Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Kansas City, MO

May 17, 1995Benton County, Missouri

NWS Kansas City, MO issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1995, 10:21 AM CDT for Benton County, Missouri. It was in force for 25 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 1995, 10:21 AM CDT (15:21 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1995, 10:46 AM CDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Kansas City, MO
Area
Whole counties

County Benton County, MO

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 17, 10:45 AM CDTTornado F0Fristoe, MOCounty sheriff reported that a tornado touched down just east of Fristoe. No damage to property was reported. Specifics of the length and width of path were not available.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 12:00Z, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 162 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 12:00Z on 1995-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 278 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 12:00Z on 1995-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 395 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
278 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-248 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1048 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
395 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
426 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
7.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCOU 171524
TORCOU
MOC015-085-171615-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
1021 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSOURI
 
   ...SOUTHERN BENTON COUNTY...NORTHERN HICKORY COUNTY
 
AT 1019 AM CDT...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS INDICATED ON NWS RADAR 5 MILES
NORTH OF QUINCY...OR 45 MILES SOUTH OF SEDALIA. THE STORM PRODUCING THIS
TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO
SOUTHERN BENTON BY 1035 AM.
 
TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THE POSSIBLE TORNADO INCLUDE...AVERY...FRISTOE...
EDWARDS...AND CROSS TIMBERS.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS ANDj MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
 
SEARCY

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.

NWS Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 17, 3:47 AM CDT, 6 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 3:47 AM CDT, 6 hours 34 minutes before
NORTHWEST MISSOURI FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PLEASANT HILL/KANSAS CITY MO
340 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1995

NO TIME FOR LONG DISC WITH YET ANOTHER ROUND OF SVR HEADED FOR MKC
AREA...FEELS LIKE A BOXING MATCH WITH ALL THESE ROUNDS OF SVR. SVR/FF
WATCHES IN EFFECT FOR PTNS OF FA. LAST MCS HAS LAID OUT AN OUTFLOW BNDRY
ACRS EXTRM SRN PTN OF FA BUT STG H8 JET HAS REFORMED OVR CNTRL KS WITH
NEXT ROUND OF SVR AND OUTFLOW BNDRY MAY LFT N. UPR SYS NR 4 CRNRS AND
LFTG OUT. AMS AND GRND SATURATED. NOT AS MUCH OF A TRPCL PLUME PER STLT
IMAGERY BUT PLENTY OF JUICE AT LOW LVLS WILL CONT FLOODING THREAT.

TEMPS WONT MOV MUCH TODAY AND WONDER HOW MCU OF THE CDR AIR WILL MAKE IT
IN BY THU MRNG.^ LOOKS VERY BUSY HERE TODAY WITH STAFFING SHORTAGE.

MCI  69/54    ++

JULY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 17, 6:27 AM CDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before
MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040-043>046-053-054-067-
KSZ025-057-060-102>105-181200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PLEASANT HILL/KANSAS CITY MO
610 AM CDT TUE MAY 16 1995

THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE EASTERN KANSAS COUNTIES OF

ATCHISON  DONIPHAN  JOHNSON  LEAVENWORTH  LINN  MIAMI  WYANDOTTE

AND THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN MISSOURI COUNTIES OF

ADAIR      CASS       GENTRY     JOHNSON     PETTIS    SCHUYLER
ANDREW     CHARITON   GRUNDY     LAFAYETTE   PLATTE    SULLIVAN
ATCHISON   CLAY       HARRISON   LINN        PUTNAM    WORTH
BATES      CLINTON    HENRY      LIVINGSTON  RANDOLPH
BUCHANAN   COOPER     HOLT       MACON       RAY
CALDWELL   DAVIESS    HOWARD     MERCER      ST CLAIR
CARROLL    DEKALB     JACKSON    NODAWAY     SALINE
...A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE ENTIRE AREA...
...FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE SOUTH OF A ST JOSEPH TO MACON LINE...

THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND MISSOURI REMAINS VERY MOIST
AND UNSTABLE. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL KANSAS THROUGH
KANSAS CITY AND KIRKSVILLE. THIS BOUNDARY WILL PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR
SEVERAL MORE ROUNDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
OUTLOOK AREA. AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM OVER NORTHWEST NEW MEXICO
WILL MOVE INTO KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA TONIGHT AND PROVIDE THE NECESSARY
ENERGY TO MAINTAIN THE STORMY WEATHER THROUGH TONIGHT. IN ADDITION
FLASH FLOODING IS QUITE LIKELY SOUTH OF A ST JOSEPH TO MACON LINE.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM ST JOSEPH TO MACON. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT
UNTIL 10 AM FOR A SMALL PART OF WEST CENTRL MISSOURI WHICH INCLUDES
THE KANSAS CITY METRO AREA AS WELL AS THE PLATTSBURG...RICHMOND...
AND LEXINGTON AREAS.

ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE
THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE REGION THIS MORNING...MAINLY SOUTH OF THE
MISSOURI RIVER. THESE STORMS WILL EXACERBATE THE FLOODING PROBLEMS
CURRENTLY OCCURRING ALONG AREA STREAMS AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS.
.
THEN THIS EVENING AS THE NEW MEXICO UPPER SYSTEM MOVES OUT STILL
ANOTHER ROUND OF POTENTIALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY
RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF THE OUTLOOK AREA.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS AND SPOTTER GROUPS MAY BE NEEDED FOR
ACTIVATION. PERSONS ARE ALSO URGED TO BE ESPECIALLY ALERT FOR THE
POSSIBILITY OF HIGH WATER LATER TONIGHT. BE SURE TO STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE RADIO OR TELEVISION STATION
AND STAY ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS.

JULY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 10:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCass62 min
May 16, 10:23 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXCass52 min
May 16, 10:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJackson42 min
May 16, 10:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJohnson, Lafayette65 min
May 16, 11:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXPettis, Saline51 min
May 16, 11:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJackson46 min
May 17, 12:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates, Cass54 min
May 17, 12:52 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXBates, Cass38 min
May 17, 1:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXHenry59 min
May 17, 1:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCooper, Howard, Pettis42 min
May 17, 2:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBenton41 min
May 17, 2:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXCooper, Henry, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Saline6 hr
May 17, 2:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXCass, Jackson6 hr
May 17, 2:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXBates6 hr
May 17, 2:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXHoward6 hr
May 17, 2:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMorgan42 min
May 17, 2:40 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXBenton, Morgan4 hr
May 17, 3:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMiller48 min
May 17, 4:03 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXCamden, Miller4 hr
May 17, 4:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXPlatte40 min
May 17, 4:45 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXMaries4 hr
May 17, 8:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBenton44 min
May 17, 8:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMorgan35 min
May 17, 8:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMiller51 min
May 17, 9:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMiller30 min
May 17, 9:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMaries45 min
May 17, 9:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXSt. Clair44 min
May 17, 9:49 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXSt. Clair38 min
May 17, 10:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBenton36 min
May 17, 10:21 AM CDTTornado WarningEAXHickory14 min
May 17, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates70 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.