Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Kansas City, MO

May 18, 2026Holt County, Missouri

NWS Kansas City, MO issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2026, 7:29 PM CDT for Holt County, Missouri. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 2026, 7:29 PM CDT (00:29 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2026, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Kansas City, MO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.0 in

County Holt County, MO

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 151 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:31 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 18, 3:49 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 131 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2026-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3248 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2026-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 209 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3248 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1108 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
209 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
370 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.1
Supercell composite
22.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

511 
WFUS53 KEAX 190029
TOREAX
MOC087-190100-
/O.NEW.KEAX.TO.W.0049.260519T0029Z-260519T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
729 PM CDT Mon May 18 2026

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northeastern Holt County in northwestern Missouri...

* Until 800 PM CDT.

* At 729 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Rulo, or 9 miles east of Falls City, moving
  northeast at 35 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  Mound City, Big Lake, Fortescue, and Bigelow.

This includes Interstate 29 between mile markers 79 and 91.
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4027 9519 4026 9515 4026 9513 4009 9505
      4004 9541 4006 9542 4007 9539 4010 9540
      4012 9539 4013 9540 4013 9542 4014 9543
TIME...MOT...LOC 0029Z 242DEG 32KT 4008 9543 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

BMW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 7:09 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXGentry, Worth51 min
May 18, 7:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatEAXHolt60 min
May 18, 7:22 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXHarrison, Worth53 min
May 18, 7:39 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXNodaway, Worth51 min
May 18, 7:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatEAXAndrew, Holt49 min
May 18, 7:55 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryEAXNodaway, Worth14 min
May 18, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXAndrew, Atchison, Holt, Nodaway44 min
May 18, 8:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatEAXAndrew, Buchanan, Clinton, DeKalb41 min
May 18, 8:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningEAXNodaway, Worth5 hr
May 18, 8:14 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningEAXBates72 hr
May 18, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBuchanan, Platte45 min
May 18, 8:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXGentry, Harrison, Nodaway, Worth49 min
May 18, 8:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXAndrew, Buchanan, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Harrison and 1 more40 min
May 18, 8:36 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXAndrew, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Harrison24 min
May 18, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXAndrew, Buchanan, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb, Platte63 min
May 18, 8:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatEAXPlatte58 min
May 18, 8:57 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXDaviess, Grundy, Harrison33 min
May 18, 9:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXDaviess, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Mercer, Sullivan and 1 more39 min
May 18, 9:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatEAXBuchanan, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson and 2 more62 min
May 18, 9:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatEAXCaldwell, Carroll, Daviess, Grundy, Lafayette, Livingston and 1 more53 min
May 18, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCass, Jackson, Johnson63 min
May 18, 9:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXGrundy, Mercer, Putnam, Sullivan33 min
May 18, 9:45 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXCass, Johnson30 min
May 18, 9:50 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXCarroll, Clay, Jackson, Ray40 min
May 18, 10:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates, Cass42 min
May 18, 10:07 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningEAXAndrew, Holt, Nodaway3 hr
May 18, 10:08 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXCaldwell, Carroll, Livingston, Ray37 min
May 18, 10:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCarroll, Chariton, Grundy, Johnson, Lafayette, Linn and 4 more39 min
May 18, 10:28 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningEAXAtchison, Holt, Nodaway11 hr
May 18, 11:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates44 min
May 19, 1:30 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningEAXNodaway, Worth8 hr
May 19, 5:55 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningEAXAndrew, Buchanan23 hr
May 19, 9:30 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningEAXAndrew, Atchison, Gentry, Harrison, Holt, Nodaway and 1 more36 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes in 2026

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.