Hail in Missouri, May 16, 2002

Name: Hail in Missouri, May 16, 2002
Start: 2002-05-16T19:34
End: 2002-05-16T19:52
Location: Missouri

May 16, 2002 · NWS PAH · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Dime to nickel size hail was reported with a storm that crossed Stoddard County.

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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 PAH wrote it up.

Dime to nickel size hail was reported with a storm that crossed Stoddard County.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 16, 1:00 PM CST, 6 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 1:00 PM CST, 6 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
200 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

12Z UA ANALYSIS SHOWED RIBBON OF H8 MOISTURE FM SRN PLAINS-UPR
MIDWEST...BEING TAPPED BY H5-H7 VORTS...EJECTING ACROSS MO. IR SHOTS
SHOW ONGOING CONVECTION EXTENDING FM CNTL MO BACK INTO SE KS ALONG
THIS RIBBON...WHERE H8 THETA-E RIDGE EXTENDS NORTH FM TX AND K
INDICES ARE IN 30-35 RANGE.

PRIMARY FORECAST CHALLENGE IS NOT SO MUCH HOW MUCH RAIN WILL FALL
BUT WHERE WILL IT BE HEAVIEST. MODELS ALL IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT
PRECURSING VORT WL RACE NE OUT AHEAD OF MCS TONIGHT...WHICH WL YIELD
SCT 1/4-1/2 AMOUNTS IN GENERAL THRU MIDNIGHT. THEN AFT MIDNIGHT...MCS
DEVELOPS IN PLAINS AND RACES EAST AS FRONT SAGS SOUTH INTO PAH
FA...LAYING OUT ROUGHLY ACROSS OH RIVER BY 12Z. CONVECTION SHOULD
THEN FOCUS ALONG BOUNDARY THRU THE DAY FRIDAY...WITH TOTAL QPF
RANGING FM 1-3 FA-WIDE. WHILE SOME MODEL DISCREPANCY
EXISTS...AVN/NGM SOLUTIONS PREFERRED WITH THEIR MORE SIMILAR COMMA
HEAD SHAPED DEVELOPMENT OF FRONTAL SYSTEM...THUS PAINTING HIGHEST
QPF POTENTIAL ACROSS THE SOUTH (SEMO-WKY).

WITH RIVERS ALREADY IN FLOOD...AND GROUNDS FAIRLY SATURATED FM
RECENT HEAVY RAINS...ITS PRETTY MUCH A NO BRAINER TO CONTINUE FLOOD
WATCH FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY.

WL KEEP LINGERING EARLY FRI NIGHT CHC...THEN CLEAR OUT AS DRY AIR
MOVES IN BEHIND DEPARTING FRONT. WEEKEND-EARLY NEXT WEEK STILL LOOKS
COOL/DRY...WITH BOTH FMR/MEX GUIDANCE TRENDING DOWN...SO WL TWEEK
TEMPS COOLER THRU DAY5...THEN REBOUND WED-THU AS UPR HIGH SHIFTS
EAST.

.PAH...FLOOD WATCH LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY ALL OF CWA.
HUMPHREY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 16, 4:00 PM CST, 3 hours 34 minutes before

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-100-
107>112-114-170000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
500 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

...HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA.

THREATS...
A HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS
HEAVY RAIN WOULD LIKELY INCREASE THE CURRENT FLOODING
PROBLEMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. IN
ADDITION...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR MUCH
OF THE AREA LATER TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THE SLIGHT RISK
AREA IS WEST OF A LINE FROM KENTUCKYS LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES...TO
MORGANFIELD KENTUCKY...TO MCLEANSBORO ILLINOIS. THE PRIMARY THREAT
FROM ANY SEVERE STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE LARGE HAIL OR
DAMAGING WINDS.

DISCUSSION...
A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MAKE ITS WAY SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE QUAD
STATE AREA TONIGHT. MOISTURE LEVELS...ALONG WITH UPPER LEVEL
DYNAMICS...WILL BE ON THE INCREASE WITH ITS APPROACH. SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THIS
EVENING. THE MAIN PERIOD OF CONCERN WILL START AROUND MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT AS THE FRONT PUSHES INTO THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA.
BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BE SOUTH AND
EAST OF THE REGION. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS AFTER
THE FRONT PASSES. SO...THE EXTREME NORTHERN SECTIONS MAY SEE THE
HEAVIEST RAIN TONIGHT...WHILE THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA WILL SEE THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL TOMORROW. RAINFALL AMOUNTS TONIGHT WILL LIKELY
AVERAGE 1 INCH OVER THE NORTHERN SECTIONS...WITH GENERALLY LESS THAN
AN INCH SOUTH.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTERS...ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH RAIN GAUGES...WILL BE NEEDED TO
HELP MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS.
SPOTTERS SHOULD ALSO REPORT ANY NEW ROAD CLOSURES DUE TO THE
RAINS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW.

OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY...
THE FLOOD WATCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. THERE IS ALSO A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING THE MORNING AND
EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN WILL THE MAIN
THREATS. AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE
DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY.

Special weather statement, May 16, 4:00 PM CST, 3 hours 34 minutes before

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-100-
107>112-114-170400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
500 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

CORRECTED FOR EXPIRATION TIME

...HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA.

THREATS...
A HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS
HEAVY RAIN WOULD LIKELY INCREASE THE CURRENT FLOODING
PROBLEMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. IN
ADDITION...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR MUCH
OF THE AREA LATER TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THE SLIGHT RISK
AREA IS WEST OF A LINE FROM KENTUCKYS LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES...TO
MORGANFIELD KENTUCKY...TO MCLEANSBORO ILLINOIS. THE PRIMARY THREAT
FROM ANY SEVERE STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE LARGE HAIL OR
DAMAGING WINDS.

DISCUSSION...
A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MAKE ITS WAY SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE QUAD
STATE AREA TONIGHT. MOISTURE LEVELS...ALONG WITH UPPER LEVEL
DYNAMICS...WILL BE ON THE INCREASE WITH ITS APPROACH. SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THIS
EVENING. THE MAIN PERIOD OF CONCERN WILL START AROUND MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT AS THE FRONT PUSHES INTO THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA.
BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BE SOUTH AND
EAST OF THE REGION. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS AFTER
THE FRONT PASSES. SO...THE EXTREME NORTHERN SECTIONS MAY SEE THE
HEAVIEST RAIN TONIGHT...WHILE THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA WILL SEE THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL TOMORROW. RAINFALL AMOUNTS TONIGHT WILL LIKELY
AVERAGE 1 INCH OVER THE NORTHERN SECTIONS...WITH GENERALLY LESS THAN
AN INCH SOUTH.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTERS...ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH RAIN GAUGES...WILL BE NEEDED TO
HELP MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS.
SPOTTERS SHOULD ALSO REPORT ANY NEW ROAD CLOSURES DUE TO THE
RAINS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW.

OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY...
THE FLOOD WATCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. THERE IS ALSO A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING THE MORNING AND
EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN WILL THE MAIN
THREATS. AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE
DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY.

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:33 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Stoddard

When: May 16, 7:34 PM CST
Where: Stoddard County, Puxico
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.950, -90.183

Hail, Stoddard

When: May 16, 7:52 PM CST
Where: Stoddard County, Bell City
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.033, -89.833

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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, May 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: 5295562, 5295563.