Lightning Strike in Missouri, May 7, 2002

Name: Lightning Strike in Missouri, May 7, 2002
Start: 2002-05-07T03:00
End: 2002-05-07T03:00
Location: Missouri

May 7, 2002 · NWS SGF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck a three-bedroom house near Rolla, Missouri. Fire completely destroyed the second floor while the first floor was heavily damaged.

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.

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: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 SGF wrote it up.

Lightning struck a three-bedroom house near Rolla, Missouri. Fire completely destroyed the second floor while the first floor was heavily damaged.

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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 6, 1:00 PM CST, 14 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 1:00 PM CST, 14 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
200 PM CDT MON MAY 6 2002

FORECAST CONCERNS: PRECIPITATION CHANCES TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AND TEMPERATURES.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVED THROUGH CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS
MORNING...AND PRODUCED AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDED FROM
EMPORIA KANSAS TO SPRINGFIELD THIS AFTERNOON. NOTHING HAD FORMED ON
THAT BOUNDARY...YET.  SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALSO MOVED
THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS MORNING...PRODUCING MARGINALLY
SEVERE HAIL. TEMPERATURES REMAINED IN THE 60S ACROSS CENTRAL
MISSOURI...WITH A GUSTY SOUTH WIND AND READINGS NEAR 80 SOUTH OF THE
BOUNDARY FROM CHANUTE TO JOPLIN. 18Z SOUNDING FROM SPRINGFIELD HAS A
MINIMAL CAPPING INVERSION (0.7C).

PARAMETERS COMING TOGETHER FOR A DOUBLE BARREL WEATHER EVENT
TONIGHT: SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS
EVENING...NEAR THE OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. MODERATE RISK FOR
NORTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA PER STORM PREDICTION
CENTER LOOKS REASONABLE...STRONG 850 MB THETA E CONVERGENCE AT 00Z
OVER EAST CENTRAL KANSAS/WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI HELPING TO INITIATE
THE STORMS.

OVERNIGHT...A THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL DEVELOP IN EASTERN KANSAS
AND MOVE EAST ACROSS CENTRAL MISSOURI. SEVERAL OTHER AREAS OF 850 MB
THETA E CONVERGENCE MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL MISSOURI OVERNIGHT.
PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES APPROACHING 2.00 INCHES ARE INDICATED
ACROSS CENTRAL MISSOURI. WILL HOIST A FLOOD WATCH FOR CENTRAL
MISSOURI TONIGHT.

WATERS BECOME MUDDIER TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BOTH DAYS. STRONGER AREA OF 850 MB THETA E
CONVERGENCE INDICATED OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS BY 00Z WEDNESDAY. LOW
CHANCE POPS WARRANTED...SINCE BULK OF THE ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY BE TO
OUR NORTH. LINE OF STORMS THEN WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...ALONG COLD FRONT. HAVE ALSO BUMPED UP TEMPERATURES
WEDNESDAY WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WIND AND PARTIAL SUNSHINE.

NOT MUCH CHANGE TO THE EXTENDED: ADDED A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AND MONDAY...ALTHOUGH EXTENDED MODELS ARE NOT
IN AGREEMENT. 240 HOUR MRF 500 MB HEIGHTS LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO THE
00 HOUR INITIALIZATION. LOOKS LIKE THE HEART OF THE SPRING SEVERE
WEATHER SEASON IS UPON US.

THANKS TO NDFD WFOS FOR IM COORDINATION.

PRELIMINARY ISC GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT.
FCSTID = 8
SGF   64  79  64  83 /  70  30  30  40
JLN   68  82  66  85 /  70  30  30  40
UNO   64  79  64  82 /  70  30  30  40
VIH   64  78  64  84 /  70  30  30  40
AIZ   64  78  64  84 /  70  30  30  40

.SGF...
MO...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES
MOZ055>058...MOZ066>071...MOZ077>081...MOZ083...MOZ089.

KS...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES KSZ073...KSZ097.

SUTTON

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 7, 12:58 AM CST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
158 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0140 AM    COLE CAMP                 MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/02   BENTON                         TREES DOWN INTO POWER
                                          LINES. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0147 AM    5 NE WARSAW               MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/02   BENTON                         ROOF DAMAGED TO A HOME
                                          AND TREES DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0155 AM    VERSAILLES                MO   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/07/02   MORGAN                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, May 7, 1:06 AM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...AMMENDED TO INCLUDE DAMAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
206 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0155 AM    VERSAILLES                MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/02   MORGAN                         TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, May 7, 1:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
230 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0204 AM    WHEATLAND                 MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/02   HICKORY                        ROOF BLOWN OFF HOME
                                          NEAR WHEATLAND.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0205 AM    5 N CAMDENTON             MO   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/07/02   CAMDEN                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Special weather statement, May 7, 1:44 AM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

MOZ096>098-105-106-071300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
244 AM CDT TUE MAY 7 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NUMBER 246...IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 AM CDT TUESDAY MORNING. THIS SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN MISSOURI:

DOUGLAS...HOWELL...OREGON...OZARK AND SHANNON.

SOME CITIES IN THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDE AVA AND WEST
PLAINS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING
WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
WHILE SEVERE WEATHER MAY NOT BE IMMINENT...PERSONS SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS...AND LISTEN FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

Local storm report, May 7, 2:18 AM CST, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...AMMENDED FOR LATER REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
318 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0147 AM    WARSAW                    MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/02   BENTON                         ROOF DAMAGED TO A HOME
                                          AND TREES DOWN.  ALSO,
                                          9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
                                          WARSAW AT THE
                                          INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY
                                          AND M...MOBILE HOMES
                                          DAMAGED. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, May 7, 2:53 AM CST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
353 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0235 AM    LEBANON                   MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/02   LACLEDE                        TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0311 AM    ROLLA                     MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/07/02   PHELPS                         TREES, BILL BOARD AND
                                          TRACTOR TRAILER
                                          DAMAGED.  TIME
                                          ESTIMATED. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 133 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Phelps

When: May 7, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Phelps County, Rolla
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.877, -91.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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, 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: 5299429.