Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2004

F0 tornado, Melbourne to Jamesport, Missouri, May 27, 2004

From Melbourne to Jamesport, this F0 tornado ran 2.0 miles across Daviess and Harrison counties on May 27, 2004, touching down at 2:44 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F0
Date
May 27, 2004
Touchdown
2:44 PM CDT (19:44 UTC)
Path length
2.0 miles (3.2 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Counties
Daviess and Harrison counties
Touchdown point
40.150, -93.780
Lift-off point
40.100, -93.820
Record number
1060

What the Weather Service recorded

Brief tornado touchdown along Harrison Daviess county line. Tornado left Harrison county 1 mile south of Melbourne and entered Daviess county.

Brief tornado touchdown along the Harrison and Daviess county line. Tornado entered Daviess county 10 miles north of Jamesport, and then dissipated.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

41 minutes of warning. NWS EAX issued a tornado warning for this county at 19:03 UTC, 41 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
19:03 UTC20:00 UTCTornado WarningEAX

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 16:27 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Topeka, KS (KTOP), 12:00Z

7.7 hours before the tornado, 201 km from the path. May 27, 2004.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2004-05-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 56 joules per kilogram, CIN -497, lifted condensation level 1418 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2004-05-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 237 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 43 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
56 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-497 J/kg
Surface CAPE
21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1418 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
237 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
331 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Topeka, KS (KTOP), 00:00Z

4.3 hours after it, 201 km from the path. May 28, 2004.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2004-05-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 549 joules per kilogram, CIN -78, lifted condensation level 1555 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2004-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -32 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 41 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
549 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1998 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1555 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-1.8
0-3 km lapse rate
7.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Chillicothe (CDJ), 38 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
17:56 UTC8359 4 kt1002.7
18:56 UTC8460 3 kt1002.7
19:56 UTC836180° 5 kt1002
20:56 UTC616020° 25 kt361003

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 152 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 19:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
19:05 UTCHAIL 1.510 Nne AlbanyGentry, MO
19:05 UTCHAIL 1.510 Nne AlbanyGentry, MO
19:22 UTCHAIL 1.751 W BethanyHarrison, MOGOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED ON US-136 1 MILE WEST OF BETHANY.
19:22 UTCHAIL 1.751 W BethanyHarrison, MOGOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED ON US-136 1 MILE WEST OF BETHANY.
19:25 UTCHAIL 2.75BethanyHarrison, MOTENNIS TO BASEBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF BETHANY
19:25 UTCHAIL 2.75BethanyHarrison, MOTENNIS TO BASEBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF BETHANY
19:44 UTCTORNADOMelbourneHarrison, MOBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ALONG THE GRUNDY-HARRISON COUNTY LINE NEAR MELBOURNE
19:44 UTCTORNADOMelbourneHarrison, MOBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ALONG THE GRUNDY-HARRISON COUNTY LINE NEAR MELBOURNE
19:52 UTCHAIL 1BrimsonGrundy, MO
19:52 UTCHAIL 1BrimsonGrundy, MO
19:54 UTCTORNADO4 W TrentonGrundy, MOTORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT 146 AND 128 HIGHWAY 4 MILES WEST OF TRENTON
19:54 UTCTORNADO4 W TrentonGrundy, MOTORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT 146 AND 128 HIGHWAY 4 MILES WEST OF TRENTON
20:00 UTCTSTM WND GST 602 S BrimsonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCTSTM WND GST 602 S BrimsonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCTSTM WND GST 605 W TrentonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCTSTM WND GST 605 W TrentonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCHAIL 25 W TrentonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCHAIL 25 W TrentonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCHAIL 2.52 S BrimsonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCHAIL 2.52 S BrimsonGrundy, MO
20:00 UTCHAIL 2.755 Sw BrimsonDaviess, MO2 INCH DIAMETER LIMBS ALSO REPORTED DOWN.
20:00 UTCHAIL 2.755 Sw BrimsonDaviess, MO2 INCH DIAMETER LIMBS ALSO REPORTED DOWN.
20:02 UTCTORNADO2 S MelbourneDaviess, MO
20:02 UTCTORNADO2 S MelbourneDaviess, MO
20:08 UTCTSTM WND GST 80TrentonGrundy, MO70 TO 80 MPH WINDS REPORTED
20:08 UTCTSTM WND GST 80TrentonGrundy, MO70 TO 80 MPH WINDS REPORTED
20:08 UTCHAIL 2.75TrentonGrundy, MO
20:08 UTCHAIL 2.75TrentonGrundy, MO
20:12 UTCHAIL 4TrentonGrundy, MOPOWER LINE ALSO REPORTED DOWN
20:12 UTCHAIL 4TrentonGrundy, MOPOWER LINE ALSO REPORTED DOWN
20:34 UTCHAIL 1.755 Ene ChulaLivingston, MO
20:34 UTCHAIL 1.755 Ene ChulaLivingston, MO
20:53 UTCHAIL 0.88ChillicotheLivingston, MO
20:53 UTCHAIL 0.88ChillicotheLivingston, MO

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2004 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 27, 2004

27 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 272:00 AM EDTF1Pulaski, KY0.31504$300,000
May 271:15 AM CDTF0Crawford, KS0.110
May 272:54 PM CDTF0Grundy, MO0.550
May 273:07 PM CDTF1Nolan, TX2.875$200,000
May 273:11 PM CDTF0Nolan, TX0.120$10,000
May 273:40 PM CDTF0Taylor, TX0.120$10,000
May 273:00 PM PDTF1Thurston, WA0.275$50,000
May 273:30 PM PDTF0Clark, WA0.50
May 276:35 PM EDTF0Fayette, OH0.110
May 276:45 PM EDTF1Fayette, OH3.0501$80,000
May 276:30 PM ESTF2Washington, IN25.9150$2.5 million
May 276:40 PM CDTF0Montgomery, MO1.075
May 276:40 PM CDTF1Val Verde, TX4.0100$50,000
May 276:47 PM CDTF0Val Verde, TX0.120
May 277:09 PM CDTF0Val Verde, TX0.120
May 277:19 PM CDTF0Val Verde, TX0.830
May 278:20 PM EDTF1Brown, OH2.0167$100,000
May 277:30 PM CDTF0Saint Charles, MO0.250
May 277:30 PM CDTF0Kinney, TX1.030
May 277:31 PM CDTF0Kinney, TX1.240
May 277:35 PM CDTF0Franklin, MO1.550
May 278:50 PM EDTF2Henry, KY7.83002$2.5 million
May 278:55 PM EDTF1Floyd, IN2.9200$500,000
May 278:10 PM CDTF0Jefferson, MO0.250
May 278:40 PM CDTF0Saint Francois, MO0.240
May 2710:15 PM EDTF3Fayette, KY3.01006$7.5 million
May 2710:32 PM CDTF1Henderson, KY0.250$40,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.