Low pressure was centered over northeast Kansas, with a cold front trailing south-southeast across the eastern Plains. Ahead of this front, a south-southeast low level jet around 50 knots brought warmer and more moist air into the Mid Mississippi Valley.
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 PAH wrote it up.
Low pressure was centered over northeast Kansas, with a cold front trailing south-southeast across the eastern Plains. Ahead of this front, a south-southeast low level jet around 50 knots brought warmer and more moist air into the Mid Mississippi Valley. Thunderstorms gradually evolved into a loosely organized QLCS (quasi-linear convective system) across southeast Missouri. The system moved generally eastward at 35 mph. Given the presence of strong low level shear along the low level jet axis, the environment was favorable for the embedded supercell that produced an isolated tornado.
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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 10, 5:36 PM CST, 3 hours 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 536 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 .UPDATE... UPDATED AVIATION SECTION FOR 00Z TAF PACKAGE ISSUANCE. DISCUSSION PORTION UNCHANGED FROM 216 PM CDT ISSUANCE. && .DISCUSSION... DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS ACROSS THE FA THIS AFTERNOON. SUBSIDENCE AND SHALLOW LAYER OF MOISTURE AROUND 925 MB RESULTING IN JUST SOME CU WITH OTHERWISE PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. OFF TO OUR SW IS A SHARP S/WV TROF OVER THE TX PANHANDLE AND WRN OK. THIS FEATURE IS FORECAST TO LIFT NE INTO WRN MO TONIGHT. INCREASING WIND FIELDS AND FORCING ARE FORECAST TO SPREAD ACROSS ARKANSAS INTO MISSOURI TONIGHT IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN EASTWARD MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. SOME CONCERN STILL EXISTS WITH RESPECT TO SEVERE WEATHER. THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS IS ACROSS SERN MO WHERE THE GREATEST INSTABILITY AND STRONGER H8/H5 WIND FIELDS SHOULD BE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. AFTER MIDNIGHT...THE CHANCE OF STORMS IS FORECAST TO MOVE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. SOME LINGERING STRONG TO ISOLD SEVERE CONVECTION IS POSSIBLE...BUT THE CHANCE OF SEVERE SHOULD BE LOWERING WITH TIME OVERNIGHT...THE FARTHER EAST THE CONVECTION TRAVELS. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. WILL CARRY FAIRLY HIGH POPS TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY WEST 1/2. THE UPPER LOW BY 00Z FRI SHOULD BE NEAR KMCI WITH A BOUNDARY AT THE SURFACE BY THEN ALONG AND EAST OF THE WABASH RIVER VALLEY REGION. CONVECTIVE CHANCES SHOULD DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE MORNING. SOME REGENERATION MAY TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE EVANSVILLE TRI-STATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY WHERE CONDITIONS WILL STILL BE SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE. EXPECT DECREASING CLOUD COVER FROM THE SOUTHWEST AS WELL...AND ANOTHER DAY OF VERY MILD TEMPERATURES. THE UPPER LOW WILL REMAIN IN THE VICINITY THROUGH SATURDAY. ON AND OFF CHANCES OF SHOWERS WILL BE THE RESULT. MAY EVEN BE ISOLATED STORMS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. WILL LINGER SLIGHT CHANCE POPS INTO SUNDAY. MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WE HAVE A DRY FORECAST. HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BUILD IN...AND THE EFFECTS OF THE UPPER TROF SHOULD DIMINISH. STILL EXPECT CLOUDS AROUND FROM TIME TO TIME. ..CN.. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH 06Z WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS AT 10 TO 15 KTS WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS. SHRA AND TSTMS WILL MOVE IN FROM THE WEST AFTER 06Z...SPREADING ACROSS KCGI AND KPAH FROM 07Z TO 11Z...AND KEVV AND KOWB FROM 10Z TO 13Z. MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS EXPECTED WITH PRECIP. GUSTY WINDS POSSIBLE MAINLY WITH STRONG STORMS...BUT THESE WILL BE ISOLATED. SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST AFTER 12Z. ..RST.. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 1211 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-111100- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- 1211 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...WESTERN KENTUCKY...FROM THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES AREA WEST...AND ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. THE CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS WILL START ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI FROM MID TO LATE EVENING...CONTINUING UP THROUGH MIDNIGHT...WITH THE BEST CHANCE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMING AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE AREA WITH THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY FOR SEVERE STORMS IS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. STORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...ESPECIALLY THE OZARKS REGION WILL BE CAPABLE OF STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL. SHOULD SUPERCELL STORMS DEVELOP...THEY MAY PRODUCE A TORNADO AS WELL. THE SUPERCELL ASPECT WILL LARGELY DEPEND UPON THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE RETURN AND INSTABILITY AHEAD OF THE EXPECTED CONVECTION. OTHERWISE THE MODE IS FORECAST TO TEND TOWARD A POTENTIAL SQUALL LINE. THE CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS WILL DECREASE ONLY SLIGHTLY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI OVERNIGHT. HAIL AND STRONG WINDS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE...ALTHOUGH THE CONVECTION IS FORECAST TO BE MOVING OFF THE INSTABILITY AXIS AND SLIGHTLY AWAY FROM THE STRONGEST WIND FIELDS. STORM MOTION SHOULD BE NORTH / NORTHEAST 50 MPH. SHOULD THE ACTIVITY DEVELOP MORE INTO A SQUALL LINE...THE MOTION WILL TEND MORE TOWARD THE EAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER THURSDAY. ISOLATED STRONG OR SEVERE STORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT...ESPECIALLY FROM THE WABASH RIVER VALLEY REGION EAST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED TONIGHT ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND FAR WESTERN KENTUCKY. ALSO... THERE HAS BEEN SOME DISCUSSION FROM THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER ABOUT UPGRADING A PORTION OF THE SLIGHT RISK AREA TO A MODERATE RISK...SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT. AT THIS TIME...WE ARE NOT PLANNING ON AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL...EVEN IF A MODERATE RISK COMES OUT. NOLES
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 839 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 MOZ108-109-110345- RIPLEY-BUTLER- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DONIPHAN...POPLAR BLUFF 839 PM CST WED MAR 10 2010 ...STRONG STORM MOVING INTO RIPLEY AND BUTLER COUNTIES... A STRONG STORM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHEAST RIPLEY AND SOUTHWEST BUTLER COUNTIES...REACHING AREAS AROUND OXLY...NAYLOR AND NEELYVILLE AROUND 9 PM. THOUGH THE STORM SEEMS TO BE SLOWLY WEAKENING...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS PASSAGE. ALSO...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO LIKELY. RST
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 166 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:29 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Ping-pong ball size hail caused major damage to vehicles and roofs. A pickup truck received more than 100 dents in the hood. Shingles were damaged on houses. The hail covered the ground one inch deep, and some piles were three or four inches deep. Hail damage to one SUV was estimated at 4,200 dollars.
Tree limbs were blown down on fences along Route O.
The tornado touched down about two miles southeast of Doniphan on the south side of Highway 142, then moved northeast for about a mile and a half. One occupant of a 16-foot camper trailer sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital when the camper overturned. A rental business building was severely damaged. Insulation, some metal roofing, and wall panels were blown up to a few hundred yards away. Several barns were destroyed. About a dozen trees were blown down. About 400 utility customers lost power for several hours when a pole blew down. Peak winds were estimated near 100 mph. The tornado damage then transitioned to straight-line wind damage east of Doniphan.
Tornadic wind damage transitioned to straight-line winds several miles east of Doniphan. Mostly tree damage was observed in this rural area. The path width of the straight-line winds was about one-half mile. Peak winds were estimated near 70 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 2010Warnings in Missouri, March 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: 215155, 215987, 215149, 215150.