One of the greatest disasters to ever impact southwest Missouri, including the Springfield metro area, occurred in the form of an ice storm. Several counties, mainly along and north of the interstate 44 corridor, experienced ice accumulations up to two and a half inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 26 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 episode as NWS SGF wrote it up.
One of the greatest disasters to ever impact southwest Missouri, including the Springfield metro area, occurred in the form of an ice storm. Several counties, mainly along and north of the interstate 44 corridor, experienced ice accumulations up to two and a half inches. Power outages and catastrophic tree damage were the main impacts resulting from this historic event. Power outages occurred for over three weeks in many areas. Several indirect fatalities due to the extreme elements were documented. Carbon monoxide poisoning occurred within a few homes as gas generators were being used in garages, which allowed for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to seep into houses.
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 Jan 12, 2:58 PM CST, 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 258 PM CST FRI JAN 12 2007 ...MAJOR ICE STORM TO IMPACT MUCH OF THE REGION THROUGH SUNDAY... .DISCUSSION... ARCTIC AIR CONTINUES TO SURGE SOUTH WITH THE FREEZING LINE STRETCHING FROM JUST WEST OF SPRINGFIELD TO JUST NORTH OF ROLLA AT 20Z. FREEZING RAIN AND DRIZZLE ALREADY FALLING FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS INTO CENTRAL MISSOURI. PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN MIXED AT TIMES WITH SLEET ESPECIALLY ON THE WESTERN EDGES OF THE PRECIPITATION WHERE THE COLD COLUMN HAD DEEPENED. PRECIPITATION CONTINUED TO EXPAND FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE OZARKS IN REGION OF STRONG FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING. LIFT WAS ALSO AIDED BY A MINOR SHORTWAVE TRACKING NORTHEAST OUT OF OKLAHOMA. SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)... FOLLOWED CLOSER TO THE WRF MODEL THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH ITS BETTER PERFORMANCE OF THE THERMAL PROFILE. EXPECT FREEZING LINE TO REACH A SPRINGFIELD TO ROLLA LINE BY MID AFTERNOON AND FROM JUST NORTH OF BRANSON TO NEAR HOUSTON BY LATE EVENING. ARCTIC AIR WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED ACROSS REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND BUT TEMPERATURES MAY REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING IN FAR SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI UNTIL SATURDAY NIGHT. WE WILL SEE WAVES OF PRECIPITATION PUSH ACROSS THE REGION THE NEXT 48 HOURS AS A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES TRACK NORTHEAST IN SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AHEAD OF A PRIMARY TROUGH ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S. UPPER JET INTERACTIONS WILL ALSO ENHANCE SYNOPTIC LIFT AND PRECIPITATION RATES AT TIMES. MOISTURE IS IN ABUNDANT SUPPLY WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND 1.25 ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. PERSISTENT MOISTURE TRANSPORT OVER TOP THE ARCTIC BOUNDARY WILL RESULT IN POTENTIALLY DAMAGING ICE ACCUMULATIONS. LATEST MODEL OUTPUT SUGGEST HEAVY ICE ACCUMULATIONS WITH ONE HALF TO ONE INCH ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE BY SUNDAY. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. AN ICE STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM GALENA TO HOUSTON. BOTH THE GFS AND WRF MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT A RATHER STOUT LAYER OF WARM AIR WILL REMAIN ABOVE THIS VERY SHALLOW ARCTIC AIRMASS INTO SUNDAY. TWO THINGS WILL LEAD TO CHANGING THE FREEZING RAIN OVER TO A MIXTURE OF SLEET AND SNOW ON SUNDAY. THE FIRST WILL BE THE CONTINUAL INTENSIFICATION OF THE COLD AIRMASS UNDERNEATH THE WARM LAYER ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH PERSISTENT COLD AIR ADVECTION WITH THE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE. THE SECOND WILL BE THE COOLING ASSOCIATED THE CORE OF THE UPPER WAVE ITSELF. AREAS IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND FAR WESTERN MISSOURI LOOK AS THOUGH THIS SWITCH TO SLEET AND SNOW WILL OCCUR SUNDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE ENDING SUNDAY NIGHT. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF SLEET/SNOW ARE EXPECTED AND HAVE MAINTAINED THE ASSESSMENT FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. FARTHER EAST (I.E. THE EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE CWFA)...IT APPEARS AS THOUGH WE WILL RELY ON THE COOLING ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER WAVE TO MORPH THE TEMPERATURES ALOFT TOWARD FREEZING BEFORE A CHANGEOVER IS EXPECTED. I EXPECT MORE SLEET TO MIX IN WITH THE FREEZING RAIN AS THE DAY PROGRESSES SUNDAY...BUT A COMPLETE CHANGEOVER ISNT LIKELY UNTIL SUNSET SUNDAY OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE OF THE FREEZING RAIN VARIETY...BUT WE WILL NEED TO KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS AND FAR WESTERN MISSOURI COUNTIES TO SEE IF THE COLD AIR NEAR THE SURFACE IS INTENSE ENOUGH TO TRANSITION THE FREEZING RAIN TO SLEET EARLIER THAN ANTICIPATED. ALSO HEAVY RAINFALL AND THE POTENTIAL OF FLOODING WILL EXIST ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN MISSOURI WHERE AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. SIGNIFICANT FLOODING COULD MATERIALIZE ACROSS FAR SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI AND POINTS TO THE EAST AND SOUTH. THE LATEST INFORMATION SUGGEST THAT THIS WILL BE A MAJOR ICE STORM. TRAVEL WILL BECOME TREACHEROUS IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY. FOSTER/GAGAN LONG TERM (TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... MED RANGE GUIDANCE AND THE GFS ENSEMBLES GENERALLY AGREE THAT AN AMPLIFIED PATTERN WILL CONTINUE. AN ARCTIC HIGH WILL BE PARKED OVER THE REGION THROUGH MIDWEEK...SLOWLY HEADING EAST BY WEEKS END AS ANOTHER UPPER WAVE ENTERS THE NORTHERN CONUS. OVERALL AM EXPECTING AN UPPER TROUGH TO REMAIN IN PLACE FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD IN SOME SHAPE OR FORM...WITH A BRIEF PERIOD OF SHORTWAVE RIDING LATE NEXT WEEK AHEAD OF THE DISTURBANCE OVER THE NORTHERN TIER OF STATES. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL BELOW AVERAGE. THE COLDEST PERIOD WILL BE TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH TEMPS A SOLID 20F BELOW THE SEASONAL AVERAGE. HIGHS TEMPS WILL BEGIN TO MODERATE A BIT ON WED/THUR...BUT LOWS WED NIGHT WILL STILL REMAIN IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO LOW TEENS. GIVEN DEEP LAYER DRY AIR PROGGED BY THE MODELS...WILL KEEP THE EXTENDED PRECIP FREE. GAGAN && .AVIATION... IFR/LIFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES CURRENTLY BEING REPORTED ACROSS THE REGION. IN ADDITION...KJLN WENT BELOW FREEZING AROUND 16Z AND RAIN HAS NOW GONE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN. EXPECT KSGF TO GO TO FZRA AROUND 21Z...WITH KUNO AREA CONVERTING OVER AFTER 06Z. CONDITIONS WILL THEN REMAIN IFR/LIFR THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD FOR BOTH CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WITH SCATTERED TO OCCASIONAL FREEZING RAIN EXPECTED ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...ICE STORM WARNING FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM GALENA TO HOUSTON. WINTER STORM WATCH FOR FAR SOUTHERN MISSOURI. FLOOD WATCH FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-44. KS...ICE STORM WARNING FOR BOURBON...CHEROKEE...AND CRAWFORD COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS. WFO SGF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 1215 PM CST FRI JAN 12 2007 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-131900- BOURBON-CRAWFORD-CHEROKEE-BENTON-MORGAN-MILLER-MARIES-VERNON- ST. CLAIR-HICKORY-CAMDEN-PULASKI-PHELPS-BARTON-CEDAR-POLK-DALLAS- LACLEDE-TEXAS-DENT-JASPER-DADE-GREENE-WEBSTER-WRIGHT-NEWTON- LAWRENCE-CHRISTIAN-DOUGLAS-HOWELL-SHANNON-MCDONALD-BARRY-STONE- TANEY-OZARK-OREGON- 1215 PM CST FRI JAN 12 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. ...A MAJOR WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE REGION THROUGH SUNDAY... .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A MAJOR ICE STORM WILL DEVELOP FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS INTO THE MISSOURI OZARKS THROUGH TONIGHT. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE QUARTER TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH ARE LIKELY BY SATURDAY MORNING. SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNINGS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR THE LATEST DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY WITH TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH POSSIBLE. THE FREEZING RAIN WILL TRANSITION TO SLEET AND SNOW SUNDAY AS THE PRIMARY STORM SYSTEM TRACKS INTO THE REGION. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES MAY CAUSE FLOODING ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN MISSOURI. THIS WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT THE SURROUNDING REGION FROM OKLAHOMA NORTHEAST TO ILLINOIS. IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY THIS WEEKEND...BE PREPARED FOR TREACHEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY ICE ACCUMULATIONS AND IMPACTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE IN GRAPHICAL FORMAT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/SGF(ALL LOWERCASE) FOSTER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
26 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice accumulations over Jasper County mainly impacted power lines and trees. Costs for debris removal and power line damages were estimated at $225,000.
One to one and a half inches of ice accumulations impacted the northwestern half of McDonald County. The southeastern half experienced only light amounts. Significant tree and power line damage occurred from this storm.
Ice accumulations of around two inches impacted exposed objects throughout the entire county. Catastrophic tree and power line damage resulted from this storm. 575 residents were sheltered while 90 percent of the county experienced power outages that ranged from a few hours to 12 days.
Four inches of sleet pack brought down 52 barns and 6 businesses across Barton County. Because the precipitation type was all sleet, only minor tree and power line damage resulted. Several of the barns that were destroyed were housing expensive farm machinery that also experienced major damage. Total loses for the county was estimated at 4.5 million dollars.
Two to three inches of sleep pack occurred across Vernon County. Due to the precipitation type, little to no ice accumulations occurred on powers lines and trees.
Ice accumulations caused eight barns to collapse while two restaurants and one nursing home experienced roof damage. 80 percent of the county experienced power outages and three communities lost water systems and were under a boil order. Loses from the damage were estimated at $500,000.
Damaging ice accumulations occurred on exposed objects across northern sections of Barry County. Catastrophic tree and power line damage resulted. No damage to structures was reported by the local emergency management agency.
Ice accumulations ranging from one quarter of an inch to two inches occurred across the southeast half of the county. Meanwhile three inches of sleet pack accumulated across the northwest half of the county. Catastrophic tree and power line damage occurred in areas where the ice accumulated on these exposed objects. Little to no structural damage was observed from this event. Damage estimate totaled to around $200,000.
Ice accumulations resulted in nearly one million dollars in damages across Polk County. Thousands of residents were without power while 200 residents were placed in public shelter.
Ice accumulations caused extensive damage to power lines, trees, and a few structures across mainly northern Christian County. Four structure fires occurred as a result of power problems. Two of these structures were destroyed while two others experienced major damage. 25,000 residents experienced power outages that lasted from a few hours to 12 days. 60 residents were sheltered for a week and loses estimated to $100,000.
The worst natural disaster to ever impact Greene County including the city of Springfield occurred from major ice accumulations associated with this storm. Two inches of freezing rain accumulated on exposed objects causing catastrophic tree and power line damage. Several residents of Springfield and Greene County experienced power outages that lasted over three weeks. Most of the ice accumulations occurred on Friday night January 12th, however, two other episodes of ice accumulations occurred on the 13th and 14th. Damages including debris removal were estimated at 121.69 million.
Two inches of ice accumulation impacted exposed objects across the entire county. Catastrophic tree and power line damage occurred leaving residents without power up to 15 days.
Up to four inches of sleet accumulated across St. Clair County. Due to this precipitation type, trees and power lines experienced little damage.
Three inches of sleet pack caused several barns and businesses to collapse. Damage amounts were estimated at $300,000.
The southeast half of Hickory County experienced ice accumulations up to one and a half inches, while the northwest half of the county experienced about three inches of sleet pack. Areas that received the freezing rain ice accumulations, catastrophic tree and power line damage occurred.
Extreme northern Stone County experienced damaging ice accumulations. Damage was main confined to trees and power lines. The southern three fourths of Stone County only experienced minor accumulations.
Catastrophic tree and power line damage resulted from two inches of freezing rain ice accumulation.
Significant ice accumulations impacted the extreme northwestern section of the county. Damage to trees and a few power lines occurred.
Morgan County experienced up to four inches of sleet pack during this ice storm. Only minor damage to trees and a few power lines occurred. A few residents experienced power outages that lasted around 18 hours.
Ice ammulations over Webster County caused catastrophic tree and power line damage across the northwest half of the county. 90 percent of the county experienced power outages. The power problems caused structure fires which destroyed six houses.
Catastrophic tree and power line damage resulted across all of Laclede County from the storm.
The southeast half of Miller County experienced ice accumulations up to one inch. This area experienced significant tree and power line damage. The northern half of the county experienced mainly a sleet pack which accumulated up to three inches. Little damage occurred in areas that experienced the sleet pack.
Three waves of ice accumulations damaged above ground electrical utilities, telephone and TV cable lines. Half of the county was without power shortly after the first round of ice arrived. The power outages ranged from just a few hours to 11 days. Trees were damaged excessively, losing many large limbs along with total uprooting of whole trees. Structural damage to buildings was minimal, however, there were five houses that experienced significant damage from falling trees along with 12 cars that were damaged from trees. The Osage Beach City Hall experienced water damage to ceiling tile and sheet rock in four offices. This was due to an ice dam on the roof causing water to backup and run over the seam lip of the steel roof sheeting. This same ice dam slid from the roof crashing onto a ground effect heat pump chiller which destroyed it. The structural damage, debris removal, and public safety preventive measures was estimated at $175,000 in loses.
Significant tree and power line damage occurred across Pulaski County from ice accumulations up to one and a half inches.
Significant tree and power line damage occurred from ice accumulations of one and a half inches.
Significant damage to trees and power lines resulted from ice accumulations of one and a half inches over the entire county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, January 2007
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: 12727, 12802, 12803, 12818, 12821, 12725, 12822, 12859, 12726, 12728, 12801, 12844, 12860, 12863, 12926, 12927, 12930, 12939, 12928, 12937, 12941, 12970, 12723, 12943, 12968, 12971.