During the evening of June 11, a complex of thunderstorms ripped through eastern Kansas and western Missouri, including through the Kansas City Metro area. While the severe weather was fairly widespread, impacts were pretty low.
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 EAX wrote it up.
During the evening of June 11, a complex of thunderstorms ripped through eastern Kansas and western Missouri, including through the Kansas City Metro area. While the severe weather was fairly widespread, impacts were pretty low. There were some sporadic areas of enhanced wind where several reports of 80+ mph wind was received with wide swaths of tree destruction. The area with the highest concentration of the worst damage was in the Excelsior Springs area, where tens to hundreds of large healthy trees were destroyed, including at nearby Watkins Mill State Park. No injuries were reported, but the widespread nature of the damage and magnitude of the highest wind reports made this the biggest event of the severe weather season in the area.
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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 11, 11:38 AM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO 1238 PM CDT Fri Jun 11 2021 .Update... Issued at 632 AM CDT FRI JUN 11 2021 Have updated PoPs to bring likely PoPs through the area timed to the most likely window for the line of storms in eastern NE currently. With a line of storms moving through the area around peak heating, insatiability will very high/extreme. So a corridor of damaging winds is becoming more likely in eastern KS and adjacent areas of western MO. Main timing difference from initial forecast issuance was to bump the arrival up and hour or two. && .Discussion... Issued at 249 AM CDT FRI JUN 11 2021 Key messages: - Strong to severe storms are possible today, mainly during the afternoon to evening. - Hot, dry weather expected for the rest of the forecast. Detailed Discussion... A strong shortwave trough is moving across the northern Plains and will lift into southern Canada later today. This shortwave will help push a cold front southeastward through the day. In the mid and upper levels locally, warm air aloft will keep things capped until the forcing associated with the front arrives to help trigger convection. This cap, along with very warm and moist environment in the low levels, will lead to very high instability. MLCAPE of 2500 to 3000+ J/kg should be present as the cold front moves into the area. While shear is relatively weak, steep mid-level lapse rates suggest potential for some large hail, mainly with initial updrafts. As the convection evolves, and tracks southward, steep low-level lapse rates suggest wind will become the main threat. Timing for this is a little uncertain as models still vary some. But think convection should move into northwestern portions of the forecast around the noon hour, give or take an hour, then move southward through the afternoon hours, getting to the KC area around peak heating with instability maximized. Given the high CAPE and steep low to mid-level lapse rates, it looks like a good chance for severe storms from this activity during the afternoon hours. The precipitation chances Friday will be it for the rest of the forecast. High pressure will move over the area Saturday with slightly cooler temperatures and dewpoints. But the upper ridge over the western half of the country will begin to build and amplify. This practically shuts precipitation chances off for the area. But, by the middle of next week, the high may retrograde into the Great Basin, allowing for northwest flow over the area. That pattern will be our best chance for any precipitation with storms that track southeastward around that ridge. But there is little predictability at this point for anything specific, other than the pattern is favorable for northern Plains convective systems to track into the area. && .Aviation...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday Afternoon) Issued at 12 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2021 Main focus will be on a small complex of thunderstorms that will drop south-southeast this afternoon across the northwest Kansas- Missouri border; effecting the terminals through the late afternoon to early evening hours. Strong gusty winds and low MVFR CIGs are expected as as the thunderstorms move through. After the storms move through, expect winds to turn to the north and northeast for the rest of this TAF cycle. && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. MO...NONE. && Update...CDB Discussion...CDB Aviation...Cutter
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO 1258 PM CDT Fri Jun 11 2021 KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040- 043>046-053-054-121800- Atchison KS-Miami-Linn KS-Doniphan-Leavenworth-Wyandotte-Johnson KS- Atchison MO-Nodaway-Worth-Gentry-Harrison-Mercer-Putnam-Schuyler- Holt-Andrew-De Kalb-Daviess-Grundy-Sullivan-Adair-Buchanan-Clinton- Caldwell-Livingston-Linn MO-Macon-Platte-Clay-Ray-Carroll-Chariton- Randolph-Jackson-Lafayette-Saline-Howard-Cass-Johnson MO-Pettis- Cooper-Bates-Henry- 1258 PM CDT Fri Jun 11 2021 This hazardous weather outlook is for northwest...north central and west central Missouri...as well as extreme eastern Kansas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Maximum heat indices today will be in the mid 90s to near 100 degrees. Caution needs to be taken if spending time outside. Strong to severe storms are possible this afternoon. Winds up to 60 mph and hail up to the size of golf balls will be the main threats. Locally heavy rainfall will also be possible. More detailed information can be accessed at... https://www.weather.gov/eax/hwo .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. More detailed information can be accessed at... https://www.weather.gov/eax/hwo
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
1204 PM CDT Fri Jun 11 2021
MOZ001-011-111745-
Atchison MO-Holt MO-
1204 PM CDT Fri Jun 11 2021
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ATCHISON AND NORTHWESTERN HOLT
COUNTIES UNTIL 1245 PM CDT...
At 1204 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Auburn, or 22 miles northwest of Falls City, moving east at 20 mph.
Nickel size hail and wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph will be possible with
this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Tarkio, Mound City, Rock Port, Fairfax, Craig, Big Lake, Westboro,
Watson, Blanchard, Fortescue, Bigelow, Corning, Phelps City and
Indian Cave State Park.
This includes Interstate 29 between mile markers 84 and 123.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 300 PM CDT for
northeastern Kansas...and northwestern Missouri.
LAT...LON 4058 9577 4058 9520 4028 9518 3998 9529
4004 9542 4012 9539 4018 9548 4024 9547
4026 9555 4030 9556 4031 9566 4034 9562
4041 9566 4046 9564 4048 9570 4054 9565
4056 9568 4052 9571 4052 9575 4057 9577
TIME...MOT...LOC 1704Z 285DEG 18KT 4035 9579
PPThe Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:17 UTC.
28 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees branches around 6 inches were down in St. Joseph.
Someone driving along HWY 210 near Missouri City filmed a brief tornado in the field to the north of the highway. The visual appearance of the tornado was similar to a landspout, and with it being associated with a new updraft near a boundary, it was determined to be a landspout.
ASOS measured 60 mph wind at St. Joseph Rosecrans Airport.
A two inch diameter tree is down near Amazonia.
Power poles were down in Gower on J Highway and Middle Road.
A ten inch tree limb was down in Smithville.
Several large oak trees were blown over. The owner of the trees estimated 70 to 80 mph wind.
Law enforcement estimated 80 to 90 mph wind that took down several 1 foot diameter trees between Kearney and Excelsior Springs. The trees were healthy and debris was strung everywhere.
Power pole snapped and 1.5 inch tree snapped.
Several trees, estimated around 100, were heavily damaged or toppled due to a very strong storm, with 80 mph straight line wind. Nearby houses had damage to siding and several fences were destroyed.
At Watkins Mill State Park there were 25 to 30 trees were down on top of cars and campers. No injuries were reported.
A ten inch tree limb was down near Lathrop.
Several 2 to 3 inch tree limbs were down near Holt.
Trained spotter reported 60 mph wind near Kearney.
A two foot diameter tree was uprooted.
One foot diameter tree uprooted with several large limbs broken.
Ten inch tree limb was down.
Public reported 65 to 70 mph wind in Independence.
Ten inch tree limb was down near Grain Valley.
ASOS reported a measured 62 mph wind.
A trained spotter reported a 70 to 80 mph wind gust.
Public reported 60 to 70 mph wind.
NWS Employee reported 60 mph wind.
There was a report of a roof blown off of a church in Harrisonville.
Public estimated 60 to 65 mph wind near Green Ridge.
NWS Employee near Warrensburg reported 60 mph wind.
A tree was blown down on a garage near McPherson.
AWOS reported 61 mph measured wind.
Emergency management reported 60 mph wind.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 2021Warnings in Missouri, June 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: 967777, 967473, 967772, 967841, 967778, 967780, 967781, 967844, 967853, 967786, 967788, 967791, 967812, 967854, 967855, 967814, 967817, 967818, 967857, 967820, 967860, 967866, 967869, 967871, 967829, 967874, 967876, 967831, 967880, 967886.