A classic supercell thunderstorm moved out of southern Labette County, Kansas and into southwest Cherokee County, Kansas. Intermittent, brief tornado touch downs were observed from storm spotters in rural sections of southeast Labette County, however, the storm eventually produced a long lived tornado that initially touched down north of Melrose.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS SGF wrote it up.
A classic supercell thunderstorm moved out of southern Labette County, Kansas and into southwest Cherokee County, Kansas. Intermittent, brief tornado touch downs were observed from storm spotters in rural sections of southeast Labette County, however, the storm eventually produced a long lived tornado that initially touched down north of Melrose. This feature then progressed through rural areas of central and east central Cherokee County. This large and destructive tornado is accountable for 19 injuries and three fatalities, before moving into Jasper County, Missouri. Julie Green age 50, was eating supper in her home a few miles southeast of Columbus when the tornado struck. She was thrown about one quarter of a mile southeast of the home in a field where she deceased.Charles Ross Jr. age 80 and Phyllis Ross age 73, lived in a frame home about five miles east of Crestline near the Kansas-Missouri state line. After deciding not to leave their home to seek shelter away from the path of the tornado, the tornado struck their location. The couple were deceased from flying debris.
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 4, 4:08 PM CST, 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED LAST LINE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 508 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003 ...MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE DISCUSSION... SUPERCELL OVER LABETTE COUNTY KANSAS AND ANOTHER OVER NOWATA COUNTY WILL BE MOVING INTO THE FAR SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF OUR CWA WITHIN ABOUT AN HOUR. SKIES HAVE CLEARED OVER EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSOURI AND THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BECOME VERY UNSTABLE. 0-1KM HELICITIES OF 150-300 M2/S2 OVER THE AREA...0-3KM CAPE OF OVER 100 J/KG AND INCREASING RAPIDLY NOW THAT SUN HAS EMERGED. THE POTENTIAL FOR LONG TRACKED AND STRONG TORNADOES IS VERY HIGH WEST OF AN OSCEOLA...TO SPRINGFIELD...TO BRANSON LINE. SUPERCELL MOVING OUT OF CRAWFORD COUNTY CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO AN ENVIRONMENT FAVORABLE FOR CONTINUED TORNADO PRODUCTION...AND STRONG, LONG TRACKED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE WITH THAT CELL AS WELL AS IT MOVES THROUGH BARTON COUNTY. UNCONFIRMED REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IS NOW BEING REPORTED WITH THE TORNADO IN CRAWFORD. .SGF... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. IZZI
KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-051100-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
100 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003
...OUTBREAK OF VIOLENT THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOS LIKELY THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME
SOUTHEAST KANSAS.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED:
NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING...
VERY LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH
TORNADOS...INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL OF STRONG
AND PARTICULARLY DAMAGING TORNADOS
AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING:
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING WEST OF AN OSCEOLA TO NEOSHO LINE
AS EARLY AS 2 PM...AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 65 BETWEEN 3
AND 5 PM...AND AREAS BETWEEN 65 AND HIGHWAY 63 BETWEEN 4 AND 6 PM.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF THE OUTLOOK
AREA UNTIL 6 PM.
DISCUSSION:
CLOUD COVER WILL DECREASE THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON AND ALLOW FOR
STRONG SURFACE HEATING. A HUMID AND VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS IS
FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON. A POWERFUL
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DRAG A DRYLINE INTO THE WESTERN PORTIONS
OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON. GIVEN THE EXTREMELY FAVORABLE
AND STRONG WINDS ALOFT...AND THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY FORECAST TO
BE PRESENT...EXPLOSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS
ANTICIPATED BY EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON OVER THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF
THE OUTLOOK AREA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEN MOVE RAPIDLY
EASTWARD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE OUTLOOK AREA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY BECOME FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS THIS
AFTERNOON AS SURFACE DEWPOINTS SURGE WELL INTO THE 60S TO NEAR 70
DEGREES. LARGE AND DAMAGING HAIL...DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE
WINDS...AND TORNADOS...INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW LONG
LIVED AND PARTICULARLY DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOS.
THE WEATHER SITUATION WILL LIKELY EVOLVE VERY RAPIDLY WITH STORMS
DEVELOPING BY 2 PM. ONCE STORMS DEVELOP THEY WILL INTENSIFY
RAPIDLY...BECOMING SEVERE AND POSSIBLY TORNADIC WITH IN AN HOUR OF
INITIATION. PERSONS OVER THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK SHOULD TAKE TIME NOW
TO REVIEW TORNADO SAFETY RULES AND BE READY TO REACT QUICKLY IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
THIS IS POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THOSE IN THE
OUTLOOK AREA ARE URGED TO REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES AND
TO LISTEN TO RADIO AND TELEVISION AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED AS EARLY AS 2 PM OVER WESTERN
PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA...AND BETWEEN 2 PM AND MIDNIGHT FOR
THE REMAINDER OF THE OUTLOOK AREA.
&&
THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE IN GRAPHICAL FORMAT...ALONG WITH OTHER
WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...AT
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/SGF
IZZIKSZ073-097-101-MOZ055-066>068-077>079-088>090-093>095-101>103-050000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - TORNADO WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 1241 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 31...IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING. THIS TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN MISSOURI: BARRY...BARTON...BENTON...CEDAR...CHRISTIAN...DADE...GREENE... HICKORY...JASPER...LAWRENCE...MCDONALD...NEWTON...POLK...ST. CLAIR... STONE AND VERNON. IN KANSAS: BOURBON...CHEROKEE AND CRAWFORD. SOME CITIES IN THIS TORNADO WATCH INCLUDE BOLIVAR...FORT SCOTT... JOPLIN...MONETT...MOUNT VERNON...NEOSHO...NEVADA...OZARK... PITTSBURG...SPRINGFIELD AND STOCKTON. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL... AND DAMAGING WINDS...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. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/SGF OR AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV. IZZI
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
443 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0438 PM 4 NW MC CUNE KS TORNADO
05/04/03 CRAWFORD REPORTED BY ICT WX.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
502 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0438 PM 4 NW MC CUNE KS TORNADO
05/04/03 CRAWFORD REPORTED BY ICT WX.
0500 PM GIRARD KS TORNADO
05/04/03 CRAWFORD REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
536 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0530 PM LIBERAL MO TORNADO
05/04/03 BARTON REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.The Tulsa radar (KINX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:46 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Cherokee | 2003-05-04 | 50 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Tornado, Cherokee | 2003-05-04 | 80 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Tornado, Cherokee | 2003-05-04 | 73 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2003Warnings in Kansas, May 2003
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: 5358085.