An upper level low was moving through the region, triggering scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few of the storms produced large hail and a tornado.
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 LSX wrote it up.
An upper level low was moving through the region, triggering scattered showers and thunderstorms. A few of the storms produced large hail and a 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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 23, 11:38 AM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 1238 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1135 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 STRONG LOBE OF VORTICITY IN SERN MO IS ROTATING AROUND A MATURE CYCLONE CENTERED OVER SWRN MO. THIS LOBE IS CURRENTLY GENERATING/ DEVELOPING SEVERAL WAVES OF SHRA/TSRA AND AS COLD AIR ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH CENTER OF UPPER SYSTEM APPROACHES LATER THIS AFTERNOON...IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A SAY IN A FEW CELLS REACHING SEVERE LIMITS IN TERMS OF LARGE HAIL. DUE TO LARGE AMOUNTS OF VORTICITY ASSOCIATED NEAR THE CENTER OF THE STORM SYSTEM...A BRIEF TORNADO OR TWO CANNOT BE RULED OUT WITH STRONGER UPDRAFT STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING AS THE CENTER OF THE STORM SYSTEM PASSES THRU. TEMPS WILL BE VERY TRICKY GIVEN CHANGING AMOUNTS OF CLOUD COVER AND BANDS OF PCPN. DID NOT MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES WITH REGARD TO THAT. TES && .SHORT TERM... ISSUED AT 331 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 (TONIGHT) DIFFICULT FORECAST AGAIN TODAY WITH BANDS OF PRECIP ROTATING NEWD AROUND UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER SERN KS/NERN OK REGION. TROF OVER PAC APPROACHING THE WRN COAST SHUD HELP MOVE THIS UPPER LOW W AS THE TROF DEEPENS. MDLS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT REGARDING TIMING AND TRACK OF THE UPPER LOW. MDLS ALSO AGREE SOMEWHAT WELL WITH BANDS OF PRECIP ROTATING AROUND THIS LOW. THE DIFFERENCES ARE AMOUNT OF PRECIP WITH THESE BANDS. PINNING DOWN EXACT LOCATION OF BANDS AND TIMING WILL BE CHALLENGING THRU TODAY AS BANDS SHUD WEAKEN AS THEY MOVE NWD...GENERALLY SPEAKING. HOWEVER...MDLS ALSO DEPICT A BAND OF INSTABILITY PROPAGATING ALONG THE ERN EDGE OF THE LOW. THIS SHUD ALLOW TSRA TO DEVELOP LATE MORNING THRU THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WITH LACK OF CAP IN PLACE...SOME UNCERTAINTY EXISTS IF ANY TSRA WILL BECOME SEVERE. HOWEVER...GIVEN RATHER STEEP LOW AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES EXPECTED...SOME TSRA WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THESE TSRA ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY ROTATE NEWD OUT OF THE REGION LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS. WITH PRECIP EXPECTED TODAY...TEMPS PRESENT ANOTHER DIFFICULT FORECAST PROBLEM. HAVE TRENDED TWD A BLEND OF MOS GUIDANCE FOR TODAY...BUT ANY BREAKS IN CLOUDS SHUD ALLOW TEMPS TO JUMP QUICKLY. TILLY && .LONG TERM... ISSUED AT 331 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 (TONIGHT-THURSDAY) AS UPPER LOW DRIFTS FROM SE MO INTO THE OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT EXPECT THE PRECIP THREAT ACROSS THE REGION TO HAVE A DIURNAL FLAVOR. MAX COVERAGE SHOULD OCCUR MID AFTERNOON TODAY WITH A GRADUAL DECREASE AS WE HEAD INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...HOWEVER GIVEN THE SPOKES SHORTWAVE ENERGY AND MOISTURE ROTATING AROUND THE LOW DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE ANY PROLONGED PERIOD WITH NO RAIN THREAT. ON SATURDAY SCATTERED SHOWERS SHOULD PERSIST IN THE VICINITY OF THE EXITING UPPER LOW...WITH AREAS ALONG AND ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER HAVING THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN GIVEN THEIR PROXIMITY TO THE CIRCULATION CENTER. NOT SURE HOW FAR WEST TO GO WITH POPS...BUT DID CONTINUE SLIGHT CHANCE/LOW CHANCE POPS FOR W AREAS DUE TO DECENT SHORT-RANGE MODEL CONSENSUS WITH QPF. TEMPERATURES FROM TONIGHT-SATURDAY NIGHT WILL BE A TOUGH CALL DUE TO TRICKY CLOUD/SKY FORECAST CAUSED BY MOISTURE SPIRALLING AROUND THE LOW. GOING WITH CURRENT TRENDS BENEATH THE UPPER SYSTEM...HAVE GONE WITH M40S-L50S FOR MINS TONIGHT...WITH HIGHS SATURDAY RANGING FROM THE UPPER 60S UNDER THE THICKER CLOUD COVER OVER S IL TO L-M70S OVER OUR W COUNTIES WHERE CLOUD COVER SHOULD BE A BIT LESS THICK. IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING LOW...MID LEVEL RIDGING IS FORECAST TO EXPAND FROM THE PLAINS INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FOR THE START OF THE NEW WEEK...BRINGING A RETURN OF DRY WEATHER. AS MENTIONED ABOVE...AMS OVER THE REGION IS FAIRLY MILD...AND EVEN WITH A BIT OF COOLER AIR SUBTLY BACKDOORING AREA ON MONDAY HIGHS SHOULD BE IN THE 70S BOTH DAYS...WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE STILL WORKING A STRONG SHORTWAVE/UPPER LOW FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO THE UPPER GREAT LAKES ON TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...ALLOWING A COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED SHOWER /THUNDERSTORM THREAT TO SAG INTO AND THEN STALL OUT ACROSS AREA AS WESTERLIES REMAIN WELL TO OUR N. ONCE AGAIN...NO MAJOR AMS CHANGE FOR OUR AREA SO TEMPS SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE AVERAGE WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S AND LOWS IN THE 50S. TRUETT && .AVIATION... ISSUED AT 1238 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM CENTERED NEAR CNTRL MO CONTINUES TO SLOWLY DRIFT EWD. THIS WILL CREATE WAVES OR BANDS OF SHRA/TSRA THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND INTO NIGHT AND SO ANTICIPATE AT LEAST HAVING VC OF SOME SORT OF PCPN FOR MUCH OF THE VALID TAF PERIODS AT EACH SITE. WE EXPECT THE BAND OVER THE ERN OZARKS TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND REINFORCE WHAT IS OCCURRING OVER IN KCOU AND EVENTUALLY AFFECT THE STL METRO SITES. THE HIGHEST PROBS FOR SEVERE WX SHOULD REMAIN TO THE E OF THE TAF SITES...HOWEVER SMALL HAIL IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY FOR THE STL METRO SITES THRU EARLY THIS EVENING. ALSO NOTE THE IFR CIGS JUST TO THE W OF KCOU...BUT WE EXPECT THIS TO RISE INTO MVFR RANGE AND REINFORCE WHAT IS OVER CNTRL MO THRU MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING. EVENTUALLY...WE EXPECT A NEW DEFORMATION ZONE TO TAKE SHAPE...ALBEIT CONSIST OF -RA...TO SLOWLY BACKTRACK THRU THE FA OVERNIGHT AND THEN GET REINFORCED WITH A UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ROTATING AROUND FROM THE N ON SATURDAY MORNING...FURTHER DELAYING THE PCPN ENDING FOR PARTS OF THE STL METRO AREA. SPECIFICS FOR KSTL...BAND OF DEVELOPING TSRA TO THE SW OF THE TERMINAL SHOULD EVENTUALLY AFFECT NEAR 20Z AND CONTINUE THRU THE REST OF THE AFTN DUE TO ITS SLOW MOVEMENT AND EVENTUAL W-E STRATIFICATION AS UPPER SYSTEM PASSES OVERHEAD...IT MAY EVEN APPEAR TO PAUSE OR STOP...THUS THE 4 HOURS OF TSRA. AFTER THIS... LOOK FOR REMNANTS OF THE DEF ZONE TO MOVE IN LATER TONIGHT WITH PERIODS OF -RA AND SOME MIST. CIGS MAY DIP LOWER THAN CURRENTLY FCST BUT PREFER TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT ACTUALLY DEVELOPS BEFORE HITTING THAT ASPECT HARDER. RAIN MAY ALSO LINGER LONGER THAN FCST...AND THE REASON FOR THE VCSH SATURDAY MORNING...AS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MAY ALLOW IT TO BRIEFLY PUSH BACK TO THE W. TES && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. IL...NONE. && WFO LSX
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 1158 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027- 034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-241200- GREENE IL-MACOUPIN IL-MONTGOMERY IL-BOND IL-FAYETTE IL-CLINTON IL- MARION IL-WASHINGTON IL-RANDOLPH IL-ADAMS IL-BROWN IL-PIKE IL- CALHOUN IL-JERSEY IL-MADISON IL-ST. CLAIR IL-MONROE IL-KNOX MO- LEWIS MO-SHELBY MO-MARION MO-MONROE MO-RALLS MO-PIKE MO-BOONE MO- AUDRAIN MO-MONITEAU MO-COLE MO-OSAGE MO-CALLAWAY MO-MONTGOMERY MO- LINCOLN MO-GASCONADE MO-WARREN MO-ST. CHARLES MO-FRANKLIN MO- ST. LOUIS MO-ST. LOUIS CITY MO-JEFFERSON MO-CRAWFORD MO- WASHINGTON MO-ST. FRANCOIS MO-STE. GENEVIEVE MO-IRON MO- MADISON MO-REYNOLDS MO- 1158 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE...CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL...ESPECIALLY FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WHERE THERE IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 7 PM CDT. OVER THE REST OF THE REGION...STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE NEXT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY AND THIS EVENING. TES
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1113 AM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1107 AM HAIL STEELEVILLE 38.01N 89.66W
03/23/2012 E0.25 INCH RANDOLPH IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
BYRDSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 116 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 ILZ058-059-079-098>102-MOZ036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084- 085-099-232100- GREENE IL-MACOUPIN IL-RANDOLPH IL-CALHOUN IL-JERSEY IL-MADISON IL- ST. CLAIR IL-MONROE IL-PIKE MO-BOONE MO-AUDRAIN MO-MONITEAU MO- COLE MO-OSAGE MO-CALLAWAY MO-MONTGOMERY MO-LINCOLN MO- GASCONADE MO-WARREN MO-ST. CHARLES MO-FRANKLIN MO-ST. LOUIS MO- ST. LOUIS CITY MO-JEFFERSON MO-CRAWFORD MO-WASHINGTON MO- ST. FRANCOIS MO-STE. GENEVIEVE MO-IRON MO-MADISON MO-REYNOLDS MO- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHESTER...EDWARDSVILLE...BELLEVILLE... BOWLING GREEN...COLUMBIA...MEXICO...JEFFERSON CITY...ST CHARLES... UNION...ST LOUIS...FARMINGTON 116 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012 ...FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON... A STORM SPOTTER HAS REPORTED A SIGHTING OF A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR CALIFORNIA MISSOURI. THIS FUNNEL CLOUD IS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SMALL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THAT LOCATION. ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT FROM AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM THAT IS SLOWLY MOVING EAST THROUGH THE AREA MAY CREATE ADDITIONAL FUNNEL CLOUDS AS IT MOVES THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS EXIST THAT FAVOR THE POSSIBLE FORMATION OF WEAK CIRCULATIONS ON A PRE-EXISTING BOUNDARY. SOME OF THESE CIRCULATIONS ARE OCCURRING UNDERNEATH DEVELOPING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WHERE A FUNNEL CLOUD MAY DEVELOP. ONCE THE RAIN BEGINS...THE FUNNEL CLOUD USUALLY DISSIPATES. LOW HANGING CLOUDS CAN ALSO APPEAR TO DIP UP AND DOWN AT TIMES... BUT THEY WILL NOT SHOW SIGNS OF ANY RAPID ROTATION. AN ACTUAL FUNNEL CLOUD WILL EXHIBIT SPINNING IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE DIRECTION. IN RARE INSTANCES THESE FUNNELS MAY BRIEFLY TOUCHDOWN. STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE SHELTER IF A FUNNEL CLOUD APPROACHES THE GROUND. BYRD
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
121 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0118 PM FUNNEL CLOUD TIPTON 38.65N 92.78W
03/23/2012 MONITEAU MO TRAINED SPOTTER
POSSIBLE COLD AIR FUNNEL.
&&
BYRDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
144 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0143 PM HAIL NEW HAVEN 38.61N 91.22W
03/23/2012 E0.25 INCH FRANKLIN MO AMATEUR RADIO
&&
KJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
156 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0154 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 10 S VANDALIA 39.16N 91.49W
03/23/2012 AUDRAIN MO TRAINED SPOTTER
POSSIBLE COLD AIR FUNNEL.
&&
BYRDThe Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:58 UTC.
1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A storm chaser reported a brief tornado in an open field south of Iuka. No damage was reported.
Nickel size hail was reported at the campground in Stephen A. Forbes State Park.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2012Warnings in Illinois, March 2012
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: 371042, 371046.