Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Missouri, July 10, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Missouri, July 10, 2002
Start: 2002-07-10T13:47
End: 2002-07-10T14:10
Location: Missouri

July 10, 2002 · NWS LSX · 5 events in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorm wind gusts caused scattered damage across the north half of Jefferson County. One home suffered roof damage in High Ridge.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 LSX wrote it up.

Thunderstorm wind gusts caused scattered damage across the north half of Jefferson County. One home suffered roof damage in High Ridge. Numerous trees were down in the Cedar Hill area and trees were also down on Highway 21 in Hillsboro. Numerous trees were also reported down in the Festus area. A lightning strike knocked out power to the Jefferson County Emergency Dispatch Center in Hillsboro. The power was out for about 10 minutes until authorities activated a backup system.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Jul 10, 1:00 PM CST, 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 10, 1:00 PM CST, 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
200 PM CDT WED JUL 10 2002

MSAS DATA FM 18Z INDICATES BEST SFC MSTR CNVGC LIES ACRS E CNTRL MO
AND E CNTRL KS WITH LIS <-7 S OF I-70.  LN OF STRNG-SVR TSTMS MOVG
ACRS CNTRL-E CNTRL MO ATTM.  ETA DRIVES MUCH DRIER AIR INTO NW MO
THIS EVE AND INTO THE CNTRL PTN OF THE STATE BY MIDN.  BLV THAT MOST
OF THE ACTIVITY WILL OCCUR THIS EVE WITH BTR MSTR AND INSTABILITY
AVBL.

MODELS FAIRLY SMLR IN HNDLG THE CLOSED H5 LOW THAT DROPS DWN INTO
THE AREA LTR THU.  THIS COUPLED WITH SGNFNT RTRN OF MSTR WITH ETA
FCSTG K INDICES IN THE MID 30S TO LWR 40S ACRS MUCH OF AREA.  ETAS
QPF AND MET POPS LOOK RNSBL AND WILL FOLLOW FAIRLY CLOSE.

IN THE EXTND PD, THE MRF, UKMET AND ECMWF ARE FAIRLY SMLR AT H5 FOR
SUN MRNG WITH LOW OVR SE MO AND HOT RDG ANCHORED OVR THE WRN U.S.
LOW FCST TO MEANDER ARND THE RGN INTO MID WEEK AS PTRN RMNS LOCKED
IN.

.STL...NONE

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 29 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:47 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 10, 1:47 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, High Ridge
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.467, -90.533

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 10, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Cedar Hill
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.350, -90.633

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 10, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Hillsboro
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.233, -90.567

Lightning, Jefferson

When: July 10, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Hillsboro
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.261, -90.538 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 10, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Festus
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.233, -90.400

What these are

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.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Missouri in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, July 2002

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: 5304373, 5304374, 5304456, 5304458, 5304457.