1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 24, 2:30 AM CST, 19 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED FOR DATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 330 AM CDT MON MAY 24 2004 .DISCUSSION... THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA IS IN A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS TODAY, AND THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA IS OUTLOOKED FOR EXCESSIVE RAIN POTENTIAL BY THE HPC FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A FLOOD WATCH WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. COUNTIES ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER WILL HAVE THE WATCH LINGER THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK (STLHWOEAX) WILL BE STRONGLY WORDED FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TORNADOES NORTH OF KANSAS CITY TO KIRKSVILLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ACCORDING TO LATEST SURFACE PLOTS, THE FRONT THAT PUSHED THROUGH NORTHERN MISSOURI YESTERDAY AFTERNOON HAS BEGUN TO BULGE NORTHWARD IN KANSAS. THE NORTHWARD MOVEMENT HAS BEEN PROMPTED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW LEVEL JET OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THE MOVEMENT AND ULTIMATE DESTINATION OF THE WARM FRONT WILL BE A CRITICAL MATTER TODAY. THE 00 UTC MODELS PLACE THE WARM FRONT FROM FAIRBURY, NEBRASKA TO NEAR KIRKSVILLE BY LATE AFTERNOON. CONVECTIVE INITIATION WILL LIKELY BE QUITE EARLY (18Z-20Z) THIS AFTERNOON OVER SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND NORTHEAST KANSAS NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF THE DRYLINE AND WARM FRONT. 700MB TEMPERATURES OVER WEST TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO WERE ONLY 10 TO 12C AT 00Z, NOT WARM ENOUGH TO BUILD A SIGNIFICANT CAP TODAY OVER THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. ONCE STORMS IGNITE, THEY WILL BECOME SEVERE VERY QUICKLY. 500MB WINDS APPROACHING 50KTS AND A LOW LEVEL JET (850MB) EXCEEDING 35KTS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO VERY HIGH VALUES OF STORM RELATIVE HELICITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT. THE SPC MAKES MENTION OF THE POSSIBILITY OF VIOLENT TORNADOES IN THEIR 6Z DISCUSSION GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE OF SHEAR AND INSTABILITY BY LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE REGION MOST UNDER THE GUN THIS AFTERNOON FOR TORNADOES IN MY ESTIMATION WILL BE FROM SAINT JOSEPH TO CHILLICOTHE TO PRINCETON. BY THE EVENING, AS THE LOW LEVEL JET VEERS, I ANTICIPATE STORMS THAT WILL CONGEAL INTO A DAMAGING BOW ECHO WITH EYES SET ON NORTHEAST MISSOURI. FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE FOR NEARLY ALL COUNTIES IN THE PLEASANT HILL FORECAST AREA IS AT OR BELOW 2 INCHES. SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SEVERE STORMS WILL LIKELY DUMP HEAVY RAINS THIS EVENING OVER NORTHERN MISSOURI. AS OUTFLOW FROM THESE STORMS PUSHES THE FOCUS FURTHER SOUTH, STORMS INITIATING IN EASTERN KANSAS WILL LIKELY TRAIN OVER THE MISSOURI RIVER THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. KOCH .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... 300 PM CDT SUN... CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE THE THREAT OF CONVECTION THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THE COLD FRONT ACROSS THE EXTREME PORTION OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON IS EXPECTED TO BECOME STATIONARY ALONG THE MO/ARK BORDER TONIGHT WITH WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT ON THE 305-310 THETA SURFACES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST ZONES BY DAYBREAK. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH ELEVATED INSTABILITY PRESENT. A FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL. THE WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL CONTINUE DURING THE MORNING HOURS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA WITH SMALL HAIL POSSIBLE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL QUICKLY MOVE EAST OUT OF THE CWA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. CONCERN SHIFTS TO A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER THREAT LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY NIGHT. SHORTWAVE ENTERING THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS WILL INITIATE CYCLOGENESIS IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS...ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS...WITH THE WARM FRONT PLACEMENT CRITICAL BY LATE AFTERNOON. MESOETA SUGGESTS THAT THE WARM FRONT WILL BE LOCATED NEAR OMA TO A LITTLE SOUTH OF DSM WITH THE GFS FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS NORTHWEST MISSOURI. AT THE CURRENT TIME...PREFER PLACEMENT OF THE MESOETA GIVEN STRONG LLJ AND STRONG PRESSURE FALLS IN NEBRASKA AHEAD OF NORTHERN PLAINS UPPER TROUGH. VERY HIGH INSTABILITY WILL EXISTS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT IN NORTHWEST MISSOURI ALONG WITH STRONG SFC-6KM SHEAR OF 45-50KTS. AFTERNOON HEATING EXPECTED TO TRIGGER SUPERCELLS IN THE VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT...AS PER HODOGRAPHS...AND MAY TRACK INTO EXTREME NORTHWEST MISSOURI DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENING HOURS. ONLY FLY IN THE OINTMENT IS WHETHER AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY WILL EXIST FROM MORNING CONVECTION IN THE CWA. HAVE DOUBTS THAT EXTENT OF CONVECTION MONDAY MORNING WILL PRODUCE AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. HOWEVER IT IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. IF BOUNDARY DOES EXISTS ACROSS THE CWA...THREAT OF SUPERCELLS WILL INCREASE. OTHERWISE...AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST MONDAY NIGHT...THE FRONT WILL BEGIN A GRADUAL TRACK SOUTHEAST INTO THE CWA. UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND PROFILES...MODEST SFC-3KM SHEAR AND INSTABILITY PARAMETERS SUGGEST THAT AN MCS WILL DEVELOP AND TRACK EAST SOUTHEAST. PREFER THE MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY AS PER THE GFS AS THE MESOETA APPEARS TOO WEAK. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREATS. HOWEVER...CORFIDI VECTORS SUGGESTS THAT TEMPORARY TRAINING OF ECHOES MAY OCCUR ALONG THE SLOW MOVING FRONT. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE QUITE HIGH AND WITH FLASH FLOOD/HEADWATER GUIDANCE VALUES LOW...FLASH FLOODING/FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY. WILL ISSUE HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK WITH THIS AFTERNOONS PACKAGE. PRECIPITATION MAY LINGER ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ZONES TUESDAY MORNING DUE TO SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH. IN THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST...THE MAIN FOCUS REMAINS ON AN UPPER LOW FORECAST TO STRENGTHEN OVER THE CALIFORNIA COAST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK. THE GFS CONTINUES TO BE THE FASTEST SOLUTION...BUT IS TRENDING SLOWER EACH RUN. WILL LEAN TOWARD THE SLOWER CANADIAN...ECMWF...AND GFS ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS AGAIN TODAY...WHICH PROGRESS THE LOW ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON FRIDAY. HAVE INTRODUCED CHANCE POPS ON FRIDAY. ANOTHER CHANCE FOR CONVECTION IS PROGGED FAIRLY AGREEABLY AMONGST MEDIUM RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEKEND...AS A NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH DEEPENS OVER THE ROCKIES AND EJECTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS. HAVE ADDED CHANCE POPS ON SUNDAY. TEMP-WISE...EXPECT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO PERSIST THROUGH THE PERIOD. DB/LS && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 600 PM CDT MONDAY UNTIL 600 AM CDT TUESDAY FOR ZONES KSZ025...KSZ102. FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 600 PM CDT MONDAY UNTIL NOON CDT TUESDAY FOR ZONES KSZ057...KSZ060...KSZ103>105. MO...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 600 PM CDT MONDAY UNTIL 600 AM CDT TUESDAY FOR ZONES MOZ001>008...MOZ011>017...MOZ020>025...MOZ030>033. FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 600 PM CDT MONDAY UNTIL NOON CDT TUESDAY FOR ZONES MOZ028>029...MOZ037>040...MOZ043>046...MOZ053>054.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 1251 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004 KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040- 043>046-053-054-251100- ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSOURI...VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES POSSIBLE... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST...NORTH CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AS WELL AS EXTREME EASTERN KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SEVERE STORMS REMAIN LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSOURI. HAIL AS LARGE AS BASEBALLS, SEVERE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND DESTRUCTIVE LONG TRACK TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. STORMS WILL IGNITE THIS AFTERNOON OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS...AS WELL AS SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA...ALONG THE INTERSECTION OF A WARM FRONT AND DRYLINE. STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE QUICKLY IN A HIGHLY UNSTABLE, HIGHLY SHEARED ENVIRONMENT. BY AS EARLY AS 4 OR 5 PM, DANGEROUS SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE INTO NORTHWEST MISSOURI. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL BE THE GREATEST IN THE ATCHISON, SAINT JOSEPH, ROCKPORT, KANSAS CITY...BETHANY AND GALLATIN AREAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. BY MID EVENING THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CLUSTER INTO A COMPLEX OF SEVERE STORMS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN INTO CENTRAL MISSOURI. LARGE HAIL, SEVERE STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER ALL OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI INCLUDING KANSAS CITY, CHILLICOTHE, TRENTON, KIRKSVILLE AND MOBERLY. FLOODING IS ALSO OF CONCERN FOR NORTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSOURI TONIGHT. SEVERAL ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY IN AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED ABUNDANT RAINS OVER THE LAST WEEK. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. HEAVY RAIN MAY LINGER INTO TUESDAY MORNING SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE, SO A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON ON TUESDAY FOR KANSAS CITY, WARRENSBURG, SEDALIA AND HARRISONVILLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY IF HEAVY RAINS DEVELOP AS EXPECTED TONIGHT, MANY RIVERS WILL RISE RAPIDLY TUESDAY. FLOODING ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER IS ALSO EXPECTED BY LATE THIS WEEK. HIGH WATER IS EXPECTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS WATER FLOWS SOUTH FROM RECENT STORMS THAT HAVE RAVAGED NEBRASKA AND IOWA. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY AS A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION DEFINITELY WILL BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN NORTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSOURI. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT (LOWER CASE) HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/EAX OR HTTP://WEATHER.GOV. NRR
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1038 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 PM TSTM WND DMG GLADSTONE 39.21N 94.56W
05/24/2004 CLAY MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
2 1/2 FOOT DIAMETER TREE DOWNED DUE TO THUNDERSTORM WINDS
&&
GAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1045 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0930 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 SW BASEHOR 39.11N 94.96W
05/24/2004 LEAVENWORTH KS EMERGENCY MNGR
LARGE TREES UP TO 1 1/2 FEET IN DIAMETER DOWN DUE TO
THUNDERSTORM WINDS
&&
GAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1047 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 PM TSTM WND GST 2 N UNIONVILLE 40.50N 93.00W
05/24/2004 65 MPH PUTNAM MO TRAINED SPOTTER
DAMAGE REPORTED TO BUILDINGS
&&
GAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1050 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1020 PM HAIL OLATHE 38.89N 94.81W
05/24/2004 0.75 INCH JOHNSON KS EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
GASPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 1052 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004 KSZ057-060-103>105-MOZ029>031-037-038-043-044-053-054-250900- BATES MO-CARROLL MO-CASS MO-CLAY MO-HENRY MO-JACKSON MO-JOHNSON MO- JOHNSON KS-LAFAYETTE MO-LEAVENWORTH KS-LINN KS-MIAMI KS-RAY MO- WYANDOTTE KS- 1052 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 282...IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM CDT TUESDAY MORNING. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN MISSOURI: BATES...CARROLL...CASS...CLAY...HENRY...JACKSON...JOHNSON...LAFAYETTE AND RAY. IN KANSAS: JOHNSON...LEAVENWORTH...LINN...MIAMI AND WYANDOTTE. SOME CITIES IN THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDE BUTLER... CLINTON...HARRISONVILLE...KANSAS CITY...OLATHE...PAOLA AND WARRENSBURG. 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.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1055 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1040 PM HAIL 5 N DREXEL 38.56N 94.61W
05/24/2004 0.75 INCH CASS MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&
GAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Missouri River at Atchison crested at 23.78 feet, or 1.78 feet above flood stage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, May 2004
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: 5399239.