A low pressure system tracked across the Central Plains into the Midwest, a trailing dry line and cold front interacted with an unstable air mass in a highly sheared environment to spark strong to severe storms during the afternoon and evening of the 24th. Two EF-1 tornadoes were produced from the strongest storms that moved across Camden County near Richland and in Dent County near Gladden.
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 low pressure system tracked across the Central Plains into the Midwest, a trailing dry line and cold front interacted with an unstable air mass in a highly sheared environment to spark strong to severe storms during the afternoon and evening of the 24th. Two EF-1 tornadoes were produced from the strongest storms that moved across Camden County near Richland and in Dent County near Gladden.
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 Oct 24, 12:29 PM CST, 4 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Springfield MO 129 PM CDT Sun Oct 24 2021 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday) Issued at 124 PM CDT Sun Oct 24 2021 Main message: Severe storms are likely early in the period with supercell thunderstorms. Tornadoes, damaging wind, large hail will also be possible. Storms will be brief. Sfc low over northeast KS with a trailing cold front over eastern KS will shift east over the next few hours. A weakly capped warm sector ahead of the front has kept convection to a minimum, but have started to see signs of the cap weakening with weak updrafts along the MO/KS line. Cold air aloft/height falls/lift with an upstream low amplitude shortwave over KS will overspread the area further weakening the cap. Moderate MLCAPE values of around 1500 j/kg and deep layer shear of 40-45kts will support organized storms/super cells. Will see convection increase in coverage over the next couple of hours with supercells, and eventually a broken line of storms develop. Prefrontal storms are also possible, with some cams showing some prefrontal convection as well as the cap breaks. All modes of severe weather will be possible. Somewhat veered near surface flow, does not look the best for tornadoes, but flow may back somewhat toward sunset, especially over the eastern cwfa. Will be monitoring the storm environment closely. Storm cell motion will be quite fast given the winds aloft, and some will occur after dark over the eastern cwfa before exiting our eastern counties 10pm-11pm. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 124 PM CDT Sun Oct 24 2021 Tuesday-Wednesday: Big storm system off the U.S. west coast will move inland over the next couple of days and out into the Plains Wednesday. Showers and a few thunderstorms will spread east into the region Tuesday night and continue Wednesday. Sfc low track looks to be south of the area over OK/AR with limited instability this far north. While the severe storm risk looks low, will need to watch rainfall amounts with possible heavy rain over the region with the slow moving/high amplitude system. Thursday-Sunday: The slow moving vertically stacked upper system and sfc low will shift east of the area with some clouds/precip lingering into the latter part of the week. Will see a ridge of high pressure move into the region by the weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Monday afternoon) Issued at 1224 PM CDT Sun Oct 24 2021 KSGF/KJLN/KBBG tafs: VFR ceilings to start. A cold front will move through the region early in the period with a brief period of thunderstorms. Some may be severe. Gusty south winds ahead of the front will veer to the west-northwest and north and diminish later in the period. There will likely be a brief period of MVFR post-frontal ceilings, but hard to pin down the timing at this point. && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DSA LONG TERM...DSA AVIATION...DSA
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Springfield MO 312 PM CDT Sun Oct 24 2021 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-252015- 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- 312 PM CDT Sun Oct 24 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 tornado risk. Elevated hail risk. Elevated thunderstorm wind damage risk. Elevated lightning risk. Limited non thunderstorm wind risk. DISCUSSION... Severe storms will develop along and ahead of a cold front this afternoon then shift quickly east this evening. Storms will develop into one or two broken lines with tornadoes, damaging wind, and large hail all possible with the stronger storms. Storms are expected to exit off to the east of the outlook area by 10 to 11 pm. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Additional showers and thunderstorms will be possible Tuesday night into Wednesday. Heavy rainfall and some degree of flooding may become possible by Wednesday into Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed through this evening. && 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 DSA
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:59 UTC.
3 hail, 2 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A large hay barn was witnessed being struck by lightning. The structure was destroyed by a subsequent fire as a result of the lightning strike.
A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds estimated at 100 mph began near Gladden, MO. The tornado then caused some uplift to a portion of the roof on a house which resulted in the partial failure of an exterior wall near County Road 5510. The tornado continued traveling towards the northeast, where it uprooted and snapped numerous trees before completely destroying a barn and small shed as it crossed over Highway N southeast of Turtle, MO. Numerous additional trees were uprooted and snapped at their trunks as the tornado crossed County Road 5380 and continued into a heavily wooded area.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that an EF-1 tornado with winds estimated at 90 mph touched down just northwest of Richland, Missouri. The tornado was on the ground for 4 minutes with a maximum path width of 100 yards and a track length of 2.1 miles. Along the path of the tornado, a roof was torn off of a home and a barn was also damaged. Multiple trees were uprooted with several large tree limbs snapped off.
Nickle sized hail was reported.
A large tree was reported down blocking the road.
Nickle sized hail was reported.
A large tree was uprooted along County Road 101 north of Bryant Creek.
Nickle sized hail was reported.
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, October 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: 984228, 984814, 984813, 981566, 981603, 981567, 984227, 981568.