A storm system moved from Minnesota into Wisconsin during the afternoon and evenings hours of December 4th. This brought a cold front to along the Mississippi River by early evenings.
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 DVN wrote it up.
A storm system moved from Minnesota into Wisconsin during the afternoon and evenings hours of December 4th. This brought a cold front to along the Mississippi River by early evenings. Ahead of this cold front, scattered showers and thunderstorms moving northeastward across northeast Missouri. One of these storms produced damaging winds as it moved across Clark County. This storm also produced a tornado that caused EF-2 damage near the Highway 27 and 61 interchange before crossing the Des Moines River and moving into Iowa. One person was injured when the tornado hit a tractor trailer.
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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 4, 2:50 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL 250 PM CST Mon Dec 4 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 245 PM CST Mon Dec 4 2017 An approaching cool front is now into central Iowa with a broken line of showers and non-severe storms. Trends support front to pass rapidly by 8 PM with south winds of 20 to 30+ mph becoming west to northwest by mid evening. Light precipitation amounts with low to very low risk of severe storms suggested. Temperatures are in the lower to mid 60s at 2 PM with much colder temperatures noted to arrive by late evening behind front. Below to well below normal temperatures on tap the rest of the week with little or no snow chances. && .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Tuesday) ISSUED AT 245 PM CST Mon Dec 4 2017 Short term forecast confidence assessment...fair to poor or average to below average. Main risk is severe risk the next 3 to 5 hours with trends suggesting a diminishing risk (if any) will need to monitoring next few hours as low instability and veering surface winds unfavorable for any severe. Tonight...broken line of showers and storms should pass east by 10 PM with clearing skies most areas. Any rain totals should be below a quarter inch with most locations a tenth of an inch and possibly less. Temperatures to fall into the lower 20s to around 30F by sunrise with gusty northwest winds of 20 to 30+ mph with isolated gusts to around 35 mph. Tuesday...mostly sunny and cold and windy with temperatures staying in the 30s with gusty northwest winds of 20 to 35 mph and some gusts around 40 mph possible. Wind chills will be in the teens to lower 20s for coldest day so far this winter season. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday Night through next Monday) ISSUED AT 245 PM CST Mon Dec 4 2017 Tuesday night and Wednesday...Latest run 12z models varying on handling of a weak clipper embedded in cold northwest flow this period. The GFS is the most bullish with the forming of a closed sfc low dropping acrs the southwestern third of the DVN CWA from 06z-12z Wed morning, placing up to a half inch of snow by 12z-14z Wed just to the north of it generally along and just south of the I80 corridor. The 12z NAm dries up anything to maybe just some flurries, and the new ECMWF produces a few tenths of an inch/dusting along and west of Iowa City and Cedar Rapids by Wed morning, and dries it up to flurries after that. For now will go with a strip of flurries in these areas from late Tue night into Wed morning, but could see a few areas getting light measurable snow accums of a tenth or two from southwest of Cedar Rapids, through the Quad Cities and point southeast. After that system clears Wed morning, rest of the day blustery and cold in the upper 20s to low 30s in much of the area. Northwest winds of 15 to 25 MPH and gusts up to 35 MPH. The winds decrease some overnight but still maintain enough to produce low single digit to around zero wind chills in the north and northwest by early Thu morning. Thursday and Friday...Cold day under passing lobe of sfc ridging Thu, highs probably staying in the 20s most areas. Thu night may be one of the coldest nights of the week with quick temp drop/crash expected just after dark, but increasing cirrus and signs of at least late night southwest sfc return flow may limit true cold potential and produce non-diurnal temp trend by early Fri morning. If the clouds and winds delayed, some chance of single digit lows in a few locations. The latest run medium range models then suggest the next clipper in line for Friday and Friday night, but again vary on strength and moisture availability to work with. The 12z ECMWF is less phases and separates two energy centers that pass mainly west and northeast of the local fcst area, and just produces a half inch or less of snow accum from late Fri afternoon and into the evening. The more phased 12z GFS rippling along llvl baroclinicity produces at least 1-3 inches acrs much of the area starting late Fri afternoon, and lasting through midnight before shuttling off to the southeast. These amounts utilizing higher LSR's of 15:1 to 20:1 taking into account cold vertical profiles. For now will cover Friday with moderate to high CHC POPs. Saturday through next Monday...Cold post-frontal and blustery day again on Sat with highs held in the 20s in most areas(especially if there is some fresh snow cover of an inch or two), then longer range indications of another vigorous wave digging into eastern CONUS L/W trof actually inducing some moderating return flow acrs the region late Sat night and Sunday...Sunday highs a a result may be well up in the 30s and even low 40s in the south. Then the models diverge some into early next week, but the general sign is for ongoing northwest flow to be active and usher down clippers almost every day for snow chances/snow swaths of at least light snow accumulation potentail, acrs portions of the upper Midwest into GRT LKS Mon through next Wed. Long range indications also suggest a chunk of real cold Canadian air possibly could dump down acrs the western GRT LKS behind one of these waves early to mid next week...the current GFS says next Wed with -25 to -28c values at H85 MB clipping the area. ..12.. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Tuesday Afternoon) ISSUED AT 1158 AM CST Mon Dec 4 2017 Cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with low VFR and high MVFR ceilings until cold frontal passage between 04/23Z and 05/01Z with brief period of MVFR showers/storms. South winds of 20 to 30+ mph will shift to the west and northwest this evening through Tuesday morning. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...Nichols SHORT TERM...Nichols LONG TERM...12 AVIATION...Nichols
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL 1101 AM CST Mon Dec 4 2017 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-051715- Buchanan-Delaware-Dubuque-Benton-Linn-Jones-Jackson-Iowa-Johnson- Cedar-Clinton-Muscatine-Scott-Keokuk-Washington-Louisa-Jefferson- Henry IA-Des Moines-Van Buren-Lee-Jo Daviess-Stephenson-Carroll- Whiteside-Rock Island-Henry IL-Bureau-Putnam-Mercer-Henderson- Warren-Hancock-McDonough-Scotland-Clark- 1101 AM CST Mon Dec 4 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central Illinois...northwest Illinois...west central Illinois...east central Iowa...northeast Iowa...southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT Windy conditions are expected today and tonight. Today, south winds will blow at 20 to 30 mph, gusting up to 45 mph at times. Tonight, a strong cold front will cause west winds to gust up to 45 mph. Drivers of high profile vehicles will need to use extra caution. A wind advisory may be needed for at least portions of the outlook area. A strong, fast moving cold front will sweep across the outlook area late this afternoon and evening. A line of thunderstorms will rapidly push eastward ahead of the front and a few of the storms may approach severe levels with the main risks wind gusts up to 60 mph and possibly an isolated, brief tornado between 5 and 8 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY Strong winds are expected both Tuesday and Wednesday, along with cold conditions. Tuesday's west winds will be sustained near 25 mph, and could gust to 40 mph at times, while Wednesday should see winds of 20 to 35 mph from the northwest. There is a chance for accumulating snow Friday. It is too early to determine if this will have any impact to the local area. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... There is a low chance of spotter activation. Please provide reports of wind gusts over 40 mph along with any damaging winds. Nichols
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Quad Cities IA/IL
434 PM CST MON DEC 4 2017
MOC045-199-042315-
Scotland-Clark-
434 PM CST MON DEC 4 2017
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN SCOTLAND AND CLARK
COUNTIES UNTIL 515 PM CST...
At 434 PM CST, a strong thunderstorm was located near Greensburg, or
near Edina, moving northeast at 40 mph.
Winds in excess of 40 mph and dime size hail are possible with this
storm.
Locations impacted include...
Kahoka, Wayland, Wyaconda, Alexandria, Rutledge, Luray, South Gorin,
Granger, Winchester, Revere, Arbela, Clark County Fairgrounds,
Chambersburg, Ashton, Heath Memorial Conservation Area, Peaksville,
Fairmont, Medill, St. Patrick and Etna.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
LAT...LON 4061 9185 4036 9145 4025 9165 4026 9195
4030 9195 4031 9232
TIME...MOT...LOC 2234Z 247DEG 37KT 4024 9221
NICHOLSThe Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 187 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:46 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A public report was relayed by broadcast media. The time of the event was estimated based on radar.
An NWS Storm Survey team found small limbs broken that were up to 1 inch diameter.
An NWS Storm Survey team found small limbs down that were up to the size of 1 inch diameter.
An NWS Storm Survey team found that an EF-2 tornado touched down in an open field southwest of Wayland, Missouri damaging trees and breaking windows. The tornado then moved east northeast over rural areas damaging trees. As the tornado approached Highway 27, it strengthened, causing EF-2 damage to power poles. The tornado hit a DOT facility, destroying doors and a salt shelter. When the tornado crossed the highway, a semi was overturned, causing one injury. The tornado crossed the Des Moines River into Iowa where it lifted. The peak estimated winds were 115 MPH.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 2017Warnings in Missouri, December 2017
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: 729248, 729258, 729259, 729255.