Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2005

F0 tornado, Moscow Mills, Missouri, June 13, 2005

Name: F0 tornado, Moscow Mills, Missouri, June 13, 2005
Start: 2005-06-13T22:25:00.000Z
Location: Moscow Mills, Missouri

This F0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Lincoln County on June 13, 2005, touching down at 5:25 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.

F040 to 72 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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: June 13, 2005
Touchdown: 5:25 PM CDT (22:25 UTC)
Path length: 0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Path width: 50 yards (46 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Lincoln County
Touchdown point: 38.950, -90.920
Lift-off point: 38.950, -90.920
Record number: 138

What the Weather Service recorded

An off duty Sheriff Deputy reported a small tornado near Meyer Road and Highway C. There was no damage.

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

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jun 13, 1:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 13, 1:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
145 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

.DISCUSSION...
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS CENTERED OVER NORTHEAST NEBRASKA WITH
FRONTAL BOUNDARY TRAILING SOUTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. LOW
WILL MOVE INTO WISCONSIN TUESDAY MORNING WITH THE COLD FRONT
TRAILING SOUTHWARD ACROSS ILLINOIS INTO SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND DOMINATE OUR
WEATHER PATTERN INTO THE WEEKEND WITH COMFORTABLE CONDITIONS.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR A PORTION OF
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS. CAP LAPS DATA INDICATED
LIS OF -5 TO -7 ACROSS THIS AREA WHILE CAPES HAVE INCREASED INTO
THE 2000-3000 J/KG RANGE. CAP WAS RAPIDLY ERODING ACROSS CENTRAL
MISSOURI DURING THE PAST HOUR WITH ISOLATED ELEVATED CONVECTION THAT
REGION.

MODELS ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR WITH MOISTURE FIELDS FOR TONIGHT INTO
TUESDAY. MODELS ADVECT MUCH DRIER AIR INTO THE AREA EARLY TUESDAY
WITH KS FORECAST BELOW 20 ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA BY 12Z.

HIGHER 850 MOISTURE HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA WITH MID TEEN C
DEWPOINTS. SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE ADVECTION/TRANSPORT IS FORECAST BY
THE AREA THIS EVENING WITH AREA OF ADVECTION MOVING OFF RAPIDLY
AFTER MIDNIGHT. COOLER AND DRIER 850 MB AIR WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE
AREA ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE GFS AND NAM ARE SIMILAR IN
FORECASTSING 10C TO 12C TEMPS ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY
EVENING. THE UKMET AND NAM FORECAST SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE
ADVECTION/TRANSPORT BACK INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON THURSDAY
MORNING. EXPECT CONVECTION TO REMAIN TO THE SOUTHWEST OF FORECAST
AREA.

H5 SHORT WAVE ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS THIS MORNING WILL SWING
NORTHEASTWARD TONIGHT. MODELS ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR IN MOVING SYSTEM
INTO SOUTHEAST CANADA/OHIO VALLEY LATE ON WEDNESDAY WITH UPPER RIDGE
BUILDING INTO THE GREAT PLAINS.

IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD, THE 13/00Z RUN OF THE EUROPEAN AND THE
12/06Z RUN OF THE DGEX ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR WITH A H5 CLOSED LOW OVER
SOUTHEAST ONTARIO THURSDAY EVENING WITH RIDGE AXIS FROM THE SOUTHERN
ROCKIES INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST. UPPER RIDGE IS FORECAST TO AMPLIFY
INTO THE WEEKEND ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS AND CENTRAL U.S. WITH DEEP
TROF OR CLOSED LOW OVER THE EASATERN U.S. AND ALONG THE PACIFIC
COAST.

&&

.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 13, 3:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
345 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-141200-
ADAMS IL-AUDRAIN-BOND IL-BOONE-BROWN-CALHOUN IL-CALLAWAY-CLINTON IL-
COLE-CRAWFORD-FAYETTE IL-FRANKLIN-GASCONADE-GREENE IL-IRON-JEFFERSON-
JERSEY IL-KNOX-LEWIS-LINCOLN-MACOUPIN IL-MADISON-MADISON IL-MARION-
MARION IL-MONITEAU-MONROE-MONROE IL-MONTGOMERY-MONTGOMERY IL-OSAGE-
PIKE-PIKE IL-RALLS-RANDOLPH IL-REYNOLDS-SHELBY-ST CHARLES-
ST CLAIR IL-ST FRANCOIS-ST LOUIS-ST LOUIS CITY-STE GENEVIEVE-WARREN-
WASHINGTON-WASHINGTON IL-
345 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSOURI
AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING.  THE
PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE
EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY FOR PARTS OF
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AS THE COLD FRONT FINALLY EXITS THE REGION.  WHILE
MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE WANING...ENOUGH IS EXPECTED TO
PRODUCE SOME THUNDERSTORMS.  HOWEVER...NONE OF THE STORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 13, 3:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
347 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0330 PM     HAIL             QUINCY                  39.93N 91.39W
06/13/2005  1.00 INCH        ADAMS              IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            VARIED FROM PEAS TO QUARTERS

&&

SDD

Local storm report, Jun 13, 4:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
421 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0415 PM     HAIL             10 S FULTON             38.71N 91.95W
06/13/2005  0.75 INCH        CALLAWAY           MO   PUBLIC

&&

SDD

Local storm report, Jun 13, 5:08 PM CDT, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
508 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0505 PM     HAIL             JERSEYVILLE             39.12N 90.33W
06/13/2005  1.75 INCH        JERSEY             IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

SDD

Local storm report, Jun 13, 5:21 PM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
521 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0440 PM     HAIL             HERMANN                 38.70N 91.43W
06/13/2005  0.75 INCH        GASCONADE          MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

SDD

Local storm report, Jun 13, 5:22 PM CDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
522 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0510 PM     HAIL             KANE                    39.19N 90.35W
06/13/2005  1.00 INCH        GREENE             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SDD

Local storm report, Jun 13, 5:23 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
523 PM CDT MON JUN 13 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0505 PM     HAIL             JERSEYVILLE             39.12N 90.33W
06/13/2005  1.75 INCH        JERSEY             IL   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

SDD

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.

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z

10.4 hours before the tornado, 240 km from the path. June 13, 2005.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

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: 141 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -95 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 963 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 48 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 4.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

1.6 hours after it, 240 km from the path. June 14, 2005.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1265 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -24 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 1554 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1403 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 91 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 152 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 3.5
0-3 km lapse rate: 7.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

St. Louis/Spirit (SUS), 40 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
00:00 UTC

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

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 35 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:22 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.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2005 tornado in Missouri Every tornado in Missouri since 1950 Warnings in force in Missouri now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 13, 2005

16 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 13	3:23 PM CDT	F0	Codington, SD	0.1	20
June 13	3:49 PM CDT	F0	Codington, SD	0.0	10
June 13	3:49 PM CDT	F0	Outagamie, WI	0.2	75	$1,000
June 13	3:51 PM CDT	F0	Codington, SD	0.0	10
June 13	5:20 PM CDT	F0	Jersey, IL	0.5	40
June 13	6:00 PM CDT	F0	Macoupin, IL	1.5	40
June 13	6:05 PM CDT	F0	Macoupin, IL	1.0	50
June 13	6:05 PM CDT	F1	Macoupin, IL	3.0	70
June 13	6:10 PM CDT	F1	Macoupin, IL	2.5	60
June 13	6:10 PM CDT	F0	Newton, MO	0.2	25
June 13	6:50 PM CDT	F0	Taylor, IA	0.2	30
June 13	6:58 PM CDT	F0	Douglas, MN	0.1	20
June 13	7:23 PM CDT	F0	Otter Tail, MN	0.5	50
June 13	8:30 PM CDT	F0	Marion, IA	0.2	30
June 13	8:47 PM CDT	F0	Marion, IA	0.2	30
June 13	8:53 PM CDT	F0	Marion, IA	0.1	25

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.