Missouri, 2000

Tornado and Hail in Missouri, May 21, 2000

May 21, 2000 · NWS EAX · 20 events in 9 counties and zones

Widely scattered thunderstorms developed across northern and western Missouri on the afternoon of May 21. Numerous reports of large hail were received.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS EAX wrote it up.

Widely scattered thunderstorms developed across northern and western Missouri on the afternoon of May 21. Numerous reports of large hail were received. One supercell storm developed near Kingston in Caldwell County, and then tracked south-southeast through eastern Ray County into Lafayette County, before weakening south of Higginsville. During its lifetime this storm produced hail up to golfball size, 70 mph wind gusts, and a brief tornado that touched down southeast of Lexington.

The radar

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 27 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 hail, 1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cass

When
May 21, 2:39 PM CST
Where
Cass County, 3 mi NW of Belton
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.850, -94.567

Numerous reports of nickel to quarter size hail were received from northwest of Belton.

Hail, Jackson

When
May 21, 2:46 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, 4 mi SW of Grandview
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.850, -94.583

Hail, Mercer

When
May 21, 2:55 PM CST
Where
Mercer County, 8 mi SE of Princeton
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
40.317, -93.483

Hail, Grundy

When
May 21, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Grundy County, Trenton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
40.083, -93.617

Hail, Caldwell

When
May 21, 3:14 PM CST
Where
Caldwell County, 5 mi E of Polo
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
39.550, -93.950

Hail, Cass

When
May 21, 3:22 PM CST
Where
Cass County, Cleveland
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.683, -94.600

Hail, Cass

When
May 21, 3:33 PM CST
Where
Cass County, 4 mi S of West Line
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.583, -94.583

Hail accumulated to a depth of 4 inches.

Hail, Livingston

When
May 21, 3:35 PM CST
Where
Livingston County, 1 mi E of Farmersville
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.967, -93.517

Hail, Cass

When
May 21, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Cass County, 3 mi N of Drexel
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.533, -94.600

Hail, Bates

When
May 21, 3:50 PM CST
Where
Bates County, 5 mi W of Adrian
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.400, -94.450

Hail, Ray

When
May 21, 4:08 PM CST
Where
Ray County, Millville
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.400, -93.933

Hail, Ray

When
May 21, 4:13 PM CST
Where
Ray County, Hardin
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.267, -93.850

Hail, Grundy

When
May 21, 4:22 PM CST to 4:36 PM CST
Where
Grundy County, 2 mi N of Laredo
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
40.067, -93.450

Hail, Ray

When
May 21, 4:35 PM CST
Where
Ray County, Hardin
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.267, -93.850

Hail up to golfball size covered the ground.

Hail, Livingston

When
May 21, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Livingston County, 6 mi E of Chillicothe
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
39.800, -93.433

Tornado, Lafayette

When
May 21, 5:05 PM CST to 5:07 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County, 7 mi SE of Lexington
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
75 yd
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.117, -93.783

A tornado, witnessed by two citizens, destroyed several outbuildings and damaged the roof of an earth-contact home 7 miles southeast of Lexington, MO.

Hail, Bates

When
May 21, 5:07 PM CST
Where
Bates County, Rich Hill
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.100, -94.367

Hail, Lafayette

When
May 21, 5:07 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County, Higginsville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.083, -93.733

The same supercell storm that produced the tornado southeast of Lexington also produced dime to quarter size hail, which covered the ground in Higginsville.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When
May 21, 5:32 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County, 7 mi SW of Higginsville
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.017, -93.833

Highway Patrol officers estimated wind gusts up to 70 mph near mile marker 46 on Interstate 70.

Hail, Lafayette

When
May 21, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County, 10 mi S of Higginsville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
38.933, -93.733

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Missouri in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 2000Warnings in Missouri, May 2000

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5148061, 5148053, 5148136, 5148054, 5148056, 5148055, 5148062, 5148065, 5148063, 5148135, 5148058, 5148064, 5148057, 5148132, 5148052, 5148137, 5148059, 5148133, 5148134, 5148060.