Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 87, NWS Kansas City, MO

June 17, 2026Bates County, Henry County, Missouri

NWS Kansas City, MO issued this tornado warning at Jun 17, 2026, 5:37 PM CDT for Bates County, Henry County, Missouri. It was in force for 38 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
Jun 17, 2026, 5:37 PM CDT (22:37 UTC)
Expired
Jun 17, 2026, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Kansas City, MO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.0 in

Counties Bates County, MO, Henry County, MO

The radar

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:41 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 17, 2:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr
Jun 17, 5:23 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 139 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 2026-06-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 22 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2026-06-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 263 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
22 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-312 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1369 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
263 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
363 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

875 
WFUS53 KEAX 172237
TOREAX
MOC013-083-172315-
/O.NEW.KEAX.TO.W.0087.260617T2237Z-260617T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
537 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Henry County in west central Missouri...
  Southeastern Bates County in west central Missouri...

* Until 615 PM CDT.

* At 537 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Butler, moving east at 40 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...
  Butler, Montrose, Rockville, and Passaic.

This includes Interstate 49 between mile markers 123 and 137.
 
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 3805 9410 3804 9411 3806 9413 3806 9416
      3804 9419 3813 9437 3817 9442 3833 9435
      3825 9381 3821 9383 3821 9405 3803 9406
      3803 9409
TIME...MOT...LOC 2237Z 289DEG 35KT 3821 9436 

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

$$

Krull
3 follow-up statements
070 
WWUS53 KEAX 172256
SVSEAX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
556 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

MOC013-083-172315-
/O.CON.KEAX.TO.W.0087.000000T0000Z-260617T2315Z/
Henry MO-Bates MO-
556 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN HENRY AND SOUTHEASTERN BATES COUNTIES...

At 556 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 9 miles southeast of Butler, moving east 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...
Montrose and Rockville.

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 3815 9431 3831 9421 3825 9381 3821 9383
      3821 9405 3806 9406
TIME...MOT...LOC 2256Z 287DEG 31KT 3818 9421 

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

$$

Krull
019 
WWUS53 KEAX 172306
SVSEAX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
606 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

MOC083-172315-
/O.CAN.KEAX.TO.W.0087.000000T0000Z-260617T2315Z/
Henry MO-
606 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN HENRY COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

The tornadic thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved away 
from the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

There is another tornado warning in effect for eastern Henry County! 
Please see Tornado Warning 88 for details.

&&

LAT...LON 3813 9425 3824 9413 3821 9405 3806 9406
TIME...MOT...LOC 2305Z 289DEG 35KT 3815 9410 

$$

MOC013-172315-
/O.CON.KEAX.TO.W.0087.000000T0000Z-260617T2315Z/
Bates MO-
606 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN BATES COUNTY...

At 605 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Appleton City, or 14 miles east of Rich Hill, moving
east at 40 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...
Rockville.

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 3813 9425 3824 9413 3821 9405 3806 9406
TIME...MOT...LOC 2305Z 289DEG 35KT 3815 9410 

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

$$

Krull
415 
WWUS53 KEAX 172314
SVSEAX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
614 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

MOC013-172324-
/O.EXP.KEAX.TO.W.0087.000000T0000Z-260617T2315Z/
Bates MO-
614 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN BATES COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
615 PM CDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.  However, small
hail and gusty winds are still possible with this thunderstorm.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for west central
Missouri.

&&

LAT...LON 3813 9425 3824 9413 3821 9405 3806 9406
TIME...MOT...LOC 2314Z 289DEG 35KT 3813 9402 

$$

Krull

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 Jun 17, 1:18 PM CDT, 4 hours 19 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon along a cold front moving southeastward through the region. The best chances for storms are south of a line from Kansas City to Kirksville. Large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall are all potential hazards from these storms.
  • Heat indices approaching/exceeding 100 degrees are forecast this afternoon, especially south of I-70.
  • Showers and a few thunderstorms are forecast again across west- central and central Missouri on Thursday. Severe weather is not expected.
  • A strong storm system will move through the region this weekend, bringing another round of severe weather and heavy rainfall.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 1:18 PM CDT, 4 hours 19 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
118 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon
  along a cold front moving southeastward through the region.
  The best chances for storms are south of a line from Kansas
  City to Kirksville. Large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, and
  heavy rainfall are all potential hazards from these storms.

- Heat indices approaching/exceeding 100 degrees are forecast  this
  afternoon, especially south of I-70.

- Showers and a few thunderstorms are forecast again across
  west- central and central Missouri on Thursday. Severe
  weather is not expected.

- A strong storm system will move through the region this
  weekend, bringing another round of severe weather and heavy
  rainfall.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
Issued at 110 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

Current:

A strong low level jet is transitioning east this afternoon
with our gusty winds slowly decreasing. That being said, we are
still seeing wind gusts of 30-40 mph. This jet has also supplied the
region with ample amount of heat and moisture. Across the area we
have temperatures in the 90s with dew points in the 70s. This has
led to some areas seeing heat indicies in the triple digits.

This afternoon:

The focus of the afternoon will be our severe weather threat. With
the latest update from SPC we have an enhanced risk (level 3/5) for
our central and eastern counties with the metro and northwest MO
lowering to slight (2/5) and marginal (1/5). Convection is expected
to initiate off of a cold front moving across the region. As of
1 PM the current surface observations would indicated that the
boundary is draped through Holt and up through Worth. Areas
northwest of this boundary are not expected to receive showers
and storms. Ahead of this boundary we can expect a few
supercells to develop initially as mean wind flow runs
orthogonal to the boundary. As mentioned previously we have a
very warm and moist air mass out ahead of this boundary that can
be characterized as high instability (MLCAPE over 3000 J/kg)
and strongly sheared (bulk shear greater than 45 kts. Within
this environment supercells will be capable of producing large
hail (>2") and damaging winds (>75 mph). Veering winds ahead of
the boundary may also produce some streamwise vorticity for a
few tornadoes to develop. Later into the evening the cold pools
are expected to congeal with storm mode switching to more
linear. Threats will shift to damaging winds and a few
tornadoes. Best timing for severe storms still looks to be this
afternoon with CAMs showing a consistent signal for around
3-4PM. The cold front will then sag south through the evening
exiting the region after 8PM.

&&

.LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 110 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

Thursday/Friday:

The cold front will stall out over the Ozarks leading to a largely
quiet and pleasant day across most the region. Lingering mid
level moisture may interact with a weak impulse aloft to produce
some light rain and sprinkles through the day. The additional
cloud cover paired with the passage of the front the previous
day will keep the area cooler with highs in the upper 70s and
low 80s.

Surface high pressure will be shifting east through the day allowing
for southerly return flow. Temperatures will warm back into the mid
80s. Rain and a few storm chances (40-50%) will return overnight,
but the better chances for more widespread impacts arrive this
weekend.

Weekend:

Cross barrier flow sets up over the Central Rockies leading to lee
cyclogenesis on Saturday. This low deepens over eastern CO through
the day with surface high pressure being shunted off to the east.
This set up will allow for a strong gulf connection to develop
surging moisture back into the Midwest. Our PWATs increase to
2" which would put us over the 99th percentile of climatology.
The bountiful moisture will lead to heavy rain and flooding
concerns through the weekend and into Monday morning. NBM is
carrying PoPs of 20-40% through Saturday with chances increasing
to 50-80% overnight as the surface low encroaches from the
west. The systems warm front is expected to pivot in from the
west in the afternoon and evening hours increasing instability.
Pending placement of a shortwave crossing the midwest we would
see a boost in our bulk shear values sending increasing severe
potential.

Perhaps the bigger concern for the weekend will be the heavy
rainfall potential. WPC has the region highlighted in a slight risk
for excessive rainfall (2/3). Taking a stroll through the ensemble
plumes of both the GEFS and the Euro shows a high amount of spread
with the heaviest rainfall period targeted to be Sunday. The
Euro still favors heavier rain across IA and northern MO. The
deterministic GFS seems to be the outlier amongst even the GEFS
family showing upwards of 4". The rest of the members have
better clustering around the 1" mark. Given our antecedent
conditions we could see many of our rivers reach Minor to
Moderate flood stage by Monday morning.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 1227 PM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

Windy conditions to start the forecast period with southwest
winds gusts over 25 kts. A cold front will be dropping south
through this afternoon and evening with storms expected to fire
off this boundary. The latest high res guidance suggests that
the boundary will be on top of MKC or just south of the region
and progress south of the terminals after 22Z. Afterwards, VFR
conditions will persist through the remainder of the forecast
period with winds turning to out of the north and and northwest.

&&

.EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...Wind Advisory until 3 PM CDT this afternoon for MOZ007-008-016-
     017-022>025-030>033-037>040-043>046-053-054.
KS...Wind Advisory until 3 PM CDT this afternoon for KSZ057-060-105.

&&

SHORT TERM...Britt
LONG TERM...Britt
AVIATION...Britt
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 17, 5:04 AM CDT, 12 hours 33 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
0504 AM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040-
043>046-053-054-181004-
Atchison KS-Miami-Linn KS-Doniphan-Leavenworth-Wyandotte-Johnson KS-
Atchison MO-Nodaway-Worth-Gentry-Harrison-Mercer-Putnam-Schuyler-
Holt-Andrew-De Kalb-Daviess-Grundy-Sullivan-Adair-Buchanan-Clinton-
Caldwell-Livingston-Linn MO-Macon-Platte-Clay-Ray-Carroll-Chariton-
Randolph-Jackson-Lafayette-Saline-Howard-Cass-Johnson MO-Pettis-
Cooper-Bates-Henry-
0504 AM CDT Wed Jun 17 2026

This hazardous weather outlook is for northwest...north central and
west central Missouri...as well as extreme eastern Kansas.

.DAY ONE...Through tonight.

Please go to https://weather.gov/media/eax/DssPacket.pdf for more information on
potential weather hazards.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Please go to https://weather.gov/media/eax/DssPacket.pdf for more information on
potential weather hazards.

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon
  along a cold front moving southeastward through the region.
  The best chances for storms are south of a line from Kansas
  City to Kirksville. Large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, and
  heavy rainfall are all potential hazards from these storms.

- Southwest winds of 15 to 30 mph with occasional gusts
  exceeding 45 mph are expected this morning across the area.

- Heat indices approaching/exceeding 100 degrees are forecast
  this afternoon, especially south of I-70.

- Showers and a few thunderstorms are forecast again across
  west-central and central Missouri on Thursday. Severe weather
  is not expected.

- A strong storm system will move through the region this
  weekend, bringing another round of severe weather and heavy
  rainfall.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 17, 9:31 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementEAXSchuyler14 min
Jun 17, 3:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXRandolph28 min
Jun 17, 4:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCass, Henry, Johnson43 min
Jun 17, 4:33 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXCass, Henry, Johnson42 min
Jun 17, 4:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCooper, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Saline55 min
Jun 17, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJohnson, Pettis19 min
Jun 17, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates, Cass, Henry20 min
Jun 17, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates45 min
Jun 17, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXBates, Cass, Henry41 min
Jun 17, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXHenry, Johnson, Pettis33 min
Jun 17, 5:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCooper49 min
Jun 17, 5:11 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXBates49 min
Jun 17, 5:40 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXHenry37 min
Jun 17, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCass, Henry, Johnson35 min
Jun 17, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates51 min
Jun 17, 6:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementEAXBates27 min
Jun 17, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBates51 min

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.