[161] During the same period, five tornadoes also occurred in northwestern Missouri where storms had been developing throughout the evening along a front, buoyed by the low-level that supported the tornadic activity in Oklahoma;[163][164][165] the strongest of these tornadoes was rated F2 and tracked across Lafayette and Saline counties. [251] On May9, storms in North Carolina near the state border with Virginia produced large hail and strong winds, cutting power to 1,900customers of Progress Energy Inc.[252] Hail as large as 4.25in (108mm) in diameter was documented in Northampton County, damaging vehicles and homes. Based on this damage, the storm was rated an F-3. Wind W 9 mph. A very moist and unstable airmass was located south of the front. In total, 85 people were killed and 205 were injured, making it the . Extraordinary events such as the Tri-State Tornado of 1925 amaze even the experts and should be a reminder that safety can depend on being alert, staying informed, and being prepared for the unexpected.. These factors were forecast to provide a conducive environment for severe weather across much of the U.S.; the SPC would delineate moderate risks[note 2] for severe weather in parts of the central Great Plains, Red River region, and southeastern U.S. over the course of the day, with a lesser but nonetheless extant expectation of severe weather extending outwards from the focal areas. As it crossed into Missouri the tornado remained an intense high end F-4 rated tornado until it reached north of Liberal, Missouri, in Barton County, then an F-2 and F-1 as it lifted and became rain wrapped. Several other businesses were either damaged or destroyed. "This is just total devastation," said Mike Conyers of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance, an association of the state's municipal electric utilities. The storms quickly developed supercell characteristics across eastern Kansas. A mobile home was blown off its foundation and destroyed prompting an F-2 rating within this area. [215] Roofs and windows were damaged and business signage were destroyed. Every fall, thousands of people visit Stockton to attend the famous Black Walnut Festival on the third weekend of September. [215] There, sixteen homes experienced minor damage, with the tornado producing a maximum of F1damage over its 3mi (4.8km)-long and 50yd (46m)-wide track. One things for sure _ a lot of people wont ever forget this., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Surface winds out of the southeast turned to the south then southwest through the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere. [266] Four days later, 38freight cars on a BNSF Railway in Chase County, Kansas were derailed by thunderstorm winds, including one car filled with sulfur dioxide. Initially, the tornado remained over country but began damaging structures after crossing the Missouri River into Platte County, Missouri near the intersection of Missouri Route 92 and North Farley Road. Activity Planner Along this path, the tornado width ranged from 200 yards to nearly one half mile wide. Supercell thunderstorms produced at least 15 tornadoes that resulted in extensive damage and 25 fatalities. This data provides a profile of temperature, moisture, wind direction and speed from which instability and wind shear values can be calculated. CDT over rural areas of Clay County. [210], Although the SPC anticipated a considerable outbreak of severe weather along the strong cold front the day's severe weather was ultimately isolated and limited to parts of New York and Pennsylvania. [2][6], On April30, meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) noted the likelihood of a major tornado outbreak across a large area of the Central and Eastern United States for the period of May26. While moving across this deadly and destructive path, the tornado severely damaged numerous modular and wood framed homes, barns and outbuildings. [237] During the following five days, over 9in (230mm) of rain would fall across the watersheds of the Little Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers, including more than 12in (300mm) of rainfall reported over a 35-hour span in McMinn County. [19] The severe thunderstorms in northeastern Colorado had developed with the aid of orographic lift and strong vorticity in the upper-levels of the troposphere. The length of this tornado was about 35 miles long and like the other long track tornadoes from May 4, 2003, it uprooted or snapped off numerous trees and poles, destroyed or severely/totally damaged many homes, barns and outbuildings, not to mention uprooting many large over 50 to 75 year old hardwood trees. [99][100] In the early afternoon, cumulus clouds began to build in the vicinity of San Angelo and Junction City in Texas as temperatures warmed above 90F (32C). CDT in Clay County, Missouri. [33], The day's first tornado was a brief F0 landspout that touched down in Scott County, Kansas, at 19:59UTC (2:59p.m. [35], Conditions within the preexisting risk areas remained favorable for tornadoes into the evening while the tornadic risk increased farther east, prompting the SPC to issue a tornado watch for new areas of Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee at 23:55UTC (6:55p.m. Two banks were in ruin, as was the post office and much of a newly restored community building where bluegrass bands had played monthly. SPC Day 1 Convective outlooks for May3, 2003: SPC tornado watches with expiry times during the early morning of May5: United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, National Weather Service St. Louis, Missouri, National Weather Service Nashville, Tennessee, List of tornadoes in the May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence, National Weather Service Paducah, Kentucky, List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, List of Cleveland County, Oklahoma tornadoes, "Convective Modes for Significant Severe Thunderstorms in the Contiguous United States. [57] The SPC no longer depicted a high risk of severe weather in their 01:00UTC (8:00p.m. CDT) convective outlook, showing at most a moderate risk for severe weather for northern Mississippi and surrounding areas. [313], In 2004, The Storm Prediction Center and five National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices were awarded the Department of Commerce Gold Medalthe highest award issued by the departmentfor "providing life-saving services during a record outbreak of tornadoes during the period of May 46, 2003."[314]. One thing's for sure _ a lot of people won't ever forget this. There always had been trees. Multiple shortwave troughs initiated tornadic events throughout the outbreak. [19][65] Additional severe thunderstorms in the morning became active over southern Illinois, eastern Kansas, western Missouri, Central Texas, during the period. It was again rated as an F-2 just south of Quaker and rated an F-3 (158 - 206 MPH) just southwest of Badger. [241] Radar estimates suggested that as much as 58in (130200mm) fell in some locations in one hour. Continuing northeast, the storm grew to between 0.50.75mi (0.801.21km) wide and entered downtown Stockton. $2,700. [19][137], Outside of the highest risk areas for severe weather, the SPC also noted the potential for severe weather in the Tennessee and Ohio river valleys amid the northward advance of a warm front was expected to advect moist and warm air, and around Virginia near a weak and slow-moving cold front. [132] It spawned three tornadoes, with the final being an F4tornado that caused significant damage in Moore, southeastern Oklahoma City, Midwest City, and Choctaw. Dramatic scouring of the ground was observed, homes were swept from their foundations, and heavy objects such as vehicles were tossed long distances (over 100 yards (90m)). Path Length: ~15 miles Width: 100 yards to 1/4 mile Time: 736 - 808 p.m. [19][35] The persistence of warm and moist air with the aid of daytime heating maintained the severe weather potential into the afternoon for the same areas. Stockton tornado (F3) The second major tornado produced by the . Atop the northward surface winds, the upper-level jet stream blew almost perpendicular, creating strong wind shear across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Watches were continuously in effect from 16:40UTC on May4 through 12:00UTC on May9. It took a tornado just a few minutes Sunday night to rip it all apart and devastate this Missouri Ozarks community of about 2,000. The tornado tracked east northeast, heavily damaging more than a dozen additional homes. A strong tornado struck Canton, MO during the early evening hours on May 10, 2003. *Tornado risk is calculated from the destruction path that has occured within 30 miles of the location. [241] Across Central Alabama, the Red Cross reported damage to more than 700homes. [226] More than 100buildings in Crawford County, Missouri were damaged. Stockton, CA 95210 .FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM PST THURSDAY. Skywarn Spotter, Other Programs During its 3 -hour, 219-mile track, it reached speeds of 73 mph, killing 695. "The word devastation doesn't do it justice. The Weather Service believes that tornado . Although an atmospheric sounding from Fort Worth, Texas, showed the presence of a capping inversion that prevented storm development, sufficient daytime heating could initiate storms that could develop in the otherwise favorable conditions for severe weather in place. The radar is located 4.5 km east-southeast of the center of [170][171] The intense supercell that had produced the tornadoes in Oklahoma the previous day continued into May10, accompanied by dew points above 70F (21C) and a moderately unstable environment characterized by CAPE values between 25003000J/kg;[161][172] the storm spawned a final F1tornado in Creek County at 05:25UTC (12:25a.m. CDT) before dissipating. [19][204] The first tornado was an F3tornado that touched down in McLean County, Kentucky, at around 06:18UTC (1:18a.m. [78][79] There were 24tornadoes in Missouri, 9 in Illinois, and 9 in Kentucky between 2105UTC (4p.m.12:00a.m. CDT), including an F3tornado that struck Jackson, Missouri, and an F4tornado that took a path 33mi (53km) path through southern Illinois. EDT). The southern storm also took the roof off an equipment shed. Rated F2, the tornado caused substantial damage at William Jewell College and at locales near downtown Liberty before lifting around 5:15pm. ``Its like: where do you start, what do you do?. Stockton: The beach at Stockton Lake. [35] At 01:00UTC (8:00p.m. CDT), the SPC indicated a high risk for severe weather for parts of Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee as the tornado outbreak remained in progress and tornado-producing supercells persisted into the overnight hours,[38] outlining that "a dangerous tornado situation [was] developing along the warm front" between northeastern Arkansas and western Tennessee and that any developing storms would rapidly assume supercell characteristics. Risk Level: Very High Yearly Avg. The primary impacts transitioned from hail to strong downbursts after sunset as what ultimately became a singular line of storms tracked southward. Four 150ft (46m)-tall metal power poles built to withstand winds in excess of 200mph (320km/h) were damaged there. "It's like: where do you start, what do you do?". Stockton, UT. [273][274] More severe storms struck the state two days later;[275] in Bates County, hail as large as 4in (100mm) damaged 1,100homes and 750cars, resulting in a $6.75million damage toll. . [172], As the warm front over the central U.S. developed further, additional storms initiated over northern Missouri by 11UTC (6:00a.m. Choteau, Jay, and Grove sustained the brunt of power outages that affected 1,500energy customers. [300], The SPC received 1809reports of hail, with a maximum occurring in western Missouri, The SPC received 869reports of strong winds or wind damage, including a maximum of 103mph at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, In the aftermath of the May4 tornadoes, Missouri governor Bob Holden petitioned the federal government to declare a federal disaster for 39counties while Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius issued disaster or emergency declarations for several countiesCherokee, Crawford, Labette, Leavenworth, Neosho, and Wyandotte;[213][308] U.S. President George W. Bush later issued federal disaster declarations for these states, authorizing the allocation of federal disaster funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "[311] Emergency shelters were opened in Madison County, Tennessee as the county largely lost access to electricity and water following a May4 tornado. Other significant damage was observed on Spencer Creek Road and off High Point Road. Table [55] However, no tornadoes were reported in Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas during the day. www.cruiserbrothers.com. [25] The day's severe weather was largely driven by a powerful mid-tropospheric disturbance moving northeast across the central and northern Great Plains in tandem with an unusually strong area of low pressure over northeastern Kansas. [22][19][23] In terms of the number of tornadoes, May4, 2003, was the second most prolific day for tornadoes in the U.S. since 1970, behind only the 1974 Super Outbreak. Near West Point, the Chattahoochee River rose to 23.2ft (7.1m), reaching its highest levels since 1961. Also, numerous brick and wood framed homes, trailers, outbuilding, barns and other structures were severely damaged, completely destroyed or sustained minor damage. The 00z ( 7 PM ) 250 mb analysis showed the strong jet stream streaking into the region. [19][200] The lack of storm activity despite otherwise conducive atmospheric conditions may have been caused by subsiding air in the mid-levels of the troposphere over the region as a result of convergent winds aloft, limiting the coverage and depth of thunderstorms. The tornado entered Cedar County and progressed north of Jericho Springs where it destroyed a mobile home consistent with F2 intensity. [286] The hail caused $38million in damage across eastern Iowa and $12million in damage across northwestern Illinois. An intense upper level jet stream streaked across the southern Plains while a strong upper level disturbance lifted northeast from the central Rockies into central Plains. At least one significant tornado was reported daily across nine consecutive days, with at least a dozen tornadoes total occurring daily over the same timeframe. [269] De Soto was particularly hard hit, with a school severely damaged by straight-line winds alongside downed trees and power lines. [147][148][149] They reached the Outer Banks before 2UTC (9p.m. EDT) and eventually weakened as the surrounding air within the planetary boundary layer became more stable. Several of the tornadoes tracked long distances ranging from 15 to 80 miles. [36] One supercell developed over northeastern Oklahoma and moved into southwestern Missouri, producing an F3tornado that struck Pierce City, Missouri. [2] Ahead of the most active day, the SPC issued a rare high-risk outlook for severe weather across eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, western Missouri, and northwestern Arkansas. Here is an update for the tornado that moved across southern Cherokee County, Kansas and into the Carl Junction area in Jasper County of southwest Missouri. (AP) _ After the Civil War left this southwest Missouri town in tatters, residents rebuilt the town square with brick and stone, thinking it would stand the test of time. Dilon Bruington, Jenna Cooper-Jackson this weeks Plainview Herald Video: Violinist performs mid-flight on Texas-bound plane, Floydada to take on No. CAPE values of 35004500J/kg were anticipated alongside steep lapse rates aloft and strong wind shear. Please Contact Us. Damage caused by the severe weather and associated flooding amounted to US$4.1billion (US$5.8billion in 2016), making it the costliest U.S. tornado outbreak of the 2000s. The largest hail of the dayapproximately the size of baseballsoccurred near Trion in Chattooga County. Cloud Ceiling 4800 ft. [19][23] One of these tornadoes produced F3-rated damage near Belleville, Tennessee, and was ultimately the day's strongest tornado. One of the hardest hit communities was Stockton, Mo. The southern storm is rated F-1 between Highway 65 and County Road U while the northern storm remains an F-2. 3. Strong winds also indirectly caused the leakage of hydrochloric acid from a plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan after roofing knocked loosed by the wind broke a distribution pipe. After initially touching down southwest of Bartlett in Labette County, the Cherokee - Jasper tornado crossed the Labette/Cherokee county border southwest of Faulkner. Grazulis. [242] Rivers swelled downstream from the accumulated rainfall, impacting areas not directly affected by the storms. [288] Late on May9, a cluster of thunderstorms produced a gravity wave that resulted in a damaging and narrow band of strong winds that downed trees and power lines, causing a power outage that affected 2,000people primarily in Freeport, Illinois. [256] Causing tens of millions of dollars in damage, the hailstorm was one of the most destructive in far western Kentucky's history; the damage toll included $10million in damage for Marshall County, Kentucky and $20million in damage in nearby Massac County, Illinois. [178][179] This favorable environment for rising air continued to spread east in tandem with a shortwave trough tracking across the Ohio Valley, extending conducive conditions for thunderstorm development eastward to Virginia and North Carolina in the early afternoon. [18][19] Although the SPC received its first tornado report at 21:17UTC (4:17p.m. CDT) from Meade County, South Dakota,[18] the first confirmed tornado was an F0tornado that touched down at 21:41UTC (4:41p.m. CDT) near Minatare in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Some of the homes were swept completely away. [310], Visiting the Northmoor, Missouri, Holden remarked that the damage was "the worst I've seen from a tornado in several years,"[216] later noting in during his visit of Pierce City that the May4 storms were "the most devastating series of tornadoes we've ever had in the state of Missouri. including the cityof Stockton. [265] Softball-sized hail damaged cars and homes near Offutt Air Force Base. . [309][310] FEMA director Michael D. Brown designated Michael J. [citation needed], Fourteen people were killed as a result of either tornadoes or strong thunderstorm winds in Madison County, Tennessee, mostly in the rural community of Denmark in the southwestern part of the county. Popular Cities. Get free shipping, 4% cashback and 10% off select brands with a RPM Membership, plus free everyday tech support on aftermarket XXXL Anamosa Iowa Harley FXRS Super Glide Rain Gear & motorcycle parts.. [27] At 13:00UTC (8:00a.m. CDT) on May4, the agency noted a high risk of severe weather for parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, predicting a "significant severe thunderstorm event" and the potential for "long-track and violent tornadoes" within the high risk region. ``Its unbelievable it could do this much damage, said Fischer, 50. [104] Supercells rapidly developed near the warm front by 03:35UTC (10:35p.m. CDT) over northern Texas and southern Oklahoma, prompting an issuance of a tornado watch along the Red River; these storms became tornadic and persisted into May8. A warm front also extended outwards from the low pressure system towards Topeka, Kansas, and Joplin, Missouri. Of these, 62 reached at least F2-intensity, while 6 reached F4. Rivers and Lakes Debris from many of the homes and outbuildings was located over one half mile to a mile away. [206] Warm advection led to the formation and intensification of isolated storms over New York and Pennsylvania by around 14UTC (10a.m. After the storm that officials say killed three people, no one is envying the task of starting all over _ again. The heaviest rainfall occurred on May4, when Des Moines set a rainfall record for the day with 2.73in (69mm) being reported. CDT (22:31UTC), a tornado began near Liberal, Missouri. Tornado mini-outbreak hits northern Kansas: Numerous tornadoes, large hail, high winds cause scattered damage: June 9, 2005. NOAA Weather Radio [226] One person was killed and widespread damage occurred near the Clever and Billings communities of Christian County, Missouri. Abstract On 15 May 1999, a storm intercept team from the University of Oklahoma collected high-resolution, W-band Doppler radar data in a tornado near Stockton, Kansas. Gone, along with the drive-through area. [205], By around 13:00UTC (8:00a.m. CDT), the extratropical cyclone that had intensified over the central and midwestern U.S. over the past day reached the upper Great Lakes region. The upper air soundings below taken at the NWS office in Springfield show the evolution of the atmosphere between 1 and 7 PM. [72][73][74] Atmospheric conditions were becoming progressively supportive of severe weather as a low-pressure area strengthened along the KansasOklahoma border;[73] a line of severe thunderstorms soon developed along a warm front over Missouri appended to the low-pressure system as a new line of storms arose to the south over northeastern Oklahoma. [160] One supercell quickly developed along the dry line in Greer County and was marked with a severe thunderstorm warning at 23:32UTC (6:32p.m. CDT) as it tracked northeast. [191] Additional supercell thunderstorms quickly emerged over Missouri and eastern Kansas over the next few hours, surrounding by an unstable air mass with CAPE values between 40005000J/kg and high wind shear. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration May6 saw the greatest number of advisories with a record 921warnings. 2003; Lee and Wurman 2005; Tanamachi et al. Overnight, a front extending from eastern Michigan to eastern Oklahoma and an outflow boundary extending from southeastern Arkansas towards Georgia were the primary foci for thunderstorm growth. [154] The storms over Texas and Oklahoma were initially transient but became more sustained as a weak shortwave trough began to traverse the region. [166] A powerful shortwave trough was forecast to move out of the southwestern U.S. into the southern Great Plains during the day, dragging along a portion of the jet stream with winds exceeding 100kt (115mph, 185km/h). [226], At 5:31pm. Snowfall Analysis The SPC initially projected a Moderate Risk of severe weather over the central Great Plains before raising a High Risk for severe weather on May8 centered on the Kansas City area. Numerous reports of funnel clouds were reported by National Weather Service trained spotters and Chaser as the supercell moved east across McDonald and Newton Counties before the tornado touched down about three miles east of Ritchey and west of Pierce City.
