Alert archive / Missouri / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 50, NWS St. Louis, MO

April 16, 2026Reynolds County, Missouri

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 16, 2026, 3:02 PM CDT for Reynolds County, Missouri. It was in force for 33 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
Apr 16, 2026, 3:02 PM CDT (20:02 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 2026, 3:35 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

County Reynolds County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 173 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:04 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 severe thunderstorm 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
Apr 16, 2:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 256 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 2026-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 79 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 2026-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 155 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
79 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-186 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1183 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
215 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

233 
WUUS53 KLSX 162002
SVRLSX
MOC179-162045-
/O.NEW.KLSX.SV.W.0050.260416T2002Z-260416T2045Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service St Louis MO
302 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

The National Weather Service in St Louis has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Southeastern Reynolds County in southeastern Missouri...

* Until 345 PM CDT.

* At 302 PM CDT, a cluster of severe thunderstorms were located 6
  miles west of Garwood, or 41 miles southwest of Ironton, moving
  east at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to
           roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
  Ellington and Garwood.

This includes the following State Parks...
Clearwater Lake Recreational Area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from
windows. This storm is capable of producing damaging winds and large
hail.

&&

LAT...LON 3727 9074 3717 9074 3717 9076 3714 9076
      3714 9078 3705 9078 3705 9096 3710 9096
      3710 9102 3714 9102 3714 9104 3717 9103
      3716 9107 3718 9107 3718 9109 3720 9109
      3720 9111
TIME...MOT...LOC 2001Z 252DEG 22KT 3708 9101

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Delia
2 follow-up statements
880 
WWUS53 KLSX 162025
SVSLSX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service St Louis MO
325 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

MOC179-162045-
/O.CON.KLSX.SV.W.0050.000000T0000Z-260416T2045Z/
Reynolds MO-
325 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN REYNOLDS COUNTY...

At 325 PM CDT, a cluster of severe thunderstorm were located 5 miles
northeast of Garwood, or 36 miles south of Ironton, moving east at 25
mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to
         roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...
  Ellington and Garwood.

This includes the following State Parks...
Clearwater Lake Recreational Area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from
windows. This storm is capable of producing damaging winds and large
hail.

&&

LAT...LON 3727 9074 3717 9074 3717 9076 3714 9076
      3714 9078 3705 9078 3705 9096 3710 9096
      3710 9102 3714 9102 3714 9104 3717 9103
      3716 9107 3718 9107 3718 9109 3720 9109
      3720 9111
TIME...MOT...LOC 2002Z 265DEG 23KT 3709 9100

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Delia
500 
WWUS53 KLSX 162035
SVSLSX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service St Louis MO
335 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

MOC179-162045-
/O.CAN.KLSX.SV.W.0050.000000T0000Z-260416T2045Z/
Reynolds MO-
335 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR SOUTHEASTERN REYNOLDS
COUNTY...

The storms which prompted the warning have weakened below severe
limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property.
Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT
Thursday for a portion of southeast Missouri.

&&

LAT...LON 3727 9074 3717 9074 3717 9076 3714 9076
      3714 9078 3705 9078 3705 9096 3710 9096
      3710 9102 3714 9102 3714 9104 3717 9103
      3716 9107 3718 9107 3718 9109 3720 9109
      3720 9111
TIME...MOT...LOC 2025Z 265DEG 23KT 3710 9081

$$

Delia

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 16, 2:19 PM CDT, 43 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • The threat of isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue across southeastern Missouri through early this evening. A storm or two will be capable of primarily large hail.
  • Widespread thunderstorms are expected Friday afternoon and evening along a cold front. Several thunderstorms will be capable of damaging wind gusts, with large hail and tornadoes being secondary threats.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 2:19 PM CDT, 43 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Saint Louis MO
219 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- The threat of isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms
  will continue across southeastern Missouri through early this
  evening. A storm or two will be capable of primarily large hail.

- Widespread thunderstorms are expected Friday afternoon and evening
  along a cold front. Several thunderstorms will be capable of
  damaging wind gusts, with large hail and tornadoes being
  secondary threats.

&&

.SHORT TERM...  (Through Late Friday Night)
Issued at 217 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

Thunderstorms have formed across southeastern Missouri this
afternoon roughly at the nose of a wing of warm air advection.
Subtle forcing from this advection paired with lift from the axis of
a weak shortwave aloft will lead to a low threat (20-40% chance) for
showers and thunderstorms centered on southeastern Missouri through
early this evening. Instability in this part of the area continues
to build, with SPC mesoanalysis showing 2,000-2,500 J/kg of MLCAPE
present along and south of I-70. Continuing warm air advection
through this evening will sustain this instability and advect it
slightly east-northeastward through this evening. Deep-layer shear
is progged to remain around 30 kts, favoring multicells with brief
supercellular structures. This environment favors large hail as the
primary threat, with DCAPE right around 1,000 J/kg leading to
damaging wind gusts being a secondary threat. Weak low-level shear
and meager SRH are expected to mitigate a threat of tornadoes.
Weakening lapse rates and a strengthening cap later this evening (8-
9pm) will end the threat of convection.

Tomorrow, an upper-level trough will eject out into the Great
Plains, enhancing southwesterly flow over the Middle Mississippi
Valley. At the surface, a low will deepen over the Central Plains
and move into the Upper Midwest, sweeping a cold front across the
Plains and Midwest. Ahead of this front during the afternoon over
the Middle Mississippi Valley, guidance continues to point to a very
unstable airmass characterized by 3,000-4,000 J/kg of SBCAPE. The
approaching trough and a low-level jet ramping up over the region
will increase deep-layer shear through the day, with generally 30-40
kts forecast among hi-res guidance.

While model soundings show capping through much of the afternoon,
the approaching front paired with lift via a leading shortwave and
jet streak coupling will spawn updrafts across western and northern
Missouri during the mid to late afternoon along and ahead of the
front. Given the amount of shear and instability, a multicellular
and supercellular storm modes are anticipated. The degree of forcing
will lead to numerous updrafts forming in close proximity, favoring
storm interaction and upscale growth into a convective line quickly.
While storms are discrete, the large hail threat will be greatest,
with the strongest updrafts capable of hail up to around 2.5" in
diameter. Relative to our CWA, this threat is greatest across far
northeastern Missouri where a minority of guidance produces discrete
convection prior to upscale growth.

Confidence is high that storms will grow upscale into a squall line
prior to entering the rest of the CWA. Steep low-level lapse rates
favor a damaging wind threat with both discrete storms and bowing
segments within the squall line. With guidance consensus favoring 20-
25 kts of 0-1 km shear and a little over 150 m2/s2 of SRH within the
same layer, there is a low tornado threat with either storm mode.
Bulk 0-3 km shear of 30-35 kts will favor mesovortex development
within the squall line, though guidance differs on the orientation
of the vector. A more west-east orientation would favor a greater
QLCS tornado threat, while a southwest-northeast orientation limits
the threat to the northern periphery of bowing segments.

The threats are expected to peak late afternoon into the early
evening across central and northeastern Missouri. As the line moves
further eastward, diminishing instability will lead to a weakening
trend during the late evening and overnight hours. The aforementioned
robust forcing will continue overnight, leading to an expansive area
of stratiform rainfall that will continue through early Saturday
morning.

Elmore

&&

.LONG TERM...  (Saturday through Next Thursday)
Issued at 217 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

Early Saturday, the aforementioned trough will continue to edge
eastward through the Midwest per guidance consensus, pushing
Friday's front deeper into the Ohio Valley. With upper-level flow
not becoming northwesterly until Sunday and the core of the post-
frontal airmass remaining north of the CWA, we will miss out on the
coldest temperatures. However, the majority of ensemble guidance
favors values below climatology through the weekend, with a low
chance for frost for portions of the area Saturday night and Sunday
morning.

Ridging quickly builds into the region Monday per both ensemble
clusters and deterministic models, with southwesterly low-level flow
returning to the Middle Mississippi Valley. Guidance supports this
pattern continuing through midweek, corresponding with temperatures
gradually warming to and then above normal by Wednesday-Thursday.

Elmore

&&

.AVIATION...  (For the 18z TAFs through 18z Friday Afternoon)
Issued at 1239 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

Dry and VFR flight conditions are expected through a majority of
the period at all local terminals. Showers and thunderstorms this
afternoon and evening are expected to remain south of the local
terminals. Another round of showers and thunderstorms is expected
tomorrow evening along a cold front, just beyond the end of the
current period.

Elmore

&&

.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...None.
IL...None.
&&

WFO LSX
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 16, 2:24 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service St Louis MO
224 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-171930-
Greene IL-Macoupin IL-Montgomery IL-Bond IL-Fayette IL-Clinton IL-
Marion IL-Washington IL-Randolph IL-Adams IL-Brown IL-Pike IL-
Calhoun IL-Jersey IL-Madison IL-Saint Clair IL-Monroe IL-Knox MO-
Lewis MO-Shelby MO-Marion MO-Monroe MO-Ralls MO-Pike MO-Boone MO-
Audrain MO-Moniteau MO-Cole MO-Osage MO-Callaway MO-Montgomery MO-
Lincoln MO-Gasconade MO-Warren MO-Saint Charles MO-Franklin MO-
Saint Louis MO-Saint Louis City MO-Jefferson MO-Crawford MO-
Washington MO-Saint Francois MO-Sainte Genevieve MO-Iron MO-
Madison MO-Reynolds MO-
224 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of eastern and
central Missouri as well as west central and southwest Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected this evening across
southeastern Missouri. A storm or two will be capable of large hail.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.

Widespread thunderstorms are forecast Friday afternoon into the
overnight hours. Several storms will be capable primarily of damaging
wind gusts.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are encouraged to report hail occurrence and size, as well
as any wind damage to NWS St. Louis.

Elmore

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 15, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCrawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Osage44 min
Apr 15, 9:02 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLSXCrawford, Franklin, Gasconade6 hr
Apr 15, 9:03 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXCrawford, Franklin, Gasconade28 min
Apr 15, 9:40 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXSaint Louis, City of Saint Louis43 min
Apr 15, 10:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJefferson, Saint Louis, City of Saint Louis21 min
Apr 15, 10:24 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLSXSaint Louis, City of Saint Louis97 min
Apr 16, 12:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXIron, Reynolds53 min
Apr 16, 4:22 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLSXCole28 min
Apr 16, 4:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCole, Moniteau38 min
Apr 16, 4:50 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXBoone, Callaway, Cole, Moniteau, Osage3 hr
Apr 16, 5:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCole38 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Missouri, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.