Tornado in Missouri, May 6, 2003

Name: Tornado in Missouri, May 6, 2003
Start: 2003-05-06T09:10
End: 2003-05-06T09:10
Location: Missouri

May 6, 2003 · NWS SGF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Local law enforcement officials observed a brief tornado touch down south of the community of Gerster. No property damage was noted, however, several trees were downed from the event.

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.

Local law enforcement officials observed a brief tornado touch down south of the community of Gerster. No property damage was noted, however, several trees were downed from the event.

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, 2:49 AM CST, 6 hours 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 2:49 AM CST, 6 hours 21 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
349 AM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

...SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER ONCE AGAIN POSSIBLE...

HARD TO BELIEVE...BUT YET ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER
OUTBREAK IS POSSIBLE TODAY INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. LATEST MESOETA
FORECASTS CAPES TO BE BETWEEN 4500 AND 5000 J/KG OVER SE KANSAS AND
FAR SOUTHWEST MO THIS AFTERNOON AS SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY SEEN IN WATER
VAPOR IMAGERY OVER NM MOVES EASTWARD INTO THE AREA. SRH IN THE 300
TO 400 RANGE...WITH DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS OF 10 TO 15 F. CAPES ARE
NEARLY DOUBLE WHAT WE SAW SUNDAY...WHILE SRH IS JUST OVER HALF OF
SUNDAYS 5 PM SGF LAUNCH. LCL HEIGHTS OF 5500 FT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY
HIGHER THAN SUNDAYS 2200 FT VALUES...A NEGATIVE TOWARDS
TORNADOES...BUT MAY LOWER TO AROUND 4000 TOWARDS EVENING. HUGE CAPES
AND HIGH SRH VALUES SURELY WILL BE ENOUGH FOR SUPERCELLS. WHILE
HIGHER LCL HEIGHTS SUGGEST ENVIRONMENT MAY NOT BE AS FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AS WE SAW SUNDAY...COMPARISON TO THAT EXTREME EVENT MAY
UNDER EMPHASIZE THE RISK. ENVIRONMENT IS STILL UNUSUALLY UNSTABLE
FOR THIS AREA...WITH VERY HIGH SRH OVER A LARGE AREA. MODERATE RISK
WARRANTED AND WILL HIT HARD IN THE HWO AND ALL OTHER APPROPRIATE
PRODUCTS.

ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD AS
WEST COAST LONGWAVE SEEMS TO HAVE CONTINUOUS SOURCE OF SHORTWAVES TO
RELOAD AND EJECT. A BREAK MAY COME WEDNESDAY AS SURFACE BOUNDARY IS
PUSHED SOUTH INTO ARKANSAS. THIS WILL BE VERY TEMPORARY HOWEVER...AS
STRONG SHORTWAVE EJECTS OUT WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...FIRING
OFF CONVECTION...POSSIBLY AN MCS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND LARGE
HAIL...ALONG THE 850 MB BOUNDARY WEDNESDAY NIGHT VERY NEAR US. THIS
WILL MOVE OFF TO THE EAST EARLY THURSDAY MORNING JUST IN TIME FOR
THE ATMOSPHERE TO DESTABILIZE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. MORE SEVERE
WEATHER LIKELY WITH THIS FEATURE THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

BOUNDARY TO LINGER ACROSS REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY
NEXT WEEK...SO GOING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES SEEM REASONABLE. AM NOT
CONFIDENT ENOUGH ABOUT TIMING OF CONVECTION TO REMOVE PRECIP FROM
ANY SPECIFIC PERIOD IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST.

.SGF...
MO...NONE.
KS...NONE.

BROWNING

Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 4:47 AM CST, 4 hours 23 minutes before

KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-061800-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
547 AM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

  WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED:

  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING:

  VERY LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH
  ISOLATED TORNADOES

  AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING:

  SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST MISSOURI AFTER 1 PM...SOUTH CENTRAL
  MISSOURI AFTER 4 PM.

  DISCUSSION:

  A VERY WARM AND MOIST AIR MASS WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION THIS
  AFTERNOON AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES FROM THE
  WEST. THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP VERY RAPIDLY EARLY THIS
  AFTERNOON OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE.
  ALTHOUGH WINDS ALOFT ARE NOT AS STRONG AS WAS SEEN ON
  SUNDAY...VERY FAVORABLE DIRECTIONAL WIND SHEAR...OR TURNING OF THE
  WIND WITH HEIGHT...WILL LIKELY CAUSE THE STORMS TO BECOME LONG
  LIVED SUPERCELLS. EXTREME INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED THIS
  AFTERNOON...CREATING EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG UPDRAFTS WHICH WILL BE
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS.
  WITH SUCH STRONG TURNING OF THE WIND WITH HEIGHT...TORNADOES ARE
  ALSO POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

  AFTER A BRIEF BREAK ON WEDNESDAY...THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN
  BECOME LIKELY WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. THE CHANCE FOR STORMS
  WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON INTO
  THIS EVENING.

&&

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

BROWNING

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 6, 7:29 AM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
829 AM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

0825 AM    SPRINGFIELD               MO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/03   GREENE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

Local storm report, May 6, 7:54 AM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
854 AM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

0853 AM    RICHARDS                  MO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/03   VERNON                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

Local storm report, May 6, 8:27 AM CST, 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
927 AM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

0853 AM    3 E DEERFIELD             MO   1 INCH HAIL
05/06/03   VERNON                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

Local storm report, May 6, 8:30 AM CST, 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
930 AM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

0930 AM    SCHELL CITY               MO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/06/03   VERNON                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

Local storm report, May 6, 8:41 AM CST, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
941 AM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

0940 AM    2 S TABERVILLE            MO   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/06/03   ST.CLAIR                       REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

Local storm report, May 6, 9:06 AM CST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1006 AM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

1006 AM    OSCEOLA                   MO   1 INCH HAIL
05/06/03   ST.CLAIR                       REPORTED BY MEDIA.

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, St. Clair

When: May 6, 9:10 AM CST
Where: St. Clair County, 2 mi SW of Gerster
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.933, -93.617

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: 5358528.