Damaging Wind in Missouri, July 12, 2003

Name: Damaging Wind in Missouri, July 12, 2003
Start: 2003-07-12T03:15
End: 2003-07-12T03:15
Location: Missouri

July 12, 2003 · NWS SGF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Several trees were downed from thunderstorm wind gusts across rural sections of western Polk 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: 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.

Several trees were downed from thunderstorm wind gusts across rural sections of western Polk 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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 11, 10:40 PM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 11, 10:40 PM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

MESOSCALE FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1140 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2003

.DISCUSSION...
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS/SATELLITE/WIND PROFILERS CONTINUE TO INDICATE
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG AN 85H THETA-E RIDGE AXIS
ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI. WIND PROFILERS OVER NORTHERN OKLAHOMA AND
SOUTHEAST KANSAS ARE ALSO SHOWING AN SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE LOW
LEVEL JET FROM THE SOUTHWEST...WHICH IS IMPENDING UPON SOUTHERN
MISSOURI. 25H JET MAX OF 70K WAS ALSO MOVING INTO THE AREA WHICH IS
LIKELY SUPPORTING ADDITIONAL UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION. TRAINING OF
CELLS IN PHELPS AND DENT COUNTIES HAS ALREADY PROMPTED A FLASH FLOOD
WARNING IN THESE AREAS...AND ADDITIONAL TRAINING OF STORMS WILL
LIKELY AFFECT A PORTION OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI OVERNIGHT.

LATEST RUC/LAPS INFORMATION ALSO SHOW MOISTURE ADVECTION OVER
SOUTHERN MISSOURI THROUGH AT LEAST 12Z...WITH A SLOW PROGRESSION TO
THE SOUTH OVERNIGHT. DEEP MOISTURE WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES IN
EXCESS OF 1.75 INCHES WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT OF FLOODING
OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS THAT RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL FRIDAY
EVENING.

&&

.SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.MO...NONE.
.KS...NONE.

JLT

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 11, 9:25 PM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes before

KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-121100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1025 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME
SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...OVERNIGHT.

  WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED:

  NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...SCATTERED STORMS MAY
  CONTAIN:
    HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS.
    WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS 60 MPH.

  LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF AN INCH.

  AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING:

  SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG A STRONG
  MOISTURE AXIS LINE FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS...EASTWARD THROUGH
  SOUTHERN MISSOURI DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE SEVERE HAIL AND
  HIGH WIND EVENT WILL LIKELY DIMINISH BY 1 AM...HOWEVER...THE
  THREAT OF FLOODING WILL INCREASE OVERNIGHT AS RAINFALL WILL LIKELY
  CONTINUE OVER THE SAME AREAS THAT RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL FRIDAY
  EVENING.

  DISCUSSION:

  A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE
  MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TONIGHT. AS THE DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE AREA
  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP...ESPECIALLY ALONG A DEVELOP
  LOW LEVEL JET AND THETA-E RIDGE AXIS LINE OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI.

  IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE THREAT...SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
  CONTAIN HEAVY RAINFALL. AT THIS TIME CONDITIONS DO NOT FAVOR AN
  SIGNIFICANT FLOODING EVENT...BUT ISOLATED FLOODING IS LIKELY AS
  THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOW LEVEL JET BECOMES MORE PRONOUNCED
  OVERNIGHT. SOME LOCATIONS COULD SEE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2
  INCHES TONIGHT...WITH ISOLATED THREE TO FOUR INCH AMOUNTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

  THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO STALL OUT OVER SOUTHERN
  MISSOURI TOMORROW. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED
  ALONG THE BOUNDARY DURING THE DAY TOMORROW. IT IS UNCLEAR HOW
  TONIGHTS THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CLOUD COVER AND SUBSEQUENT
  INSTABILITY...HOWEVER IF THE ATMOSPHERE DOES DESTABILIZE...WIND
  FIELDS WILL REMAIN SUPPORTIVE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE
  HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS AGAIN ON SATURDAY.

  THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS
  YET ANOTHER DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE REGION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY THROUGH 3 AM OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN
  MISSOURI.

&&

THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE IN GRAPHICAL FORMAT...ALONG WITH OTHER
WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...AT
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/SGF

JLT

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 12, 2:45 AM CST, 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
345 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

0340 AM    WALNUT GROVE              MO   1 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   GREENE                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

Local storm report, Jul 12, 3:03 AM CST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
403 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

0355 AM    SPRINGFIELD               MO   FLOOD
07/12/03   GREENE                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
                                          WATER ACROSS SOME ROADS
                                          IN THE WEST PORTION OF
                                          SPRINGFIELD.

Local storm report, Jul 12, 3:04 AM CST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
404 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

0400 AM    WILLARD                   MO   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   GREENE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

Local storm report, Jul 12, 3:12 AM CST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
412 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

0411 AM    JOPLIN                    MO   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   JASPER                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, Jul 12, 3:14 AM CST, 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
414 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

0414 AM    SPRINGFIELD               MO   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   GREENE                         REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.  HAIL AT SMSU.

Local storm report, Jul 12, 3:15 AM CST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
415 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

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

0415 AM    CASSVILLE                 MO   .75 INCH HAIL
07/12/03   BARRY                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 12, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Polk County, 8 mi WSW of Bolivar
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 37.567, -93.550

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Missouri in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, July 2003

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: 5373146.