Thunderstorm Wind, Cape Girardeau
- When
- May 17, 1:50 PM CST to 2:05 PM CST
- Where
- Cape Girardeau County, Randles to Cape Girardeau
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.130, -89.780
Damaging winds, estimated near 70 MPH, affected southern parts of Cape Girardeau County. Near Randles, a mobile home was unroofed and numerous trees were down. In Cape Girardeau, the dome roof of an indoor municipal pool was shredded, and the roof of an armory was torn off. Numerous trees and power lines were down. At the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, automated equipment measured a gust to 62 MPH. A utility company reported 22,500 customers in the Cape Girardeau area lost power, some for up to 24 hours. A large portion of the utility company's roof was blown off, blocking the entrance to the building. Roofing from a newly remodeled apartment building was blown across a street. About two dozen trees were blown down on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. A few miles south of Jackson, a fire official witnessed a "gustnado" about 20 feet wide. A gustnado is a tornado-like vortex that forms along the leading edge of a thunderstorm gust front.