A cluster of thunderstorms impacted extreme southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. Several small streams and creeks flooded.
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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.
A cluster of thunderstorms impacted extreme southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. Several small streams and creeks flooded. One report of wind damage occurred in McDonald County as a squall line bowed out across the northern section of the county.
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 Apr 17, 5:50 PM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...AVIATION UPDATE. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 650 PM CDT THU APR 17 2008 .SYNOPSIS... DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AT EARLY AFTERNOON WITH A STALLED FRONT EXTENDING NORTHEAST INTO NORTHERN MISSOURI. TO THE WEST A RATHER VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE WAS TRACKING OUT OF THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. LOW LEVELS CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY MOISTEN WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 50S. ONLY SLIGHTLY RICHER MOISTURE WAS NOTED TO THE SOUTHWEST WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MIDDLE 50S ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. IN FACT DEWPOINTS ARE FAIRLY HOMOGENEOUS TO THE GULF COAST WHERE LOWER 60S ARE THE HIGHEST OBSERVED VALUES. A STOUT CAPPING INVERSION WAS ALSO INHIBITING CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER CONVECTION WAS FORMING FROM EAST CENTRAL KANSAS INTO NORTHWEST MISSOURI ALONG THE FRONT. FOSTER && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)... EXPECT STORMS TO INCREASE FROM EASTERN KANSAS INTO NORTHWEST MISSOURI AS WELL AS DEVELOP FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS INTO OKLAHOMA BY LATE AFTERNOON AS SYNOPTIC SCALE ASCENT INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF THE APPROACHING MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE. THE STRENGTHENING LIFT AND COOLING MID LEVELS WILL BE SUFFICIENT THE EXISTING CAP. EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER AND MODEST LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL INHIBIT DESTABILIZATION. ONLY MODEST SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY WILL DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND FAR SOUTHWEST MISSOURI BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON WITH CAPES AS MUCH AS 500 J/KG. DESPITE INCREASING DEEP LAYERED SHEAR THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS IS LOW LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING GIVEN THE ABOVE MENTIONED FACTORS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINE UP ALONG THE FRONT AS IT PUSHES EAST INTO THE OZARKS LATER TONIGHT. WHILE SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY WILL BE LIMITED...SUFFICIENT ELEVATED INSTABILITY WILL BE IN PLACE TO SUPPORT DEEP CONVECTION. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE BUT DO NOT EXPECT WIDESPREAD EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. AVAILABLE MOISTURE SUPPLY IS NOT OVERLY RICH WITH 850 MB DEWPOINTS LESS THAN 10 DEGREES C AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES NEAR AN 1.25. ALSO THE PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE CONVECTIVE BAND WILL LIMITED RAINFALL ACCUMULATION. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE HALF TO AS MUCH AS ONE INCH AND A HALF MAY CAUSE SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS BUT SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. THEREFORE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE EASTERN OZARKS FRIDAY MORNING AS THE UPPER TROUGH CLOSES OFF OVER THE MIDWEST. DEEP CYCLONIC FLOW WILL KEEP CLOUDS AND SHOWERS MUCH OF THE DAY FRIDAY. CLOUDS...SHOWERS AND COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW NORMAL. CLEARING WILL GRADUALLY TAKE PLACE LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY FROM WEST TO EAST AS THE UPPER LOW EXITS TO THE EAST. A FEW SHOWERS MAY AFFECT THE EASTERN OZARKS SATURDAY. EXPECT A DECENT TEMPERATURE GRADIENT TO SET UP FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST WITH LOWER 70S RETURNING TO FAR SOUTHWEST MISSOURI. FOSTER LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)... UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY WITH A BROAD TROUGH IN THE WESTERN CONUS. LEESIDE CYCLOGENESIS WILL TAKE PLACE WITH STRONG SOUTHERLY SURFACE WINDS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE REGION IN RESPONSE TO THE TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT. GULF MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO ADVECT NORTHWARD WITH DEWPOINTS REACHING THE UPPER 50S AND EVEN LOWER 60S IN SOME LOCATIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND THE MISSOURI OZARKS EARLY NEXT WEEK. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SHARPEN ACROSS THE PLAINS MONDAY AND APPROACH SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND THE MISSOURI OZARKS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES EJECTING OUT OF THE BASE OF THE WESTERN CONUS TROUGH WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLASH FLOODING DUE TO HEAVY RAINFALL FROM AN AMPLE MOISTURE SUPPLY. THE PROGRESSION OF THE FRONT THROUGH THE PLAINS AND THE OZARKS IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT UPON THE ORIENTATION OF THE FRONT...THE TIMING OF EJECTING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES...AND THE TIMING AND MAGNITUDE OF THE ANTICIPATED CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG THE BOUNDARY. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO LINGER NEAR THE OZARKS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AND ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER... HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING. ANGLE && .AVIATION... PILOTS FLYING IN AND OUT OF SPRINGFIELD / JOPLIN AIRPORTS WILL NEED TO MONITOR RADAR TRENDS CLOSELY THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT BOTH AIRPORTS IN RESPONSE TO AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL FALL TO EITHER MVFR OR IFR AS THIS ACTIVITY PASSES OVER THE AIRFIELDS. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MOST OF THE EVENING...HOWEVER...AS THE COLD FRONT SHIFTS THROUGH AT OR SLIGHTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST OR SOUTHWEST. CEILING CONDITIONS MAY PERSIST AT IFR INTO TOMORROW MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY PASS OVERHEAD. THIS SHOULD SUSTAIN LOW CEILING WELL INTO FRIDAY. AREAS OF DRIZZLE CAN NOT BE RULED OUT AS WELL...WHICH MAY HAVE IMPACTS ON VISIBILITIES. CRAMER && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 731 PM CDT THU APR 17 2008 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-190045- 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- 731 PM CDT THU APR 17 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NEARLY ALL LOCATIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND THE MISSOURI OZARKS TONIGHT. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE INTENSITY...HOWEVER...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE. LOCALIZED FLOODING OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND FAR WESTERN MISSOURI CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL END ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI BY EARLY AFTERNOON. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLOODING CAN NOT BE RULED OUT WITH THESE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && 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) CRAMER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
742 PM CDT THU APR 17 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0740 PM FLASH FLOOD 2 NW FAULKNER 37.12N 95.04W
04/17/2008 CHEROKEE KS EMERGENCY MNGR
THE LOW WATER CROSSING AT THE INTERSECTION OF CHERRY
CREEK AND CLEM ROAD HAS BECOME IMPASSABLE TO MOTORISTS.
ALSO...WATER ON A FIELD IS BEGINNING TO FLOOD OVER 110
ROAD...JUST NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF 110TH AND CLEM
ROAD.
&&
DCRAMERThe Tulsa radar (KINX), 111 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:35 UTC.
4 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed a few power poles in rural northwest McDonald County.
Several roads in the city of Neosho were flooded. Also, a section of Kodiak Road near its intersection with Orchid Road flooded.
Flash flooding occurred over a few city streets in Joplin. More specifically, Main Street near its intersection with Murphy Street flooded.
Numerous road closures across the county occurred in response to flash flooding.
The North Fork of the Spring River flooded a section of 80th Road. Other low water crossing and low lying roads experienced flooding across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, April 2008
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: 94868, 94857, 94854, 94863, 94861.