A stalled front interacted with a moist airmass over the region as upper level disturbances moved parallel to the front, producing training thunderstorms over the region through afternoon and evening. Flash flooding occurred south of Highway 60 during the evening as rainfall amounts between 2 and 6 inches occurred in a 24 hour period.
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 stalled front interacted with a moist airmass over the region as upper level disturbances moved parallel to the front, producing training thunderstorms over the region through afternoon and evening. Flash flooding occurred south of Highway 60 during the evening as rainfall amounts between 2 and 6 inches occurred in a 24 hour period. Some locations saw the bulk of the rain fall in less than 6 hours. One flash flood fatality occurred in Howell County near Mountain View around 10 PM CST when a 71-year old male attempted to drive through a flooded low water crossing on Highway Y at Gill Branch.
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 Dec 17, 3:19 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Springfield MO 319 PM CST Fri Dec 17 2021 Key Messages: 1. Flooding possible over southern Missouri late this afternoon into the evening as periods of heavy rain move over areas from Branson into south central MO. 2. Colder Saturday night with lows in the 20s, wind chills in the teens. 3. Remaining dry with above normal temperatures ending out the work week. .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday) Issued at 146 PM CST Fri Dec 17 2021 A Flood Watch has been issued until midnight for areas along the Arkansas border. A warm front was slowly lifting northward into northern Arkansas this afternoon leading to a band of showers with scattered thunderstorms with heavier rainfall from northern Arkansas into southern Missouri...with an H8 front demarking the northern edge of the band closer to I-44. KSGF precipital water at 12z was 0.84 and has likely climbed to at or above an inch...pushing the climatology maximum for December. IR satellite shows one area of stronger lift over south central Missouri...with cloud tops cooling again to the west further raising the concern for flooding over southern Missouri ahead of an approaching cold front. Note that the H8 winds are veered to the southwest to mitigate full potential for training cells, but the combination of unseasonable moisture, MUCAPE of 500-750 j/kg and additional moderate to heavy rain falling on areas that received 1-2 inches of rain today prompted the issuance of a short fuse Flood Watch. The rain will be quicker to clear in the west however a weak surface wave will slow the passage of the front initially then expect the front to gain speed by mid evening with the passage of the wave. Rainfall coverage as a result will diminish by late evening...with some lingering post frontal light rain possible overnight. Cold advection on Saturday combined with cloud cover persisting into the afternoon will keep temperatures in the 30s for much of the day...with wind chills if not actual temperatures dropping into the teens Saturday night. Another cold day will follow on Sunday. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Friday) Issued at 235 PM CST Fri Dec 17 2021 A closed wave will advect across the Southern Plains on Monday potentially bringing some clouds but no precipitation to the forecast area. The rest of the forecast period looks to be dry as zonal flow limits cyclogenesis. Temperatures will rebound to around normal on Tuesday...followed by a bit above normal into the Christmas weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday afternoon) Issued at 1127 AM CST Fri Dec 17 2021 Periods of showers and thunderstorms will continue into tonight as a frontal boundary slowly lifts northward. IFR flight conditions are expected at KBBG through the remainder of the afternoon, with periods of brief LIFR possible, as seen in the current observations. As moisture and lift continues to increase, the current MVFR conditions at KSGF and KJLN could lower to IFR conditions this afternoon. LLWS will also be observed at all sites through the afternoon, especially at KBBG as storms continue to progress. Towards the end of the TAF period, ceilings and visibilities will improve as the showers and thunderstorms exit the area. && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...Flood Watch until midnight CST tonight for MOZ096>098-104>106. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...Runnels LONG TERM...Runnels AVIATION...Schwartz
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Springfield MO 110 PM CST Fri Dec 17 2021 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-181915- 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- 110 PM CST Fri Dec 17 2021 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 flooding risk. Limited lightning risk. DISCUSSION... Heavy rain associated with showers and thunderstorms over southern Missouri will lead to the potential for localized flooding. Over an inch of rain had fallen over parts of southern Missouri this morning...with an additional one to one and a half inches expected into the early evening from the Branson area eastward into south central Missouri. Localized flooding will be possible where storms track over the same area. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. No hazardous weather is expected. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight...though flooding should be reported if observed. && More detailed information can be accessed at: http://www.weather.gov/sgf/dsspacket This product in graphical format...along with other weather... hydrological and climate information...at http://www.weather.gov/sgf Runnels
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:47 UTC.
18 flash flood, 13 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A water rescue was performed successfully on Roark Creek.
Cheese Plant Road was closed at Little Beaver Creek due to flooding.
Highway FF at Hunter Creek was flooded.
The west bound late of Green Mountain Drive was flooded and impassable near the Dutton Inn.
The Postage Lane low water bridge suffered minor surface damage from fast moving flood waters. The low water bridge was under approximately 3 feet of fast moving water per pipe measurements. The road was impassable for multiple hours.
Multiple roads were closed as 3 to 4 inches of rain fell over the city. Several hydroplane accidents were reported.
A water rescue was successfully performed on South Spring Creek at Highway A and County Road 409.
State highway MO 176 was closed to traffic due to high water from heavy rainfall.
Highway Y was closed at Cowskin Creek due to flooding.
Highway U was closed at Bryant Creek due to flooding.
Highway T was closed at Possum Walk Creek due to flooding.
Highway J was flooded and impassable near the beginning of Trigger Creek.
Several roads along the Eleven Point River were reported flooded and impassable including Old Springfield Road.
A water rescue was preformed successfully on County Road 5710 at Indian Creek.
Highway AB at Wolf Creek was flooded.
Highway U was closed at the South Prong Jacks Fork River due to flooding.
Highway 17 was flooded and impassable at a low water area.
Several city streets were flooded and impassable.
Highway U at the Eleven Point River was flooded and impassable.
Heavy rain caused the Gill Branch to leave its banks and overtop Highway 71. A 71 year old motorist was swept of Highway Y and drowned in the flood waters.
Highway U at the South Prong of the Jacks Fork River was flooded.
Highway Y at the Gill Branch was flooded.
State Route 17 at Jam Up Creek was flooded and impassable.
Highway U at the Eleven Point River was flooded and impassable.
Highway EE at the North Fork River was flooded and impassable.
Highway 95 at Bryant Creek was flooded and impassable.
Highway 181 at Bryant Creek was flooded and impassable.
Highway H at the North Fork River was flooded and impassable.
Highway T at Possum Walk Creek was flooded and impassable.
Highway RA at Sims Valley Creek was flooded and impassable.
Highway C at Flat Creek was flooded and impassable.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Howell | 2021-12-17 | 71 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, December 2021
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: 997627, 997628, 997645, 997629, 997630, 997631, 997632, 997633, 997634, 997635, 997636, 997637, 997638, 997639, 997646, 997640, 997641, 997642, 997643, 997644, 997647, 997648, 997649, 997650, 997651, 997652, 997653, 997654, 997655, 997656, 997657.