A strong system moved across the Midwest and brought a round of severe storms to the area late on the 28th and early on the 29th of February. A squall line with embedded bows and super cellular type storms produced large hail and very strong damaging winds.
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 strong system moved across the Midwest and brought a round of severe storms to the area late on the 28th and early on the 29th of February. A squall line with embedded bows and super cellular type storms produced large hail and very strong damaging winds.
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 Feb 28, 8:52 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 852 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012 ...MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE DISCUSSION... .UPDATE... /ISSUED 845 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012/ A NEARLY SOLID LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE CONVECTION HAD EVOLVED FROM CENTRAL KANSAS INTO NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AT MID EVENING WHERE A PACIFIC COLD FRONT HAD CAUGHT UP WITH THE DRY LINE. EXPECT THESE STORMS TO CONTINUE TO CONGEAL INTO A SQUALL LINE AND SURGE RAPIDLY EAST ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS THE NEXT FEW HOURS THEN ACROSS THE MISSOURI OZARKS OVERNIGHT. CONVECTIVE INHIBITION THAT IS IN PLACE WILL ERODE WITH TIME AS THE AIR MASS CONTINUES TO MOISTEN AND DESTABILIZE. THE STRENGTH OF LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND PROGGED LOW LEVEL CAPE WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF A FEW MESO-VORTICIES AND BRIEF SPIN UP TORNADOES ALONG THE SQUALL LINE. HOWEVER DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD. WILL HAVE TO ALSO MONITOR FOR A FEW DISCRETE SUPERCELLS AS WELL...BUT NOT EXPECTING THIS TO BE THE PRIMARY CONVECTIVE MODE. THESE STORMS WILL REACH EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS AROUND OR A LITTLE AFTER 11 PM...AND ENTER FAR SOUTHWEST MISSOURI AROUND MIDNIGHT. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE CLOSELY MONITORED BEING THAT THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING RAPIDLY AND OCCURRING DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. FOSTER && .DISCUSSION... AN ACTIVE PERIOD OF CONVECTIVE WEATHER IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS THIS EVENING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A WARM FRONT THAT IS CURRENTLY LIFTING ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND EASTERN KANSAS IS SPARKING AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND FAR WESTERN MISSOURI. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI ALONG THE ADVANCING WARM FRONT. AS THIS FRONT PUSHES NORTHWARD DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...A WARM AND MOIST SURFACE AIR MASS WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE WARM FRONT. A COLD FRONT WILL ADVANCE INTO THE AREA AFTER DARK...PROVIDING AMPLE LIFT FOR CONVECTION IN THE WARM...MOIST AIRMASS. THIS CONVECTION WILL ADVANCE FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. MODEL SOLUTIONS SUGGEST A LIKELIHOOD OF MIXED LAYER CAPE VALUES RANGING FROM A FEW HUNDRED JOULES TO UPWARDS OF 1000 JOULES. MUCAPE VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 750 JOULES TO UPWARDS OF 1500 JOULES. COUPLING THIS POTENTIAL INSTABILITY WITH EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR VALUES OF NEAR 40 KT EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA...ORGANIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN. THE PRIMARY STORM MODE IS EXPECTED TO BE LINEAR WITH STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. HOWEVER...STRONG LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY COUPLED WITH AVAILABLE WIND SHEAR WILL SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR EMBEDDED MESOVORTICES AND A FEW RESULTANT TORNADOES. ANY STORMS THAT CAN FORM OUT AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE MAY BE SUPERCELLS...AND MAY THEREFORE BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL. IN SHORT...ALL MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER ARE POSSIBLE...INCLUDING A FEW TORNADOES. THE COLD FRONT WILL ADVANCE TO THE EAST QUICKLY...WITH SURFACE RIDING MOVING INTO THE AREA FOR WEDNESDAY. CLEARING SKIES WILL ALLOW AMPLE SUNSHINE...PUSHING AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 60S...WITH 70S EXPECTED BY THURSDAY. COUPLE THESE INCREASED TEMPERATURES WITH DRYING CONDITIONS AND GUSTY WINDS...FIRE WEATHER WILL BE A CONCERN ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. ANOTHER SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO FORM TO THE WEST AND PUSH INTO THE AREA ON FRIDAY...BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE AREA WITH THIS SYSTEM...COOLING AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 50S FOR THE WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE TAKES CONTROL OF OF THE REGION. THERE MAY BE AN OUTSIDE CHANCE FOR SOME PRECIPITATION ON SUNDAY WITH A PASSING UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE...BUT OTHER THAN THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE REGIME IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. KARDELL && .AVIATION... FOR TEH 00Z TAFS...INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE HAS ALLOWED MVFR CEILINGS TO STREAM NORTH ACROSS THE OZARKS REGION EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS IS OCCURRING IN ADVANCE OF A STRONG STORM SYSTEM NOW OVER CENTRAL KANSAS. AS THIS SYSTEM AND ITS COLD FRONT MOVE THROUGH THE REGION...LIKELY AROUND AND AFTER 04Z...FLIGHT CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE AS THUNDERSTORMS TRAVERS THE AREA. WHERE STORMS AFFECT AREA TERMINALS...BRIEF PERIODS OF IFR CAN BE EXPECTED THOUGH TIMING...DURATION AND IMPACTS ARE CURRENTLY UNCERTAIN...OTHERWISE CONTINUED MVFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL. THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION FAIRLY QUICKLY WITH IMPROVING CONDITIONS AND CLEARING OCCURRING AFTER 09/10Z. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS A CONCERN WITH NEAR 50KTS OF SHEAR NOTED AT 2KFT. HATCH && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 912 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-010315- 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- 912 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED... LIMITED TORNADO RISK. ELEVATED HAIL RISK. ELEVATED THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE RISK. SIGNIFICANT LIGHTNING RISK. LIMITED NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. DISCUSSION... STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT THE OUTLOOK AREA LATE THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ALONG AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS AFTER 10 PM AND ENTER FAR SOUTHWEST MISSOURI BY MIDNIGHT. THE STORMS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE MISSOURI OZARKS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE PRIMARY RISK WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...AND A LIMITED RISK FOR BRIEF QUICK SPIN UP TORNADOES EMBEDDED WITHIN THE LINE OF STORMS. SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL GUST TO 30 MPH AT TIMES TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY...RESULTING IN AN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AS THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED BETWEEN 10 PM AND MIDNIGHT IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS...AND 11 PM AND 3 AM ACROSS SOUTHWEST MISSOURI. && 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) FOSTER
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:28 UTC.
14 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management reported two barns destroyed and one with significant damage.
The public estimated wind speeds up to 60 mph.
Emergency management reported six large wood high voltage power poles down and damage to a barn.
Two out buildings were destroyed with one having its foundation anchors pulled out.
Emergency management estimated wind speeds up to 70 mph.
Emergency management reported damage to roofs, downed trees, and power lines.
The public estimated wind gusts up to 65 mph.
Public reported wind gusts up to 70 mph.
A six inch diameter tree limb was blown down at the intersection of Third and Walnut streets.
The public estimated wind gusts up to 70 mph.
Three tall wooden power poles were snapped at the base on South 260th Street one mile north of East 530th Ave. One house suffered heavy structural damage at the same location.
Buildings sustained structural damage and numerous trees were downed near 200th and 510th street on the southwest side of Pittsburg.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that straight-line winds of 100 to 120 miles per hour occurred near Pittsburg. This created a one mile path of damage from Centennial Drive and Highway 160 to the northeast across the southern portions of Pittsburg. Numerous tress and power poles were damages or snapped off near the base. The concrete roof of the George Nettle Elementary School Gym was lifted and shifted. Several buildings reveived damage including loss of shingles and other structural damage. Two motels also received significant damage along with several out buildings.
Emergency management estimated wind gusts up to 70 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, February 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: 360277, 360285, 359108, 360278, 360279, 359109, 360286, 359110, 360280, 360287, 362636, 360281, 360288, 360282, 360283, 360284, 360289.