After producing numerous tornadoes in Oklahoma and to the west in Kansas, a strong storm system produced high winds and hail in southeast Kansas before they encountered a slightly more stable air mass over 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.
After producing numerous tornadoes in Oklahoma and to the west in Kansas, a strong storm system produced high winds and hail in southeast Kansas before they encountered a slightly more stable air mass over the Missouri Ozarks.
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 10, 5:33 PM CST, 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 633 PM CDT MON MAY 10 2010 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... ...SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT... SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT)... ACTIVE WEATHER WEEK CONTINUES WITH A ROUND OF POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. STRONG DISTURBANCE EJECTING FROM THE LEE OF THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AT THIS TIME. AT THE SFC...A WARM FRONT IS DRAPED FROM A DEVELOPING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IN SW KS...ROUGHLY BISECTING OK FROM NW TO SE. A DRY LINE HAS ALSO SURGED EASTWARD OUT OF THE PANHANDLES OF OK/TX. CONVECTION IS ALREADY FIRING ALONG THESE BOUNDARIES FOCUSED CLOSEST TO LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SFC LOW AND STRONG PVA. A 100 KT CYCLONICALLY CURVED UPPER JET CONTINUES TO ROUND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH WITH A BROAD AREA OF STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY LOW LEVEL WINDS (850 MB) ACROSS TX AND OK. TWO JET CORES ARE SEEN AT THE 850MB LEVEL...THE FIRST STRETCHES ACROSS E TX/OK/KS AND W MO. THE SECOND IS LOCATED JUST BEHIND THE DRY LINE AND ORIENTED MORE WEST TO EAST. OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG/AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE IN KS/OK. OUTSIDE OF A FEW ROUGE SHRA...OUR NECK OF THE WOODS WILL REMAIN QUIET. THIS WILL QUICKLY CHANGE...HOWEVER...AS WE HEAD INTO THE EVENING HOURS. NORTHEASTWARD MOVING SUPERCELLS WILL BEGIN TO APPROACH THE WESTERN CWA BORDER AFTER 7 PM. THE SFC LOW WILL MOVE NE INTO EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...WITH THE WARM FRONT EXTENDING INTO FAR SW PORTIONS OF THE CWA. IT IS LIKELY THAT JUST A NARROW CORRIDOR OF THE WESTERN CWA WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE RICH MOISTURE OF THE WARM SECTOR...WHICH IS WHERE THE GREATEST INSTABILITY WILL RESIDE. SUPERCELLS THAT ENTER EXTREME SE KS AND FAR W MO WILL BE PRIMED FOR AN EXTREME RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER...SPC/S MDT/HIGH RISK AREA HANDLES THE AREA OF THE RISK VERY WELL. THE 12Z SUITE OF MODEL OUTPUT OFFERS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CHANGES TO THE EXPECTATIONS. LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL BE STRONGLY VEERED...WITH A LARGE...CURVED HODOGRAPH SIGNATURE. THIS IS SUPPORTIVE OF RIGHT MOVING CELLS... PARTICULARLY WITH ANY SPLITTING CELLS OR CELLS THAT INTERACT/CROSS THE SFC WARM FRONT. AS HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED...TORNADOES WITH CELLS ALONG/WEST OF THE HWY 71 CORRIDOR HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE STRONG AND LONG TRACKED. IN ADDITION...THERE IS A WIND AND HAIL RISK...WITH HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS POSSIBLE IN THE MORE INTENSE SUPERCELLS. AS CELLS MOVE NORTHEAST DURING THE LATE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS THE CONCERN THEN SHIFTS TO WIND AS A STORM MODE MORPHOLOGY IS EXPECTED. ENVIRONMENTAL WINDS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE UNIDIRECTIONAL AS THE UPPER WAVE BEGINS TO MOVE NORTH OF THE AREA AND AS THE COLD FRONT OVERTAKES THE DRY LINE. BOWING LINE SEGMENTS ARE EXPECTED TO EVOLVE AND SURGE NORTHEASTWARD... TARGETING AREAS MAINLY ALONG AND NORTHEAST OF THE I44 CORRIDOR. THE AIRMASS AS YOU GET FURTHER INTO MISSOURI WILL NOT BE AS UNSTABLE...WHICH WILL DECREASE THE RISK FOR TORNADOES...HOWEVER WIND FIELDS WILL REMAIN SUPPORT OF DAMAGING GUSTS AND A CONTINUING RISK OF LARGE HAIL. STORM COVERAGE IS MOST UNCERTAIN ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI...AND IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOME AREAS MISS OUT ON THIS ACTIVITY. TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...FORECAST CHALLENGE FOCUSES SQUARELY ON THE PLACEMENT AND MOVEMENT OF WHAT WILL BECOME A WARM FRONT IN OR VERY NEAR SOUTHERN MISSOURI. THIS BOUNDARY WILL SHARPEN UP A BIT INTO TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND MOST LIKELY BE DRAPED ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI. DIFFERENTIAL HEATING SUGGESTS A RISK OF A FEW STORMS DEVELOPING DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON POSING A LOW END HAIL/WIND RISK. HEADING INTO TUESDAY NIGHT...A SLIGHTLY MORE MODEST LOW LEVEL JET (40KT OR SO) WILL GRADUALLY INTERACT WITH THE SFC BOUNDARY TO INITIATE ANOTHER ROUND OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION. ENOUGH INSTABILITY WILL BE PRESENT TO BE CONCERNED WITH AN INITIAL RISK OF HAIL/WIND...THOUGH THIS SHOULD TRANSITION TO A HEAVY RAIN CONCERN HEADING INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE WARM FRONT SHOULD EDGE NORTH OF THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY...GIVING US OUR FIRST SOMEWHAT MUGGY DAY OF THE WARM SEASON. THE NEXT IN A STRING OF UPPER DISTURBANCES WILL GET ORGANIZED TO OUR WEST...HOWEVER ITS ARRIVAL INTO OUR AREA WILL LIKE WAIT UNTIL LATE WED NIGHT AND MORE SO THURSDAY. LOW TEMPS WILL BE MILD AND GOVERNED BY CLOUD COVERAGE RAIN. HIGH TEMPS WILL RETURN TO THE 70S AREA WIDE TOMORROW... AROUND 80F SOUTH OF THE FRONT...WITH UPPER 70S LOWER 80S ON WED. GAGAN LONG TERM (THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... 12Z SUITE OF MODEL OUTPUT CONTINUES TO GENERALLY AGREE WITH THE OVERALL PATTERN FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST. A TRANSITION TO A MORE ZONAL FLOW IS EXPECTED...THOUGH WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE SMALLER SCALE DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH THIS FLOW REGIME. THE FORECAST CHALLENGE CONTINUES TO BE TIMING THESE SMALLER SCALE FEATURES. UNTIL THERE IS BETTER AGREEMENT ON TIMING...THE POP FORECAST REMAINS ON THE PESSIMISTIC SIDE AS A BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL LINGER IN AND AROUND THE AREA INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE WILL BE DRY TIME...THOUGH A BIT DIFFICULT TO PIN POINT AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME. FOR THIS PACKAGE... BETTER CHANCES FOR RAIN ARE FOCUSED ON THURSDAY AND SATURDAY. TEMPERATURE WISE...WE WILL REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE. LOWS WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S WITH HIGHS VARYING FROM THE 60S ON DAYS RAIN IS EXPECTED TO THE LOWER 70S ON DRIER DAYS. GAGAN && .AVIATION... FOR THE 00Z TAFS...MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS EXIST ACROSS THE AREA. WARM FRONT CURRENTLY SITUATED ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE SEPARATES THE TWO. LINE OF STORMS OVER SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS AND NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA WILL MAKE ITS WAY INTO SOUTHWEST MISSOURI BY 01Z. PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE WIND WITH SOME HAIL ALSO POSSIBLE. ONCE STORMS PASS...POSSIBLE TO SEE IFR CEILINGS TOWARD DAYBREAK DUE TO MOIST ATMOSPHERE. STEADY IMPROVEMENT THEN TO VFR CONDITIONS BY 18Z. GAEDE && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 509 PM CDT MON MAY 10 2010 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-112215- 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- 509 PM CDT MON MAY 10 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. GENERALLY QUIET WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON. IT IS EMPHASIZED...THOUGH...THAT THIS LULL IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL ONLY BE TEMPORARY. AFTER 7 PM...AN EXTREME SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WILL DEVELOP WEST OF THE U.S. HIGHWAY 71 CORRIDOR EXTENDING FROM NEAR NEVADA TO JOPLIN MISSOURI INCLUDING SOUTHEAST KANSAS. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED... TORNADOES WITH THE POTENTIAL OF LONG TRACK STRONG TORNADOES... LARGE HAIL WITH GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL LIKELY AND BASEBALL SIZE HAIL POSSIBLE IN STRONGER STORMS... DAMAGING WINDS NEAR 70 MPH... AND HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING... AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING... SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO RAPIDLY DEVELOP AHEAD OF AN EASTWARD ADVANCING DRY LINE IN THE PLAINS. AFTER 7 PM...THESE STORMS WILL APPROACH AND MOVE INTO AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE U.S. HIGHWAY 71 CORRIDOR. THUNDERSTORM MOVEMENT ACROSS THE PLAINS INTO SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND FAR WEST MISSOURI WILL PREDOMINATELY BE TO THE NORTHEAST. THERE IS A POTENTIAL OF RIGHT TURNING SUPERCELLS THAT WOULD SHIFT STORM MOTION TO THE EAST OR EVEN SOUTHEAST. THE GREATEST RISK FOR LONG TRACK TORNADOES WILL BE IN AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE HIGHWAY 71 CORRIDOR. AFTER 9 PM...THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED TO TRANSITION INTO A SQUALL LINE AND TRACK EAST ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI. THE PREDOMINATE SEVERE WEATHER RISKS WILL TRANSITION TO DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH AND QUARTER TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL ALONG WITH LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. THE AIRMASS IN AREAS EAST OF THE HIGHWAY 65 CORRIDOR WILL BE MORE STABLE AS THIS LINE OF STORM MOVES TO THE EAST...WHICH WILL DECREASE THE RISK FOR TORNADOES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NEAR A WARM FRONT ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI. A LIMITED RISK FOR SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH A POTENTIAL OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THIS WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH INTO THE CENTRAL OZARKS. ADDITIONAL STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE OZARKS. THE LAST ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED FRIDAY. FLASH FLOODING EARLY THIS WEEK WILL BE LOCALIZED NEAR THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONGER UPDRAFTS AND WHERE THUNDERSTORMS TRACK OVER THE SAME AREAS. WITH MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED DURING THE WEEK AND RAINFALL BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD THROUGH THE WEEK...THE FLASH FLOODING AND FLOODING POTENTIAL WILL INCREASE AS THE GROUND BECOMES SATURATED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED WEST OF U.S. HIGHWAY 71 AFTER 7 PM. SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED AFTER 9 PM AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS EAST OF U.S. HIGHWAY 71. && 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) GAGAN
The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:30 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorms winds of 60 mph were reported along with hail up to a half inch in diameter.
Heavy rainfall caused a portion of US 69 to be covered with up to a foot of water.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, May 2010
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: 219725, 219724, 219735.