Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2006
F1 tornado, Calhoun to Green Ridge, Missouri, March 12, 2006
From Calhoun to Green Ridge, this F1 tornado ran 13.0 miles across Henry, Benton and Pettis counties on March 12, 2006, touching down at 3:50 PM CST and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $100,000 of property damage.
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 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mphthis tornado
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
- F1
- Date
- March 12, 2006
- Touchdown
- 3:50 PM CST (21:50 UTC)
- Path length
- 13.0 miles (20.9 km)
- Path width
- 150 yards (137 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Counties
- Henry, Benton and Pettis counties
- Touchdown point
- 38.480, -93.600
- Lift-off point
- 38.550, -93.350
- Record number
- 95
What the Weather Service recorded
Tornado touched down in rural areas of Henry county...2 miles east northeast of Calhoun at 1550 CST. The tornado traveled northeast and crossed over into Benton county at 1552 CST.
This tornado is an extension of the Henry County tornado that eventually tracked into Pettis County following its track through far northwest Benton County. Damage to a few homes and barns along with trees and power poles occurred.
Tornado crossed into Pettis county from Benton county at 1557 CST. Tornado was over rural areas with no significant damage noted. The tornado dissipated at 1605 CST 1 mile west of Manila.
F2 tornado touched down 6.5 miles east of Green Ridge at 1612 CST and moved northeast. The tornado caused the death of one woman...when the trailer she was fleeing was blown on top of her. Another 6 people were injured as well. Numerous homes suffered varying degrees of damage. The tornado lifted one mile southwest of Smithton at 1625 CST.
The deaths
1 direct deaths are recorded for this tornado, each with what Storm Data knows of it.
| Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | F | Mobile/Trailer Home | Direct |
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
15 minutes of warning. NWS EAX issued a tornado warning for this county at 21:35 UTC, 15 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:15 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 17:52 UTC and running to 02:42 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:52 UTC | 02:42 UTC | Tornado Watch | EAX |
| 20:46 UTC | 21:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 21:01 UTC | 21:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 21:35 UTC | 22:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 01:38 UTC | 02:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 02:02 UTC | 02:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 02:24 UTC | 03:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 02:29 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 02:42 UTC | 08:09 UTC | Tornado Watch | EAX |
| 03:20 UTC | 03:49 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 03:41 UTC | 04:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 04:11 UTC | 04:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 04:28 UTC | 05:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 04:45 UTC | 05:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 04:52 UTC | 05:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 05:08 UTC | 05:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 05:26 UTC | 05:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
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 High Risk, with a 0.30 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 20:04 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.
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z
9.8 hours before the tornado, 182 km from the path. March 12, 2006.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 262 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -159 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 728 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 55 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 94 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 127 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.5
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.3 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z
2.2 hours after it, 182 km from the path. March 13, 2006.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1549 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -16 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2497 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1450 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 200 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 264 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.5
- Supercell composite
- 13.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 7.5 K/km
The surface observations
Whiteman Afb (SZL), 25 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:55 UTC | 73.4 | 62.6 | 160° 12 kt | 1002.4 | ||
| 20:55 UTC | 71.6 | 62.6 | 150° 8 kt | 1000.3 | TS | |
| 21:16 UTC | 71.6 | 62.6 | 140° 6 kt | 999.7 | -TSRA | |
| 21:28 UTC | 71.6 | 62.6 | 140° 9 kt | 998 | FC -TSRA | |
| 21:42 UTC | 69.8 | 62.6 | 260° 19 kt | 29 | 1001 | -TSRA |
| 21:55 UTC | 69.8 | 64.4 | 210° 15 kt | 22 | 1000.3 | -TSRA |
| 21:59 UTC | 69.8 | 64.4 | 210° 11 kt | 22 | 1000.3 | -TSRAGS |
| 22:05 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 310° 3 kt | 1000.3 | TS | |
| 22:15 UTC | 71.6 | 64.4 | 4 kt | 1000.3 | TS | |
| 22:55 UTC | 69.8 | 62.6 | 130° 4 kt | 999.7 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:50 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:50 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 1 N Garden City | Cass, MO | |
| 21:07 UTC | HAIL 1 | Latour | Johnson, MO | |
| 21:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Latour | Johnson, MO | DAMAGE REPORTED IN TOWN |
| 21:10 UTC | HAIL 1 | Holden | Johnson, MO | |
| 21:15 UTC | TORNADO | Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | *** 3 FATAL *** MORGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE COMMUNITY OF GRAVOIS MILL. |
| 21:15 UTC | TORNADO | Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | *** 3 INJ *** MORGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE COMMUNITY OF GRAVOIS MILLS. |
| 21:15 UTC | BLIZZARD | Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | *** 3 INJ *** MORGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE COMMUNITY OF GRAVOIS MILL. |
| 21:15 UTC | BLIZZARD | Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | MORGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED THAT THE COMMUNITY OF GRAVOIS MILLS SUSTAINED MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE FROM A TORNADO. THREE INJURIES WERE REPORTED AT THIS TIME. |
| 21:22 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 N Warrensburg | Johnson, MO | HIGHWAY SIGNS DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED |
| 21:24 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 N Warrensburg | Johnson, MO | |
| 21:24 UTC | HAIL 1 | Warrensburg | Johnson, MO | |
| 21:25 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 3 W Clinton | Henry, MO | |
| 21:25 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 10 W Clinton | Henry, MO | GOLFBALL |
| 21:26 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 1 N Warrensburg | Johnson, MO | 60 MPH WIND GUSTS |
| 21:27 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 6 W (Szl)Whiteman Afb | Johnson, MO | FUNNEL CLOUD 6 MILES WEST OF AIR FORCE BASE |
| 21:35 UTC | HAIL 1 | Warrensburg | Johnson, MO | |
| 21:45 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 S Sweet Springs | Saline, MO | |
| 21:46 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Calhoun | Henry, MO | |
| 21:50 UTC | TORNADO | 2 E Calhoun | Henry, MO | DEBRIS CLOUD REPORTED |
| 21:50 UTC | TORNADO | La Monte | Pettis, MO | UNCONFIRMED REPORT AT 127 & CARROL ROAD |
| 21:52 UTC | HAIL 1 | 2 S Leeton | Johnson, MO | |
| 21:54 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Calhoun | Henry, MO | |
| 21:54 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Ne Calhoun | Henry, MO | |
| 21:55 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 1 W Manila | Pettis, MO | 3 FUNNELS SIGHTED |
| 21:58 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 4 W Brandon | Benton, MO | A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM SPAWNED A TORNADO THAT CLIPPED THE FAR NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF BENTON COUNTY. DAMAGE WAS REPORTED 5 MILES WEST OF IONIA INCLUDING UPROOTED TREES...SNAPPED POWER POLES...DOWNED POWER LINES AND PAR |
| 21:58 UTC | TORNADO | Ionia | Benton, MO | REPORTS OF DAMAGE TO HOMES WEST OF IONIA NEAR HIGHWAY P |
| 22:05 UTC | TORNADO | 3 S Green Ridge | Pettis, MO | BARN DAMAGED AND TREE DAMGE REPORTED. |
| 22:05 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 5 W Ionia | Benton, MO | A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM SPAWNED A TORNADO THAT CLIPPED THE FAR NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF BENTON COUNTY. DAMAGE WAS REPORTED 5 MILES WEST OF IONIA INCLUDING UPROOTED TREES...SNAPPED POWER POLES...DOWNED POWER LINES AND PAR |
| 22:10 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Nelson | Saline, MO | |
| 22:18 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Sedalia | Pettis, MO | GOLFBALLS |
| 22:20 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | 1 W Sedalia | Pettis, MO | |
| 22:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Florence | Morgan, MO | 2 GRAIN BINS DOWN ON FRY ROAD IN THE VICINITY OF FLORENCE |
| 22:30 UTC | TORNADO | Otterville | Cooper, MO | TORNADO REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF OTTERVILLE |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2006 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 12, 2006
54 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 12 | 12:41 AM CST | F0 | Fulton, AR | 1.5 | 25 | |||
| March 12 | 5:31 AM CST | F0 | Massac, IL | 0.9 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| March 12 | 8:20 AM CST | F0 | Leavenworth, KS | 1.0 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| March 12 | 9:12 AM CST | F1 | Jackson, MO | 17.0 | 150 | $40,000 | ||
| March 12 | 9:44 AM CST | F0 | Carroll, MO | 9.6 | 100 | $250,000 | ||
| March 12 | 10:46 AM CST | F0 | Randolph, MO | 10.5 | 75 | |||
| March 12 | 10:57 AM CST | F0 | Monroe, MO | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| March 12 | 11:25 AM CST | F0 | Ralls, MO | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| March 12 | 2:20 PM CST | F0 | Linn, KS to MO | 16.4 | 220 | $400,000 | ||
| March 12 | 3:49 PM CST | F0 | Pettis, MO | 28.0 | 150 | $10,000 | ||
| March 12 | 4:12 PM CST | F2 | Pettis, MO | 11.2 | 500 | 1 | 6 | $2.5 million |
| March 12 | 4:25 PM CST | F1 | Morgan, MO | 1.0 | 250 | $10,000 | ||
| March 12 | 4:30 PM CST | F0 | Cooper, MO | 1.0 | 75 | |||
| March 12 | 4:33 PM CST | F0 | Howard, MO | 3.0 | 75 | |||
| March 12 | 5:25 PM CST | F0 | Audrain, MO | 6.0 | 75 | |||
| March 12 | 6:24 PM CST | F0 | Pike, MO | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| March 12 | 6:25 PM CST | F1 | Pike, MO | 5.0 | 125 | |||
| March 12 | 7:04 PM CST | F2 | Calhoun, IL | 67.0 | 880 | 20 | ||
| March 12 | 7:20 PM CST | F1 | Greene, IL | 3.5 | 100 | 2 | ||
| March 12 | 7:25 PM CST | F1 | Greene, IL | 11.8 | 75 | |||
| March 12 | 7:51 PM CST | F0 | Johnson, MO | 8.8 | 100 | |||
| March 12 | 7:52 PM CST | F2 | Bates, MO | 26.0 | 450 | 1 | 13 | $580,000 |
| March 12 | 7:58 PM CST | F1 | Morgan, IL | 12.0 | 440 | |||
| March 12 | 8:07 PM CST | F2 | Pettis, MO | 20.0 | 150 | 6 | $3.0 million | |
| March 12 | 8:24 PM CST | F2 | Sangamon, IL | 4.0 | 400 | |||
| March 12 | 8:28 PM CST | F3 | Saline, MO | 35.0 | 350 | $530,000 | ||
| March 12 | 8:32 PM CST | F2 | Sangamon, IL | 12.5 | 200 | 4 | ||
| March 12 | 8:38 PM CST | F0 | Saline, MO | 6.4 | 100 | |||
| March 12 | 8:40 PM CST | F2 | Johnson, MO | 12.8 | 200 | 4 | $2.0 million | |
| March 12 | 8:47 PM CST | F2 | Vernon, MO | 38.0 | 300 | 1 | 7 | $1.6 million |
| March 12 | 8:57 PM CST | F2 | Logan, IL | 2.5 | 400 | |||
| March 12 | 9:00 PM CST | F2 | Logan, IL | 3.5 | 200 | |||
| March 12 | 9:02 PM CST | F0 | Scotland, MO | 6.0 | 8 | $10,000 | ||
| March 12 | 9:03 PM CST | F1 | Macon, IL | 10.0 | 400 | |||
| March 12 | 9:09 PM CST | F3 | Cherokee, OK | 29.0 | 440 | 8 | $3.0 million | |
| March 12 | 9:16 PM CST | F1 | Macon, IL | 8.0 | 600 | |||
| March 12 | 9:18 PM CST | F3 | Randolph, MO | 19.7 | 300 | 4 | 26 | $5.0 million |
| March 12 | 9:18 PM CST | F0 | Barton, MO | 57.0 | 50 | |||
| March 12 | 9:25 PM CST | F1 | Newton, MO | 7.0 | 75 | 1 | $200,000 | |
| March 12 | 9:36 PM CST | F0 | Newton, MO | 0.1 | 15 | $10,000 | ||
| March 12 | 9:37 PM CST | F3 | Delaware, OK to AR | 25.0 | 700 | 12 | $5.8 million | |
| March 12 | 9:43 PM CST | F4 | Monroe City tornado, MO | 29.0 | 500 | |||
| March 12 | 10:11 PM CST | F2 | Benton, AR | 8.0 | 250 | $10 million | ||
| March 12 | 10:15 PM CST | F3 | Lawrence, MO | 42.0 | 250 | 1 | 8 | $56 million |
| March 12 | 10:17 PM CST | F3 | Hickory, MO | 17.0 | 200 | 19 | $1.0 million | |
| March 12 | 10:20 PM CST | F2 | Morgan, MO | 6.0 | 100 | 5 | $850,000 | |
| March 12 | 10:50 PM CST | F1 | Carroll, AR to MO | 8.0 | 200 | $40,000 | ||
| March 12 | 10:56 PM CST | F0 | Ford, IL | 2.0 | 30 | |||
| March 12 | 11:03 PM CST | F2 | Webster, MO | 7.0 | 150 | 13 | $700,000 | |
| March 12 | 11:15 PM CST | F3 | Webster, MO | 32.0 | 200 | $530,000 | ||
| March 12 | 11:25 PM CST | F0 | Benton, MO | 3.0 | 20 | $50,000 | ||
| March 12 | 11:30 PM CST | F1 | Osage, MO | 14.0 | 150 | |||
| March 12 | 11:31 PM CST | F0 | Morgan, MO | 6.0 | 100 | |||
| March 12 | 11:43 PM CST | F0 | Callaway, MO | 6.2 | 200 |
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.