August 16 a meso-scale convective complex that developed over eastern Kansas during the afternoon tracked eastward across southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks during the late afternoon and evening hours producing strong to severe storms. Flash flooding occurred in Bourbon County at Fort Scott.
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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.
August 16 a meso-scale convective complex that developed over eastern Kansas during the afternoon tracked eastward across southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks during the late afternoon and evening hours producing strong to severe storms. Flash flooding occurred in Bourbon County at Fort Scott. Heavy rain was also reported elsewhere.
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 Aug 16, 2:25 PM CST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Springfield MO 325 PM CDT Thu Aug 16 2018 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Friday) Issued at 237 PM CDT Thu Aug 16 2018 A couple of upper level impulses will interact with a quasi- stationary front to produce some strong to severe thunderstorms into this evening. The surface front is currently located from about Columbia to Joplin. The first upper level impulse is currently moving out of northeastern NE into IA. Convection is beginning to fire ahead of this impulse from southern IA into northeast KS. The second impulse is a leftover MCV currently moving into north central OK. Visible satellite imagery is showing what looks like an old outflow boundary extending from north central AR through north central OK. This seems to be providing the focus for the northeast OK storms at this time. Convection associated with these impulses will be on the increase from late this afternoon into this evening. These storms will eventually congeal into a complex as they move through the area overnight. Primary severe threats will be strong winds and large hail. As the front shifts southward on Friday...afternoon convection will be more confined to the MO-AR border region. Temperatures overnight will fall to around 70 with highs on Friday in the mid to upper 80s. .LONG TERM...(Friday Night through Thursday) Issued at 237 PM CDT Thu Aug 16 2018 There will be a brief lull in the weather from Friday night into early Sunday. It should be dry with daytime highs in the upper 80s and overnight lows around 70. The next system begins to approach the area Sunday as a short wave moves up over the ridge and begins to dig into the Central Plains. This system should bring some more widespread rain to the area which will provide further drought relief. This system will affect the weather over the region through Tuesday. By Tuesday night...high pressure begins to move back in both at the surface and aloft. This will bring in a cooler and drier Canadian air mass that will remain over the area through the forecast period. Highs mid to late week will be in the low to mid 80s with lows in low to mid 60s. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) Issued at 1206 PM CDT Thu Aug 16 2018 For the 18z TAFS, will see cumulus field expand further west into the terminal locations this afternoon. A cold front will work its way southward into the area tonight with showers and thunderstorms expected to develop. Convection will likely knock the flying conditions into MVFR and brief IFR conditions, with improving conditions towards morning behind the convection. && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...Gaede LONG TERM...Gaede AVIATION...Lindenberg
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Springfield MO 413 PM CDT Thu Aug 16 2018 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-172115- 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- 413 PM CDT Thu Aug 16 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Missouri Ozarks and extreme southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Weather hazards expected... Elevated hail risk. Elevated thunderstorm wind damage risk. Limited flooding risk. Elevated lightning risk. Limited excessive heat risk. DISCUSSION... Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop out ahead of a cold front and upper level disturbance across the plains this afternoon. These storms will then move into extreme southeast Kansas and western Missouri, generally this evening and overnight. The best chance of severe storms will be west of an Anderson to Stockton to Osceola line after 6 pm. Hail to the size of golf balls and damaging thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 mph will be the primary severe weather risks. If thunderstorms can develop and move across the same locations, some minor localized flooding will be possible in addition to the severe storms. Some heat index values in the mid 90s will be possible late this afternoon across the Missouri Ozarks and extreme southeast Kansas. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Heat index values in the mid to upper 90s will be possible Friday and Saturday afternoons primarily across southern Missouri and extreme southeast Kansas. Additional showers and thunderstorms are possible Friday into the early of next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed later this evening into tonight over western Missouri and extreme southeast Kansas. && More detailed information can be accessed at: http://www.weather.gov/sgf/sitrep This product in graphical format...along with other weather... hydrological and climate information...at http://www.weather.gov/sgf Gaede
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:17 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A few large limbs of eight inch in diameter were reported down.
The Emergency Manager reported that a couple large trees were broken along with penny size hail.
A local media station reported a 66mph wind gust.
A trained spotter measured a wind gust of 59mph.
The Emergency Manager reported that a large 4-by-8 foot road sign was twisted and damaged by strong straight line winds.
A trained spotter reported that quarter sized hail fell at their location.
Significant street flooding occurred within the town of Fort Scott from heavy rainfall.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, August 2018
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: 780122, 780123, 780125, 780126, 780124, 780121, 780120.