in the Deep South that afternoon. The worst storms developed in Mississippi and a tornado emergency was issued late that afternoon in the Jackson, Mississippi, area. That activity continued into the early hours of January 1 (see Tornadoes of 2011). This event may have been a precursor for the year to come, as 2011 would end up being the most devastating year in tornadoes since 1925 in the U.S. See also Weather of 2010 Tornado Tornadoes by year Tornado records Tornado climatology Tornado myths List of tornado outbreaks List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes List of F4 and EF4 tornadoes List of F4 and EF4 tornadoes (2010–2019) List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of 21st-century Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia List of Southern Hemisphere tornadoes and tornado outbreaks List of tornadoes striking downtown areas List of tornadoes with confirmed satellite tornadoes Tornado intensity Fujita scale Enhanced Fujita scale International Fujita scale TORRO scale References External links State of the Climate: Tornadoes: 2010 (NCDC) Tornado-related lists by year Torn 2010 meteorology