Tornado in Missouri, May 10, 2003

Name: Tornado in Missouri, May 10, 2003
Start: 2003-05-10T17:08
End: 2003-05-10T17:34
Location: Missouri

May 10, 2003 · NWS LSX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: 6
Property damage: $5.0 million
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 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 May 10, 4:00 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 4:00 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
500 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

DLYD DISC DUE TO WX.  LAST HURRAH FOR SVR WX FOR A FEW DAYS WL BE
THIS EVNG AS STG S/W ALFT AND ITS ASSOC SPEED MAX AND A DRYLN AT THE
SFC INTERACTS WITH MOIST UNSTABLE AMS ACRS MO AND IL.

DRYLN AND CDFNT...WHICH IS TRAILING JUST BHND IT...WL MERGE ERL THIS
EVNG OVR WRN MO AND THEN THIS FEATURE WL TRACK RPDLY EWD THRU
FA...CLRG STL AREA BFR 06Z AND CLEARING RMNDR OF FA IN IL SHORTLY
AFT 06Z.

COOLER AND DRIER AIR WL THEN PUSH IN BHND WOUND-UP SFC LO TRACKING
TO THE N.  LEANED TWDS WRMR FWC TEMPS...ESP NRN HALF...DUE TO CLDNSS
BLDG IN AND WELL MIXED LWR AMS.

MUCH COOLER TEMPS WL THEN PREVAIL FOR NXT COUPLE DAYS.  SC CLD
SHIELD WL DOMINATE NRN HALF OF FA ON SUN.  SFC WNDS WL BE RATHER STG
AND MENTIONED HIR GUSTS PSBL.  WELL MECH MIXED LWR AMS WL PROVIDE DP
MIXING LYR DESPITE NWLY SFC WNDS/ASSOC CAA/CLDNSS...AND GUIDANCE
TEMPS LOOKED OK.

WNDS WL GRAD SUBSIDE OVR NXT 24HRS HDG INTO SUN NGT/MON...WITH RDG
FINALY BLDG IN ON MON NGT.  NO PROBLEM WITH GUIDANCE MINS.
HOWEVER...WENT WITH MAV/MET BLEND ON MON MAX TEMPS AS FWC LOOKED TO
WRM.

ON EXTDD PD...KEPT PCPN CHCS THE SAME...AS FULLY AGREED WITH NCEP
THINKING THAT 00Z GFS/MRF WAS TOO STG AND AGGRESSIVE IN BRINGING IN
CLOSED UPR LO INTO MID MS VLY ON WED.  INSTEAD FLWD MORE PROGRESSIVE
ECMWF AND THE TRENDING MORE PROGRESSIVE 12Z GFS/MRF...WHICH HAS PCPN
CHCS ON WED/THU.  ANOTR SRN STRM S/W MAY IMPACT FA ON SAT...BUT HAVE
PLENTY OF TIME TO WATCH THIS...AND FOR NOW LOOKS TO PASS MOSTLY TO
OUR S.  HAVE LEFT SAT FCST DRY ATTM.

.STL...FLOOD WATCH ENTIRE CWA TNGT.
       TORNADO WATCH #338 TIL 00Z NE AND CNTRL MO
       TORNADO WATCH #342 TIL 02Z SE MO AND FAR SRN IL
TES

Hazardous weather outlook, May 10, 11:30 AM CST, 5 hours 38 minutes before

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-111200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1230 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

...SIGNIFICANT OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INCLUDING TORNADOES
EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSOURI
AND WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE
ENTIRE REGION INCLUDING QUINCY...HANNIBAL...JEFFERSON CITY...
COLUMBIA...THE ST LOUIS METRO AREA...CARLINVILLE...CENTRALIA...
SALEM...CHESTER AND FARMINGTON.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH
THIS AFTERNOON...WITH THE CONTINUED POTENTIAL THAT THESE STORMS
COULD BECOME SEVERE.  THE GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL
OCCUR AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON
AS WELL AS EASTERN MISSOURI AND ADJACENT PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS THIS EVENING.

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THE POTENTIAL THAT A
FEW OF THESE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LARGE AND DAMAGING
TORNADOES...HAIL LARGER THAN BASEBALL SIZE...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  IN ADDITION...THE ENTIRE AREA REMAINS UNDER A
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT.

REMAIN ALERT AND STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AS WELL AS
COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

AFTER A REST SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THERE IS A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM
MOVES INTO THE MIDWEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

REPORTS FROM SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN GREATLY APPRECIATED DURING THE PAST
WEEK.  SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND
THIS EVENING.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT...
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LSX (ALL LOWER CASE)

BRITT

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 10, 4:37 PM CST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
537 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

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

0530 PM    3NW CLARENCE              MO   TORNADO
05/10/03   SHEBLY                         REPORTED BY SEVERE
                                          WEATHER SPOTTERS.

Local storm report, May 10, 4:45 PM CST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
545 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

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

0525 PM    4N CLARENCE               MO   TORNADO
05/10/03   SHEBLY                         REPORTED BY SEVERE
                                          WEATHER SPOTTERS.

0535 PM    3NE EDINA                 MO   TORNADO
05/10/03   KNOX                           REPORTED BY KNOX COUNTY
                                          SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT.

Local storm report, May 10, 4:52 PM CST, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
552 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

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

0545 PM    5N BETHEL                 MO   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/10/03   SHEBLY                         REPORTED BY SEVERE
                                          WEATHER SPOTTERS.

Local storm report, May 10, 4:57 PM CST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
557 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

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

0550 PM    STEFFENVILLE              MO   0.88 INCH HAIL
05/10/03   LEWIS                          REPORTED BY SEVERE
                                          WEATHER SPOTTERS.

Local storm report, May 10, 5:01 PM CST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
601 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

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

0555 PM    ROCHEPORT                 MO   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/10/03   BOONE                          REPORTED BY BOONE COUNTY
                                          SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT.

Local storm report, May 10, 5:07 PM CST, 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
607 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2003

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

0555 PM    2W STEFFENVILLE           MO   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/10/03   LEWIS

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 169 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Lewis

When: May 10, 5:08 PM CST to 5:34 PM CST
Where: Lewis County, 4 mi SE of Steffenville
Rating: F2
Path length: 20 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $5.0 million
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 39.933, -91.833

A tornado formed just north of the Marion Lewis County line and continued northeast for 20 miles, eventually causing major damage in the city of Canton. The tornado first formed southeast of Steffenville where it damaged a barn and other outbuildings. Six homes suffered varying degrees of roof damage as the tornado crossed Highway N south of Ewing. The tornado crossed Highway 6 southeast of Ewing and damaged an electric substation. From Highway CC north to Highway P, about 20 homes and farm buildings suffered varying degrees of roof, siding and window damage. Numerous large trees were either uprooted or snapped off near the ground as well. The tornado crossed Highway 61 just southeast of Canton where it blew two tractor trailers off the road. Two men suffered minor injuries. The tornado then entered Canton about 630 pm. Information from Emergency Management personnel and city officials in Canton revealed 75-100 structures damaged with at least 40 receiving major damage. At Culver-Stockton College on the southeast side of town, the field house was flattened and another two story building lost its roof. Several very large trees on the campus were uprooted or snapped off near the ground. Four mobile homes on the north side of town were destroyed with four others suffering major damage. There were only 4 minor injuries reported in Canton.

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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 The tornado archive for Missouri, 2003 Warnings in Missouri, May 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: 5358865.