Scattered storms developed during the afternoon of the 20th over southwest Missouri ahead of a cold front, An isolated severe wind gust produced wind damage to a tree in the town of Willard.
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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.
Scattered storms developed during the afternoon of the 20th over southwest Missouri ahead of a cold front, An isolated severe wind gust produced wind damage to a tree in the town of Willard.
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 Sep 20, 2:23 PM CST, 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Springfield MO 323 PM CDT Thu Sep 20 2018 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Friday) Issued at 220 PM CDT Thu Sep 20 2018 We have seen isolated showers develop once again with afternoon heating. These showers (and perhaps a few thunderstorms) will dissipate by sunset. Attention then turns to the north where a cold front will be on the move to the southeast across the northern and central Plains. Showers and thunderstorms will develop along and just behind the surface front and accompany the front as it moves into northern Missouri and northeastern Kansas during the overnight period. We should see some of this activity creep into central Missouri and extreme southeastern Kansas before sunrise. The front will then continue to make steady progress to the southeast on Friday with the front reaching the Missouri/Arkansas border from mid to late afternoon. Rain showers and scattered thunderstorms are expected along the front (and perhaps with a convective outflow ahead of the front) in the morning. Additional showers and a few thunderstorms are then expected to develop across southern Missouri in the afternoon. We are not looking at a severe weather threat at this point given an overall lack of instability and shear. Friday will mark the first day of much cooler temperatures with highs ranging from the middle 70s across west-central Missouri to the lower 80s across south-central Missouri. .LONG TERM...(Friday Night through Thursday) Issued at 220 PM CDT Thu Sep 20 2018 The big question then becomes how far south that front gets along with the corresponding potential for heavy rainfall to the north of the front. The surface front is expected to stall somewhere between the I-40 and I-20 corridors as a short wave trough axis and a tropical-origin upper level disturbance track through the southern Plains. A heavy rainfall signal remains for early this weekend as models indicate low level jet induced isentropic upglide becoming juxtaposed with the right-entrance region of an upper level jet streak. However, it appears that the deepest and strongest ascent (and the heaviest rain) will fall across Oklahoma and the northern half of Arkansas where a solid 3-6" is expected. Lower amounts are expected farther to the north across the Missouri Ozarks and southeastern Kansas. Areas across far south- central Missouri may still see amounts in the 1-3" range. However, amounts will drop off very quickly the farther north and west you go. Locations up towards Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks are looking at very light amounts. Chances for showers and perhaps a thunderstorm will then persist into Sunday, mainly across far southern Missouri. Outside of the rain, the big story for the weekend will be much cooler temperatures. Highs on Saturday may not even make the 70 degree mark over many areas with readings in the 70s then expected for Sunday afternoon. Low temperatures will fall into the 50s this weekend. A long wave trough will then slowly progress east across the central U.S during the early and middle portions of next week. That will keep the weather somewhat unsettled with at least some potential for scattered showers and thunderstorms on a daily basis. Temperatures will warm to near normal values with another cool down then expected behind a front around midweek. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) Issued at 1227 PM CDT Thu Sep 20 2018 Expect VFR conditions through the 18Z TAF period. A rapidly strengthening low is quickly progressing through the Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley through the day. This low is allowing for strong south/southwesterly flow across the TAF sites. KJLN AND KSGF will experience the highest gusts of around 20-25 knots this afternoon. KBBG will also experience afternoon gusts of 18-22 knots. A daytime cumulus field developing through this afternoon may produce a few isolated showers/storms with cloud bases of around 5000ft. Conditions will slowly be changing through the overnight hours into early tomorrow morning as a cold front begins to push into the region from north to south. Expect winds to change from the southwest to the north/northeast behind the cold frontal passage. Surface winds will generally be light with no significant gusts expected. An area of showers/storms associated with this front will begin to invade the region bringing the potential for MVFR conditions in areas of scattered showers/storms. && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...Schaumann LONG TERM...Schaumann AVIATION...Schaumann/Perez
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Springfield MO 100 PM CDT Thu Sep 20 2018 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-211800- 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- 100 PM CDT Thu Sep 20 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... Limited lightning risk. Elevated excessive heat risk. DISCUSSION... Heat indices between 95 and 101 degrees will continue through late this afternoon. Isolated thunderstorms are also expected this afternoon. Cloud to ground lightning will be the main potential hazard. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. A cold front will move through the region Friday morning, bringing scattered showers and storms. Additional rain is possible Saturday and Sunday along the Missouri and Arkansas state line, where a wave of tropical moisture will slowly glide along the stalled-out cold front. A limited flood risk has been introduced for areas along the Missouri and Arkansas state line. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight. && 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 WFO SGF
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 8 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:18 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A large 6-8 inch diameter tree branch was broken off a tree near the intersection of Knight Street and Howard Street in Willard. The report was received via social media.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, September 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: 783955.