A very favorable synoptic scale storm pattern developed across the central and southern Plains. A strong upper jet on the order of 125 knots moved through the Missouri Ozarks.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
A very favorable synoptic scale storm pattern developed across the central and southern Plains. A strong upper jet on the order of 125 knots moved through the Missouri Ozarks. Enhanced low level shear combined with enough instability caused an EF1 Tornado to develop and impact western sections of Table Rock Lake.
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 Nov 5, 11:10 PM CST, 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 1110 PM CST WED NOV 5 2008 ...MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE DISCUSSION... .UPDATE... THE LATEST RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATE THAT THE STORM MODE APPEARS TO BE SHIFTING TO MORE OR A SQUALL LINE AS STRONGER STORM CORES MERGE ALONG A LINE FROM NEAR JOPLIN TO TULSA...AND AN UPPER LEVEL JET ROUNDS THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH OVER SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND SHIFTS NORTHEAST TOWARD THE OZARKS. THE MOST RECENT SEVERE REPORTS HAVE COME OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE STORM COMPLEX WITH 60 MPH WINDS AND DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL. STILL EXPECT STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS OVER THE FORECAST AREA AS THE SQUALL LINE SHIFTS EAST ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. TERRY && .DISCUSSION... MAIN FORECAST FOCUS WILL BE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS AS A STRONG STORM SYSTEM CROSSES THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. MUCH COOLER WEATHER IS THEN EXPECTED FROM THE UPCOMING WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA SOMETIME IN THE MONDAY TO WEDNESDAY TIME FRAME. TONIGHT...STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY PUSH EAST ACROSS THE CORN BELT. AT THE SURFACE...A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI LATE TONIGHT...MAKING IT TO THE HIGHWAY 65 CORRIDOR BY SUNRISE. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THIS FRONT...AS WELL AS ALONG A PRE FRONTAL TROUGH THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO THE MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE DISCUSSION BELOW FOR GREATER DETAIL ON THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. BRISK SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST. SPEAKING OF WINDS...WE HAVE NOT MET WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA UP TO THIS POINT. WILL LIKELY BE CANCELLING THE WIND ADVISORY BY 4 PM. THURSDAY...THAT FRONT WILL QUICKLY PUSH EAST OUT OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI IN THE MORNING. THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL END ONCE THE FRONT EXITS THE AREA. WE MAY ACTUALLY SEE A BRIEF PERIOD OF CLEARING AS A DRY SLOT WORKS INTO THE AREA. WRAP AROUND MOISTURE MAY THEN BRING MORE CLOUDINESS INTO THE AREA BY THE AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY OVER CENTRAL MISSOURI. TEMPERATURES ARE A TOUGH CALL GIVEN THE INCREASING CLOUD COVER AND COOLING LOW LEVELS. GENERALLY SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MAV AND MET. THURSDAY WILL AGAIN BE WINDY AS LOW LEVEL PRESSURE GRADIENTS REMAIN RATHER TIGHT. WINDS WILL ALSO BECOME GUSTY BY THE AFTERNOON AS THE LOW LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE EFFICIENTLY MIX OUT. THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...THAT UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WILL FINALLY BEGIN TO PUSH EAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES. ONE MORE UPPER LEVEL WAVE WILL COME AROUND THE SOUTHERN FLANK OF THE LOW AND DRIVE A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS THE AREA. NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION WE COULD SEE A LIGHT SHOWER OR TWO UP ACROSS CENTRAL MISSOURI ON FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON THE COOL SIDE AS 850 MB TEMPERATURES HOVER AT OR BELOW ZERO DEGREES CELSIUS. UPCOMING WEEKEND...THE AREA WILL REMAIN UNDER A CYCLONIC NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. MOISTURE LOOKS PRETTY LIMITED SO AM NOT EXPECTING ANY PRECIPITATION. THE COOL TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE WITH HIGHS STRUGGLING TO GET INTO THE UPPER 40S AND LOWER 50S OVER MOST AREAS. EARLY NEXT WEEK...LONG WAVE CHARTS CONTINUE TO FAVOR DIGGING OF ENERGY OUT OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE ENERGY DIVING INTO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION AND EVENTUALLY EJECTING OUT TOWARDS THE OZARKS. STILL NOT A REAL GOOD SIGNAL FOR TIMING...BUT FEEL THAT SLIGHT TO LOW END CHANCE POPS ARE WARRANTED STARTING SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. DO NOT SEE ANY BIG WARM UPS AS LOW LEVEL TRAJECTORIES WILL LIKELY REMAIN OUT OF THE EAST AND NORTHEAST. SCHAUMANN && .AVIATION... FOR THE 06Z TAFS...WILL CONTINUE TO INCLUDE WIND SHEAR IN TAFS THROUGH THE NIGHT BASED ON LATEST WIND PROFILER DATA. LINE OF STORMS PERSISTING NEAR THE MO/KS BORDER FOR THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS IS FINALLY SHOWING SIGNS OF EASTWARD MOVEMENT AS SQUALL LINE BEGINS TO DEVELOP...SO WILL CONTINUE VICINITY THUNDER WITH EMBEDDED TEMPO FROM AROUND 06-10Z. MAIN WIND SHIFT WITH COLD FRONT PASSAGE IS EXPECTED BY MID/LATE MORNING WITH DRY SLOT CLEARING OUT CLOUD COVER BY EARLY AFTERNOON. TERRY && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 658 PM CST WED NOV 5 2008 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-070100- 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- 658 PM CST WED NOV 5 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED: SEVERE STORMS PRODUCING...DAMAGING WINDS TO 70 MPH. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS. ISOLATED TORNADOES. AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING: STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL PUSH INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI BY MID TO LATE EVENING. THIS ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD EASTWARD TOWARDS THE HIGHWAY 65 CORRIDOR LATE THIS EVENING AND ESPECIALLY OVERNIGHT. DISCUSSION: STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH EAST ACROSS SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND INTO WESTERN MISSOURI THIS EVENING. MARGINAL INSTABILITY AND STRONG WIND SHEAR WILL SUPPORT THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS TO 70 MPH WITH THESE STORMS. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES HAS DIMINISHED SOMEWHAT...BUT ISOLATED TORNADOES REMAIN POSSIBLE GIVEN THE STRONG LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR...MAINLY WEST OF AN OSCEOLA TO CASSVILLE LINE. BY LATE THIS EVENING AND ESPECIALLY OVERNIGHT...A COLD FRONT WILL OVERTAKE THESE STORMS. A SOLID LINE OF STORMS IS EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY THIS FRONT...WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE STORMS REACHING THE HIGHWAY 65 CORRIDOR LATE TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH THE STORMS WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN LATE TONIGHT...DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ONGOING AFTER SUNRISE THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS THE EASTERN OZARKS...WHICH WILL QUICKLY EXIT TO THE EAST BY THE LATE MORNING HOURS. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING WEST OF AN OSCEOLA TO CASSVILLE LINE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE POSSIBLE EAST OF THIS LINE AFTER MIDNIGHT. && 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) SCHAUMANN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 1032 PM CST WED NOV 5 2008 KSZ101-060515- CHEROKEE KS- 1032 PM CST WED NOV 5 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CHEROKEE COUNTY UNTIL 1115 PM CST... AT 1027 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM OSWEGO TO CHETOPA TO WELCH...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM OSWEGO TO CHETOPA TO 9 MILES SOUTH OF CHETOPA...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR... TREECE BY 1045 PM CST. COLUMBUS BY 1050 PM CST. BAXTER SPRINGS BY 1055 PM CST. BAXTER SPRINGS BY 1100 PM CST. GALENA BY 1110 PM CST. THE TOWNS OF SHERWIN...STIPPVILLE...SKIDMORE...NEUTRAL...RIVERTON... LOWELL...CRESTLINE AND LAWTON ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS. PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. ANGLE
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1116 PM CST WED NOV 05 2008
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1102 PM TSTM WND GST 10 W COLUMBUS 37.17N 95.03W
11/05/2008 E60 MPH CHEROKEE KS EMERGENCY MNGR
10 X 10 ANCHORED METAL BUILDING BLOWN DOWN
&&
LDThe Springfield radar (KSGF), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:30 UTC.
16 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed several power poles along Highway 160, approximately two miles west of Lamar.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts blew down a power pole one mile west of Lamar on Highway 160.
Severe thunderstorm winds snapped off several large trees and one barn was damaged east of Lamar.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed a large tree two miles east southeast of Carthage, on County Road 80, and Elm Road.
A severe thunderstorm wind gust of 52 knots was estimated west of Monett.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed numerous trees, power poles east of Pierce City. A few carports were also destroyed.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed power lines southeast of Humansville.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts in excess of 60 knots caused several large trees to be uprooted on the west side of Monett along with a carport blown off. One of the trees fell on a home at Cleveland Heights and Sunset.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts uprooted several large trees along Highway 76 near Longview, and southwest towards Pineville.
A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-1 tornado touched down along the western side of Table Rock Lake near the community of Mano. The tornado tracked approximately six miles to the northeast and lifted approximately two miles east of Schell Knob. The tornado destroyed two boat docks near Mano and another boat dock near Schell Knob.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts downed trees along Highway YY north of Viola.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 2008Warnings in Missouri, November 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: 137094, 137100, 137093, 137095, 137087, 137088, 137089, 137090, 137101, 137097, 137098, 137102, 137099, 137103, 137104, 137105, 137116, 137106, 137107, 137108, 137091, 137109.