Dangerous Heat over the South-Central and Southwest U.S. Through Next Week

Dangerous heat persists across the Desert Southwest through this weekend and across the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley through at least the middle of next week. Numerous daily record high temperatures are expected through at least Tuesday for much of Texas and Oklahoma as well as portions of Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arizona. Read More >

Overview

Two rounds of severe thunderstorms affected portions of Missouri and Illinois on Friday, May 19th. One round occurred very early Friday morning, bringing fairly widespread damaging winds to central Missouri, continuing into eastern Missouri (including St. Louis) and western Illinois. Two tornadoes occurred with this activity across central Missouri. After a lull in the activity early Friday afternoon, yet another round of severe storms moved into central Missouri bringing wind damage along with one tornado.

Radar loop of severe storms as they moved through the region on May 19th, 2017.
Radar reflectivity along with Watches/Warnings associated with the two rounds of thunderstorms.

Tornadoes
Storm Reports

Tornadoes:

East of Williamsburg, Missouri
Callaway County, MO

Date	5/19/2017
Time (Local)	4:15 - 4:16 AM CDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	1.6 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado formed one mile east of Williamsburg, Missouri along Old US 40 at a residence and business where two barns were damaged and another was destroyed. Two vehicles were also flipped at this location. Debris was tossed up to one mile down the tornado's path into the adjacent farm field and tree line. The tornado then crossed County Road 1031, snapping a power pole. The tornado dissipated shortly after crossing County Road 1033.

Track Map

Map of the tornado track that was just east of Williamsburg, Missouri on May 19, 2017.


Damage to hanger building with roof panels removed and window/door blown out.	Barn destroyed with debris thrown east into adjoining field.	Another view of hanger building with roof panels removed and window/door blown out.	Reflectivity & Storm Relative Velocity

East of New Florence, Missouri
Montgomery County, MO

Date	5/19/2017
Time (Local)	4:23 - 4:28 AM CDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	80 mph
Path Length	4.0 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado formed on the south outer road of Interstate 70 one mile southeast of New Florence. It caused damage to two buildings at a MODOT facility, including the removal of 12 garage doors. The tornado tossed these doors and roofing material into the power lines, causing one of the poles to snap. Some of the material landed across Interstate 70 at a residence on MO WW. There was minor damage to the house with a garage door ruined and the porch pillars shifted off the foundation. Debris stretched into the adjacent field. The tornado continued northeast and caused roof and door damage to three barns on Hudson Road east of New Florence. The tornado continued northeast and ended shortly after destroying a barn on County Road 230, south of Manley Road.

Track Map

Map of the tornado track that was just east of New Florence, Missouri on May 19, 2017.


Minor damage to MODOT outbuilding.	Small farm outbuilding destroyed on Richard Road just south of intersection with Manley Road.	Debris spread across farm field. Some of the debris was from MODOT roofing and garage doors on south side of I-70, with debris evident into the tree line.	Reflectivity & Storm Relative Velocity

Northwest of Wardsville, Missouri
Cole County, MO

Date	5/19/2017
Time (Local)	6:27 - 6:29 PM CDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	1.0 mile
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A weak tornado touched down briefly about one mile northwest of Wardsville, MO. The tornado was on the ground for approximately two minutes, and traveled about one mile. The tornado initially touched down in a small subdivision and caused minor damage to the roof of a single family home. The tornado then preceded northeast causing tree damage and striking another home where it caused significant damage to the roof. The estimated wind speed was 100 miles per hour at this residence. The tornado continued moving northeast uprooting and snapping trees. Two large trees fell on a home near the end of the tornado's path. The tornado finally dissipated on the southwest bank of the Moreau River where it broke the tops off of a few trees.

Track Map

Map of the tornado track that was northwest of Wardsville, Missouri on May 19, 2017.


Large tree snapped off on Van Loo Lane.	Large tree uprooted and fell onto house on Wardsville Road.	Major roof damage to house on Ashbury Way, just west of Route B.	Reflectivity & Storm Relative Velocity

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph