Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Kansas City, MO

April 15, 1994Moniteau County, Missouri

NWS Kansas City, MO issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1994, 2:54 AM CDT for Moniteau County, Missouri. It was in force for 36 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 15, 1994, 2:54 AM CDT (07:54 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 1994, 3:30 AM CDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Kansas City, MO
Area
Whole counties

County Moniteau County, MO

The radar

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 147 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:54 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 00:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 220 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1994-04-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1188 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1994-04-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 188 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1188 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-139 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1725 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
188 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
322 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KCOU 150754
TORCOU
MOC135-150830-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
254 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSOURI
 
   ...MONITEAU COUNTY
 
AT 250 AM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 30 MILES WEST OF
JEFFERSON CITY NEAR VERSAILLES MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
75 TO 80 MILE AN HOUR WINDS WERE REPORTED IN STOVER WITH PLENTY OF
DAMAGE. IF YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA OR CLARKSBURG TAKE COVER NOW.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
LA GREE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 14, 9:08 PM CDT, 5 hours 46 minutes before
MOZ001>007-011>016-020>023-028>031-037-038-043-044-053-054-067-
KSZ057-060-102>105-150410-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO
908 PM CDT THU APR 14 1994

...TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MISSOURI UNTIL 3 AM AND FOR
PORTIONS OF WEST-CENTRAL MISSOURI AND EXTREME EASTERN KANSAS UNTIL 1
AM...

AT 905 PM CDT DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 75 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF KANSAS CITY IN ALLEN COUNTY KANSAS. THE STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN LINN COUNTY KANSAS BY
930 PM. HAIL AND STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ACROSS SOUTHERN IOWA AT 905 PM...
HOWEVER NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE DETECTED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND
WEST-CENTRAL MISSOURI.

CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS
THE WATCH AREA THROUGH THE EVENING AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.

BB
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 9:31 PM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before
KSZ060-150335-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO
931 PM CDT THU APR 14 1994

...THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHING LINN COUNTY KANSAS IS WEAKENING...

AT 930 PM DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHING SOUTHERN
LINN COUNTY KANSAS. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND HAS
WEAKENED CONSIDERABLY SINCE 9 PM.

BRIEF HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY THIS STORM. SMALL HAIL IS ALSO
POSSIBLE. THE STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH MANTEY AND TO NEAR MOUND CITY BY
10 PM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST-CENTRAL MISSOURI AND EXTREME
EAST-CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS UNTIL 1 AM ND FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST MISSOURI UNTIL 3 AM CDT.

BB
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 10:29 PM CDT, 4 hours 25 minutes before
MOZ020-028-KSZ102-150430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO
1030 PM CDT THU APR 14 1994

...INTENSIFYING THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING DONIPHAN COUNTY KANSAS AND
EXTREME NORTHWEST MISSOURI...

AT 1028 PM DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES WEST OF TROY KANSAS TO 50 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
TROY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS
WILL MOVE INTO DONIPHAN COUNTY KANSAS AND ADJACENT SECTIONS OF
NORTHWEST MISSOURI BETWEEN 11 PM AND MIDNIGHT.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. THE POTENTIAL
EXISTS FOR THE STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE.

BB
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 10:57 PM CDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
MOZ004>006-011>013-020-021-028-029-150500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO
1057 PM CDT THU APR 14 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ACROSS NORTHWEST
MISSOURI AND EXTREME EASTERN KANSAS...

AT 1055 PM DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
15 MILES NORTHEAST OF ST JOSEPH TO 20 MILES WEST OF LEAVENWORTH KANSAS.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE STRONG WINDS OF 50 MPH ACROSS NORTHWEST MISSOURI AND EXTREME
NORTHEAST KANSAS THROUGH 1 AM INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF
LEAVENWORTH...BUCHANAN...DEKALB...CLINTON...PLATTE AND CLAY. IN
ADDITION TO STRONG WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND SMA@LL HAIL CAN ALSO
BE EXPECTED.

BB
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 2:35 AM CDT, 19 minutes before
MOZ054-067-150830-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO
234 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR HENRY AND
ST. CLAIR COUNTIES IN MISSOURI...
...THE TORNADO WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN HENRY COUNTY
OF MISSOURI...

AS OF 230 AM...RADAR SHOWED THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THAT HAD BEEN
IN HENRY AND ST. CLAIR COUNTIES OF MISSOURI HAD MOVED EAST INTO BENTON
COUNTY OF MISSOURI.

COOPER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Kansas City, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 14, 11:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXPlatte24 min
Apr 14, 11:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXClay45 min
Apr 14, 11:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXClinton22 min
Apr 14, 11:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMercer51 min
Apr 15, 12:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXRay62 min
Apr 15, 12:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJackson40 min
Apr 15, 12:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXChariton49 min
Apr 15, 1:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates42 min
Apr 15, 1:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMacon, Randolph49 min
Apr 15, 1:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXHenry, St. Clair40 min
Apr 15, 2:01 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXHenry29 min
Apr 15, 2:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXAudrain41 min
Apr 15, 2:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBenton, Morgan58 min
Apr 15, 2:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXHoward, Randolph58 min
Apr 15, 2:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCooper58 min
Apr 15, 2:34 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXBenton26 min
Apr 15, 2:45 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXMorgan30 min
Apr 15, 2:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXAudrain, Boone61 min
Apr 15, 3:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCallaway, Cole67 min
Apr 15, 3:29 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXBoone, Cole31 min
Apr 15, 3:46 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXCallaway29 min
Apr 15, 3:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMaries, Pulaski41 min
Apr 15, 4:00 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXOsage30 min
Apr 15, 4:08 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXGasconade37 min
Apr 15, 4:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMontgomery61 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.