Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2006

F2 tornado, Guthrie, Missouri, March 13, 2006

This F2 tornado ran 13.0 miles across Callaway County on March 13, 2006, touching down at 12:30 AM CST and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 2.

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 mph

    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 mphthis tornado

    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
F2
Date
March 13, 2006
Touchdown
12:30 AM CST (06:30 UTC)
Path length
13.0 miles (20.9 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
2
County
Callaway County
Touchdown point
38.770, -92.070
Lift-off point
38.850, -91.880
Record number
141

What the Weather Service recorded

A tornado initially formed at approximately 12:30 am CST along County Road 337 about 2 miles northeast of Guthrie. Light tree damaged occurred in this area. The tornado traveled northeast and moderately damaged a home just north of County Road 328 approximately 1.5 miles west of US Highway 54. The home was moved approximately 25 feet off the foundation. Extensive tree damage occurred to the southwest and northeast of this location. Two people were injured at this location and were hospitalized for several days. Another home just to the east suffered roof damage. The damage width in this area was about 100 yards wide and was rated as F2 intensity. The tornado damaged a barn along US Highway 54 approximately 2 miles southwest of Fulton. Debris from the barn was thrown into the highway median. The track continued to the northeast and damaged trees along Highway NN, and damaged outbuildings along Highway C approximately 1.5 miles south of Fulton. The damage in this area was rated as F0 intensity. The tornado track continued northeast crossing Highways O and UU causing tree damage. The tornado dissipated approximately 3 miles east of Fulton along highway JJ. The damage in this area was rated as F0 intensity. The complete tornado track was approximately 13 miles long.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 02:49 UTC and running to 09:58 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
16:02 UTC17:50 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchLSX
17:50 UTC02:49 UTCTornado WatchLSX
23:13 UTC00:00 UTCTornado WarningLSX
02:49 UTC09:58 UTCTornado WatchLSX
05:10 UTC06:00 UTCTornado WarningLSX
06:30 UTC07:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX
06:35 UTC07:15 UTCTornado WarningLSX

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 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

6.5 hours before the tornado, 266 km from the path. March 13, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2006-03-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1549 joules per kilogram, CIN -16, lifted condensation level 1450 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2006-03-13The 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 200 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 61 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z

5.5 hours after it, 266 km from the path. March 13, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2006-03-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -119020, lifted condensation level 2996 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2006-03-13The 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 -221 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 68 knots.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 06:31 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
05:00 UTCTORNADOBrazitoCole, MOREPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY 54.
05:05 UTCHAIL 1.75Jefferson CityCole, MO
05:10 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDJefferson CityCole, MO
05:15 UTCHAIL 0.75Holts SummitCallaway, MO
05:20 UTCHAIL 1Holts SummitCallaway, MO
05:25 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 W TebbettsCallaway, MOMOBLIE HOME BLOWN OVER...NO KNOWN INJURIES.
06:10 UTCHAIL 0.751 W JamestownMoniteau, MO
06:20 UTCHAIL 0.75ColumbiaBoone, MO
06:30 UTCTORNADOJonesburgMontgomery, MO*** 1 INJ *** SEVERAL HOUSES DAMAGED...3 MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED...NUMEROUS SHEDS AND OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. 1 INJURY REPORTED BY COUNTY EMA.
06:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Sw FultonCallaway, MOBARN BLOWN DOWN ALONG COUNTY ROAD 407.
06:40 UTCTORNADOJonesburgMontgomery, MO*** 1 INJ *** SEVERAL HOUSES DAMAGED...3 MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED...NUMEROUS SHEDS AND OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. 1 INJURY REPORTED BY COUNTY EMA.
07:00 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDAuxvasseCallaway, MO

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 13, 2006

19 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 1312:00 AM CSTF3Montgomery, MO6.03001$800,000
March 131:20 AM CSTF3Montgomery, MO to IL44.53006$2.7 million
March 131:36 AM CSTF1Lincoln, MO0.275
March 131:50 PM CSTF0Montgomery, MS1.550
March 132:18 PM CSTF0Webster, MS1.030
March 132:26 PM CSTF0Webster, MS1.030$10,000
March 133:15 PM CSTF0Clay, MS1.030
March 134:04 PM CSTF0Lamar, AL0.125$10,000
March 134:45 PM CSTF0Fayette, AL1.150$30,000
March 134:55 PM CSTF1Fayette, AL1.650$10,000
March 135:15 PM CSTF0Lamar, AL2.675$20,000
March 135:39 PM CSTF1Walker, AL1.325$30,000
March 135:43 PM CSTF0Fayette, AL3.430$3,000
March 135:54 PM CSTF0Tuscaloosa, AL0.120
March 135:56 PM CSTF0Cullman, AL0.120
March 136:15 PM CSTF0Blount, AL0.125$10,000
March 136:45 PM CSTF0Cullman, AL0.150
March 136:47 PM CSTF0Cullman, AL0.120
March 136:50 PM CSTF0Cullman, AL0.120

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.