A weak frontal boundary combined with summer daytime heating, helped develop isolated strong to severe storms which caused localized downbursts and large hail.
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 weak frontal boundary combined with summer daytime heating, helped develop isolated strong to severe storms which caused localized downbursts and large hail.
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 Jul 22, 11:03 AM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1203 PM CDT FRI JUL 22 2011
...UPDATE TO AVIATION...
.UPDATE...
HAVE MADE MINOR UPDATES TO NEAR TERM FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON
AND EARLY EVENING TO INSERT SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE FOR
THUNDERSTORMS. MORNING SURFACE AND UPPER AIR ANALYSIS INDICATES
THAT SOME MID LEVEL COOLING HAS OCCURRED OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS OR
SO...ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN BOTH MID LEVEL AND SURFACE
MOISTURE. MODIFIED 12Z SGF SOUNDING SUGGESTS THAT ATMOSPHERE WILL
BECOME LARGELY UNCAPPED BY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH AROUND 2000 J/K
OF CAPE IN PLACE. IF CONVECTION DOES INDEED INITIATE...WILL NEED
TO WATCH FOR DOWNBURST POTENTIAL...WITH PWATS AND LOW LEVEL
THETA-E DIFFERENTIALS IN RESPECTIVE 1.6 INCH AND 30K RANGES
FAVORABLE FOR MICROBURSTS. WITH A LACK OF LARGE SCALE FORCING
MECHANISMS...WE SHOULD SEE A RAPID DECREASE IN ANY CONVECTIVE
COVERAGE AROUND SUNDOWN THIS EVENING.
BOXELL
&&
.DISCUSSION...
ANOTHER WARM AND MUGGY DAY IS IN STORE FOR TODAY. A FLATTENED
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE REGION. WARM
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS
WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR NEAR 100 DEGREES FOR MANY AREAS THIS
AFTERNOON. AS MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY INCREASES...A FEW PULSE
TYPE THUNDERSTORMS MY BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON. ANY STORMS
THAT DO FORM WILL BE WIDELY SCATTERED. AS MOISTURE BEGINS TO
INCREASE FURTHER...CONVECTION WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD THROUGH
MONDAY. POTENTIAL CONVECTION ON SUNDAY MAY SIGNIFICANTLY MODIFY
AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES AND HEAT INDEX VALUES. THEREFORE WILL HOLD
OFF ON ANY EXTENSIONS OF THE CURRENT HEAT HEADLINES FOR NOW.
PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL CULMINATE AS SHORTWAVE TROUGH DIVES
OUT OF CANADA INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION ON MONDAY...SUPPORTING
A SURFACE LOW AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA.
THIS WILL BRING A BRIEF BREAK FROM THE HEAT...WITH HIGHS IN THE
LOWER TO MID 90S ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. HOWEVER IT WILL NOT LAST
LONG. BY MIDWEEK...THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL HAVE MOVED BACK
INTO THE AREA...USHERING IN ANOTHER ROUND OF WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW
THAT WILL DRIVE TEMPERATURES BACK TOWARD THE CENTURY MARK.
KARDELL
&&
.AVIATION...
FOR THE 18Z TAFS...CU FIELD BEGINNING TO DEVELOP AS TEMPERATURES
RISE INTO THE UPPER 90S. BASES WILL REMAIN FAIRLY HIGH WITH
6000-7000 FOOT BASES. WOULDNT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED PULSE
THUNDERSTORM GIVEN THE INCREASE IN PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OVER
THE PAST DAY AND THE WEAKENING THERMAL CAP BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE
TOO LOW TO MENTION IN TAFS.
LINDENBERG
&&
.SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR MOZ079>083-089>092-
094>098-102>106.
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 7 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR MOZ055>058-
066>071-077-078-088-093-101.
KS...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 7 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR KSZ073-097-
101.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 1014 AM CDT FRI JUL 22 2011 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-231515- 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- 1014 AM CDT FRI JUL 22 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER RISK LEVEL IS...EXTREME. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED... LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK. LIMITED THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE RISK. EXTREME RISK FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. DISCUSSION... WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. WHILE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...A FEW THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS. HEAT INDEX VALUES ACROSS THE AREA WILL REACH VALUES NEAR 105 DEGREES TODAY. A FEW AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 44 COULD SEE VALUES APPROACHING 110 DEGREES. AN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK IS EXPECTED TODAY...ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI WHERE VEGETATION IS QUITE DRY...AFTERNOON HUMIDITY WILL BE LOW...AND MODERATELY STRONG WIND GUSTS WILL OCCUR DURING THE DAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE EXCESSIVE HEAT WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK...WITH AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES BETWEEN 103 AND 110 DEGREES. ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND LASTING TROUGH MONDAY WITH ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TOWARD THE END OF NEXT WEEK. .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) BOXELL
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 131 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:35 UTC.
24 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Downburst wind gusts destroyed two machine sheds that were 25 feet wide and 60 feet in length. Two corn cribs were also destroyed along with several down large trees. This damage occurred near the intersection of Highway E and Sand Shores Road south of Prescott.
Several large limbs were blown down.
Several large tree limbs were blown down.
Downburst winds gusts knocked down approximately 10 power poles north of Springfield near the intersection of Highway WW and Farm Road 159.
Several trees were blown down.
Power lines were blown down near the intersection of Highway E and Highway A.
A few power poles were blown down.
Several trees and power lines were blown down. Shingles were blown off several roofs and windows were broken due to downed trees. A few sheds were blow over.
A barn was destroyed and a few trees downed.
Vinyl siding was ripped from a house. A home weather equipment measured a 68 mph wind gust.
The Springfield ASOS measured a 70 mph wind gust.
Fire department estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Numerous large tree limbs were snapped.
A garage door was reported damaged.
Minor roof damage was reported.
Emergency manager estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph.
A power pole and two trees were blown down.
Public in Sarcoxie reported at least 60 to 70 mph wind gusts.
Several large tree limbs were blown down.
Several large tree were blown down across Highway D and Racoon Road.
A tree and powerline was downed.
KNVD measured a 51 knot wind gust.
Downburst wind gusts downed a few large tree limbs down.
Downburst wind gusts knocked down guttering off a house. Ham radio operator estimated gusts greater than 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, July 2011
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: 324221, 315649, 315553, 324222, 315586, 315527, 315556, 315557, 315564, 315528, 315529, 315565, 315579, 315567, 315571, 315580, 315654, 315583, 315653, 315577, 324223, 324224, 315650, 315594, 315592, 324225, 324226.