Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2006
F3 tornado, Hermitage, Missouri, March 12, 2006
This F3 tornado ran 17.0 miles across Hickory County on March 12, 2006, touching down at 10:17 PM CST and reaching 200 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 19, and did $1.0 million 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 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 mphthis tornado
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
- F3
- Date
- March 12, 2006
- Touchdown
- 10:17 PM CST (04:17 UTC)
- Path length
- 17.0 miles (27.4 km)
- Path width
- 200 yards (183 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 19
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- County
- Hickory County
- Touchdown point
- 37.850, -93.430
- Lift-off point
- 37.980, -93.170
- Record number
- 130
What the Weather Service recorded
A large tornado touched down over rural southwest Hickory County and tracked near the Pomme De Terre lake damn. The tornado eventually tore through an intersection known as Carsons Corner causing signficant structural damage along with 19 injuries.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
9 minutes of warning. NWS SGF issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:08 UTC, 9 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 04:52 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 02:43 UTC and running to 07:07 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:50 UTC | 02:43 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 02:43 UTC | 07:07 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 03:22 UTC | 04:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
| 04:08 UTC | 04:52 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
| 05:59 UTC | 06:27 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
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 01:01 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), 00:00Z
4.3 hours before the tornado, 121 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
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z
7.7 hours after it, 121 km from the path. March 13, 2006.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -119020 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2996 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 68 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -221 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -31 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.3 K/km
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03:00 UTC | TORNADO 2 | 6 Ssw El Dorado Springs | Cedar, MO | *** 1 FATAL, 5 INJ *** CONTINUATION OF THE TORNADO TRACK FROM VERNON COUNTY INTO CEDAR COUNTY. TORNADO REMAINED ON THE GROUND THROUGH CEDAR COUNTY EVENTUALLY CROSSING INTO ST. CLAIR COUNTY 1 MILE WEST OF HARDYVILLE. NUME |
| 03:00 UTC | TORNADO 2 | 6 Ssw El Dorado Springs | Cedar, MO | *** 6 INJ *** CONTINUATION OF THE TORNADO TRACK FROM VERNON COUNTY INTO CEDAR COUNTY. TORNADO REMAINED ON THE GROUND THROUGH CEDAR COUNTY EVENTUALLY CROSSING INTO ST. CLAIR COUNTY 1 MILE WEST OF HARDYVILLE. NUMEROUS HOME |
| 03:00 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Sw Cedar Springs | Cedar, MO | *** 6 INJ *** SIX INJURIES WERE REPORTED SOUTHWEST OF CEDAR SPRINGS. ALL WERE TAKEN TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL |
| 03:10 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Ssw El Dorado Springs | Cedar, MO | DAMAGE PATH ENTERED CEDAR COUNTY NEAR VIRGIL CITY AND DAMAGE PATH WAS CONTINUOUS UP TO AND THROUGH CEDAR SPRINGS AREA. MANY HOMES DAMAGED/DESTROYED AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ALL ALONG THE TORNADO PATH. NO MAJOR INJURIES HOWEV |
| 03:10 UTC | TORNADO | El Dorado Springs | Cedar, MO | TORNADO REPORTED NORTH OF CITY. DAMAGE TO ONE HOME REPORTED BY 911 CENTER. NO INJURIES REPORTED. |
| 03:17 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 10 Sse Roscoe | St. Clair, MO | THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE TORNADO PATH THAT STARTED IN VERNON COUNTY. THIS TORNADO ENTERED THE COUNTY NEAR HARDYVILLE AND CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD EVENTUALLY LIFTING JUST PRIOR TO REACHING HIGHWAY 13 2 MILES SSE OF VI |
| 03:26 UTC | TORNADO | El Dorado Springs | Cedar, MO | POSSIBLE TORNADO DAMAGE. HOUSE DESTROYED NEAR 151 AND 800 ROAD. POWERPOLES ALSO REPORTED DOWN |
| 03:26 UTC | TORNADO | El Dorado Springs | Cedar, MO | UPDATE...UNKNOWN NUMBER OF PEOPLE WERE INJURED BUT INJURIES WERE REPORTED AS NOT SEVERE AT THE INTERSECTION OF 151 AND 800 ROAD. |
| 03:27 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Nw Collins | St. Clair, MO | TORNADO WAS SIGHTED NEAR COLLINS AND LIFTED BEFORE CROSSING HIGHWAY 13. REPORT WAS RELAYED BY OFF DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE. |
| 03:28 UTC | TORNADO | Filley | Cedar, MO | TORNADO DAMAGE CONFIRMED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE FILLEY AREA. INJURIES AND MISSING PERSONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED. |
| 03:35 UTC | TSTM WND GST 70 | Osceola | St. Clair, MO | DIME HAIL ALSO REPORTED. |
| 03:39 UTC | TORNADO | Bona | Dade, MO | DADE COUNTY 911 REPORTED A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AND LIFTED UP NEAR BONA |
| 03:40 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 3 Ne Arcola | Cedar, MO | CONTINUATION OF TORNADO TRACK FROM DADE COUNTY INTO CEDAR COUNTY. TORNADO MOVED NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE COUNTY EVENTUALLY MOVING INTO POLK COUNTY JUST SOUTHWEST OF HUMANSVILLE. |
| 04:03 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 4 Sw Humansville | Polk, MO | CONTINUATION OF TORNADO TRACK FROM DADE COUNTY INTO FAR NW POLK COUNTY. TORNDAO MOVED FROM POLK COUNTY INTO HICKORY COUNTY 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF HUMANSVILLE. |
| 04:11 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Humansville | Polk, MO | FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED OVER THE CITY OF HUMANSVILLE |
| 04:11 UTC | HAIL 1 | Humansville | Polk, MO | |
| 04:14 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 3 E Urbana | Dallas, MO | WALL CLOUD REPORTED NEAR HIGHWAYS D AND U. |
| 04:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Se Elkton | Hickory, MO | POSSIBLE TORNADO. METAL ROOF OF OFF BUSINESS. SIX TRAILERS DESTROYED AT AN RV PARK. TRAILER HOUSE HOUSING SIX BOATS DESTROYED. ON RB HIGHWAY TWO MILES EAST OF HIGHWAY 83 |
| 04:15 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 2 Ne Humansville | Hickory, MO | CONTINUATION OF THE TORNADO TRACK FROM POLK COUNTY. TORNADO LIFTED 5 ESE OF WEAUBLEAU. |
| 04:15 UTC | TORNADO | Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | *** 3 INJ *** MORGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE COMMUNITY OF GRAVOIS MILL. |
| 04:15 UTC | TORNADO | 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. |
| 04:17 UTC | TORNADO 3 | 8 Sw Hermitage | Hickory, MO | *** 12 INJ *** TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR RB 83. MAJOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED AT CARSONS CORNER. TORNADO TRACKED NORTHEAST LIFTING 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF PRESTON. SEMA REPORTS THAT 19 HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND 29 SUSTAINED DAMAGE. |
| 04:20 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Sw Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | *** 3 INJ *** A 3/8 OF A MILE WIDE TORNADO PATH WAS NOTED EXTENDING FROM THREE MILES SOUTHWEST OF GRAVOIS MILLS...ACROSS STATE HIGHWAY 5 JUST SOUTH OF THE JUNCTION OF CR-5-14...ACROSS THE GRAVOIS ARM OF THE LAKE OF THE O |
| 04:25 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Hermitage | Hickory, MO | FUNNEL CLOUD AND DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN HERMITAGE |
| 04:25 UTC | TORNADO 2 | 3 Sw Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | *** 5 INJ *** TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SOUTHWEST OF GRAVOIS MILLS AND CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE TOWN OF GRAVOIS MILLS AND REMAINED ON THE GROUND FOR 6 MILES. SEMA REPORTS 20 HOMES DESTROYED AND 10 DAMAGED. |
| 04:25 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sw Pittsburg | Hickory, MO | SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO ON THE GROUND AT RB HIGHWAY ON THE POLK/HICKORY COUNTY LINE |
| 04:25 UTC | TORNADO | Pittsburg | Hickory, MO | POLK COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER RELAYED REPORT THAT 3 HOMES IN PITTSBURG HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED. SEARCH AND RESCUE IS ONGOING. |
| 04:30 UTC | TORNADO | 2 S Hermitage | Hickory, MO | EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND NEAR HIGHWAY 83 |
| 04:30 UTC | TORNADO | Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | *** 3 INJ *** MORGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE COMMUNITY OF GRAVOIS MILL. |
| 04:37 UTC | TORNADO | Sunrise Beach | Camden, MO | POSSIBLE TORNADO ON THE GROUND NEAR SUNRISE BEACH. |
| 04:37 UTC | TORNADO | Sunrise Beach | Camden, MO | TORNADO ON THE GROUND |
| 04:45 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Se Roscoe | St. Clair, MO | 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ROSCOE ALONG HIGHWAY 54...PATH OF DAMAGE INCLUDING MOBILE HOMES DAMAGE AND AT LEAST ONE HOUSE DESTROYED. |
| 04:45 UTC | TORNADO | Pittsburg | Hickory, MO | *** 7 INJ *** TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR RB 83. HEAVY DAMAGE SUSTAINED TO CARSONS CORNER. 7 INJURIES AND 20 HOMES DAMAGED/DESTROYED |
| 04:56 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 1 W Deepwater | Henry, MO | |
| 05:09 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Gravois Mills | Morgan, MO | GOLF BALL HAIL |
| 05:11 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 5 Se Clinton | Henry, MO | WINDS GUSTED TO ESTIMATED 70 MPH. |
| 05:25 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Buffalo | Dallas, MO | |
| 05:25 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 2 W Cole Camp | Benton, MO | DAMAGE SURVEY REVEALED THAT A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES WEST OF COLE CAMP AND MOVED NORTHEAST ACROSS HIGHWAY JJ DAMAGING TREES AND SEVERAL BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS. |
| 05:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Wnw Cole Camp | Benton, MO | BARN DAMAGED. TREES DOWN. POWER POLE DOWN. |
| 05:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Lincoln | Benton, MO | SEVERAL TREES AND LIMBS DOWN. 40 BY 20 FOOT SECTION OF METAL ROOFING TORN OFF MANUFACTURING BUILDING. |
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 | 3:50 PM CST | F1 | Henry, MO | 13.0 | 150 | $100,000 | ||
| 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 | 10:20 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.