1 flash 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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 26, 3:04 AM CST, 9 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 404 AM CDT WED MAY 26 2004 .DISCUSSION ELEVATED CONVECTION SKIRTING THE NORTHERN CWA THIS MORNING ALONG CONVERGENCE MAX SOMEWHERE IN THE 850 TO 700 MB LAYER ACCORDING TO VWP AND PROFILERS. THIS ACTIVITY ALSO APPEARS TO BE ON SOUTHERN EDGE OF WEAK CAP SHOWN IN 00Z SGF SOUNDING NEAR 700 MB. CONVECTION SHOULD GRADUALLY FILL IN OVER MUCH OF THE CWA BEFORE NOON AS 400 MB TO 200 MB DIVERGENCE INCREASES DRAMATICALLY WITH APPROACH OF FAVORABLE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF 300 MB JET STREAK. IR IMAGERY SHOWS EVIDENCE OF LIFT OVER WRN KANSAS WITH THIS FEATURE, AND AS 600 MB TO 850 MB LAYER COOLS AND MOISTENS, LAPSE RATES DECREASE AND RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS APPEARS TO DIMINISH TODAY. THINK A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS STILL LIKELY WITH MODEST ELEVATED CAPES OF A FEW HUNDRED J/KG AND DEEP UVV ASSOCIATED WITH JET DYNAMICS. THINK THAT THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD FLOODING OVER CENTRAL MO IS MINIMAL GIVEN THAT FOCUS FOR MOST RAIN TODAY SHOULD BE OVER SOUTHERN MO WITH AMOUNTS GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE INCH EXPECTED SO WILL DROP FLASH FLOOD WATCH. PRECIP SHOULD LAST INTO THE EVENING ACROSS THE SERN CWA AS JET STREAK MOVES OUT. THURSDAY FORECAST DIFFICULT, AS ETA FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW LARGE MLCAPE OF 3500 TO 4000 J/KG DURING THE AFTERNOON, BUT CIN OF 75 TO 100 J/KG WILL LIKELY INITIALLY LIMIT CONVECTION. SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO BE DRAPED ACROSS IN AREA, SO FEEL THAT THIS COULD BE ENOUGH TO BREAK THE CAP BY LATE AFTERNOON. BETTER CHANCES FOR WIDESPREAD CONVECTION COME IN THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY WITH APPROACH OF WELL DEFINED SHORTWAVE. PRECIP SHOULD LAST INTO THE DAY FRIDAY WITH WAVE CENTERED NEAR UNO BY 00Z SATURDAY. STRONG LONGWAVE TROUGH APPROACHES SATURDAY AND WAA CONVECTION POSSIBLE. AS THIS TROUGH MOVES EASTWARD INTO WESTERN KANSAS BY 00Z MONDAY, BOTH GFS AND ECMWF SHOW POSSIBILITY FOR SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT LATE SUNDAY OVER OUR CWA. BROWNING && .AVIATION... LOW LEVEL EASTERLY FLOW CONTINUES WITH EFFECTIVE SURFACE FRONT NOW QUASI-STATIONARY ACROSS NORTHERN ARKANSAS. POOLING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL LIKELY MAINTAIN IFR TO LOW END MVFR CIGS/VIS CEILING THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE...WINDS QUICKLY VEER INTO THE WEST...HOWEVER RELATIVELY LOW SPEED SHEAR DOES NOT WARRANT LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AT THE PRESENT TIME. WILL LIKELY DOWN PLAY PRECIPITATION CHANCES IN THE SHORT TERM IN NEXT TAF ISSUANCES GIVEN MID LEVEL DRY LAYER WHICH CONTINUES TO SUPPRESS CONVECTION...HOWEVER SHARPENING FRONTAL INVERSION AND RADIATIONAL COOLING ABOVE MAY LEAD TO SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG AND DRIZZLE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. BOOKBINDER && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. WFO SGF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 100 PM CDT WED MAY 26 2004 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-271100- BARRY-BARTON-BENTON-BOURBON-CAMDEN-CEDAR-CHEROKEE-CHRISTIAN-CRAWFORD- DADE-DALLAS-DENT-DOUGLAS-GREENE-HICKORY-HOWELL-JASPER-LACLEDE- LAWRENCE-MARIES-MCDONALD-MILLER-MORGAN-NEWTON-OREGON-OZARK-PHELPS- POLK-PULASKI-SHANNON-ST. CLAIR-STONE-TANEY-TEXAS-VERNON-WEBSTER- WRIGHT- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AVA...BOLIVAR...BRANSON...CAMDENTON... FORT LEONARD WOOD...FORT SCOTT...HOUSTON...JOPLIN...LEBANON... MONETT...MOUNT VERNON...NEOSHO...NEVADA...OSAGE BEACH...OZARK... PITTSBURG...ROLLA...SPRINGFIELD...STOCKTON AND WEST PLAINS. 100 PM CDT WED MAY 26 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED: SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. ISOLATED TORNADOES. HEAVY RAINFALL CAUSING POSSIBLE FLOODING. AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING: THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL COVER THE ENTIRE AREA. SEVERE STORMS OVER CENTRAL MISSOURI ARE ONGOING...WITH LARGE HAIL UP TO ONCE INCH IN DIAMETER THE MAIN CONCERN. SOUTH OF A WARM FRONT THAT IS DRAPED OVER THE AREA...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS THAT ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER 3 PM. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL LAST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. DISCUSSION: A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY ROUGHLY ALONG A JOPLIN TO SALEM LINE WILL SLOWLY REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. LOW LEVEL WINDS LIFTING UP AND OVER THIS BOUNDARY HAVE CAUSED STORMS TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL MISSOURI. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS PORTIONS SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND CENTRAL MISSOURI. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAINFALL ON TOP OF THE ALREADY HEAVY RAIN THAT HAS OCCURRED OVER CENTRAL MISSOURI WILL LEAD TO HEIGHTENED CONCERN FOR FLOODING. SOUTH OF THE FRONT...A MIDDAY BALLOON/RADIOSONDE RELEASE INDICATES THAT THE PERSISTENT STABLE CAP OVER THE AREA HAS ERODED AND THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BECOME UNSTABLE. DESPITE CLOUD COVER...INSTABILITY WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR SEVERE STORMS WHEN THEY DEVELOP. THE MAIN FOCUS FOR STORMS WILL BE CLOSE TO THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. WIND PROFILES INDICATE THAT SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI. TORNADIC SUPERCELLS WILL BE POSSIBLE CLOSE TO AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT...ESPECIALLY WHERE SURFACE WINDS ARE MORE SOUTHERLY AND SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. A WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. A COLD FRONT MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHEAST BACK INTO THE REGION WILL PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL. ANOTHER STRONG SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE PLAINS AND MIDWEST LATE SUNDAY WILL PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL CHANCE FOR STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THROUGH THIS EVENING. DSA
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
0839 AM CDT WED MAY 26 2004
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0838 AM HAIL ST ELIZABETH 38.27N 92.27W
05/26/2004 0.75 INCH MILLER MO PUBLIC
ALPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
0842 AM CDT WED MAY 26 2004
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0838 AM HAIL ST ELIZABETH 38.27N 92.27W
05/26/2004 0.75 INCH MILLER MO PUBLIC
ALThe Springfield radar (KSGF), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:15 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Two gravel roads were briefly flooded over from heavy thunderstorms. One vehicle was stranded in the flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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: 5397086.