Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2008
EF0 tornado, Mc Dowell to Jenkins, Missouri, May 10, 2008
From Mc Dowell to Jenkins, this EF0 tornado ran 3.8 miles across Barry County on May 10, 2008, touching down at 6:58 PM CDT and reaching 800 yards wide. It killed nobody.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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
- EF0
- Date
- May 10, 2008
- Touchdown
- 6:58 PM CDT (23:58 UTC)
- Lifted
- 7:02 PM CDT (00:02 UTC)
- On the ground
- 4 minutes
- Path length
- 3.8 miles (6.1 km)
- Path width
- 800 yards (732 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Barry County
- Touchdown point
- 36.814, -93.781
- Lift-off point
- 36.790, -93.720
- Record number
- 0805101758-01
What the Weather Service recorded
Three tornadoes were spawned from supercell thunderstorms that developed over southeast Kansas. These storms quickly moved into southwest Missouri causing devestating damage to homes, businesses, and trees in Newton, Barry, and Jasper counties. One tornado, with an intensity that ranged from EF-4 to EF-1, killed 15 people as it tracked through Newton and Barry counties, while another tornado killed one person in Jasper County.
A NWS storm survey confirmed a second tornado associated with the killer Picher-Racine-Purdy Supercell. Initiating roughly a half mile south of the end point of the first tornado, the second tornado downed numerous trees along and south of Flat Creek.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
37 minutes of warning. NWS SGF issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:21 UTC, 37 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 00:15 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:51 UTC and running to 00:45 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:29 UTC | 23:51 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 23:21 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
| 23:23 UTC | 02:58 UTC | Flood Advisory | SGF |
| 23:28 UTC | 00:22 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF |
| 23:51 UTC | 00:45 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 00:10 UTC | 00:26 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF |
| 01:04 UTC | 15:50 UTC | Wind Advisory | 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 Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 20:09 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
12.0 hours before the tornado, 12 km from the path. May 10, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -84997 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1161 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 10 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 115 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 153 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.3 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z
0.0 hours before the tornado, 12 km from the path. May 11, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1049 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -94 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 170 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 590 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 76 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 354 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 343 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 6.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.2 K/km
The surface observations
Rogers (Awos) (ROG), 57 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:53 UTC | 73.4 | 68 | 170° 16 kt | 22 | 999.3 | |
| 23:28 UTC | 71.6 | 68 | 190° 14 kt | 22 | 999 | +TSRA |
| 23:53 UTC | 66.2 | 64.4 | 310° 13 kt | 43.7 | 1001.4 | |
| 23:55 UTC | 64.4 | 64.4 | 280° 6 kt | 33 | 1001.7 | TS |
| 00:15 UTC | 66.2 | 64.4 | 270° 17 kt | 22 | 1001.7 | TS |
| 00:35 UTC | 68 | 64.4 | 270° 15 kt | 20 | 1002.4 | VCTS |
| 00:55 UTC | 68 | 64.4 | 280° 10 kt | 22 | 1002.7 | |
| 01:15 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 290° 14 kt | 25 | 1003.4 | |
| 01:35 UTC | 66.2 | 60.8 | 300° 20 kt | 36 | 1004.4 | |
| 01:55 UTC | 64.4 | 53.6 | 300° 23 kt | 34 | 1005.4 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:55 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:48 UTC | LIGHTNING | Battlefield | Greene, MO | HOUSE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AND CURRENTLY ON FIRE. |
| 23:05 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Nnw Neosho | Newton, MO | SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ALONG HIGHAY 71. HIGHWAY CLOSED. INJRIES POSSIBLE. UNKNOWN NUMBER. |
| 23:05 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Wnw Neosho | Newton, MO | |
| 23:14 UTC | TORNADO | 2 N Neosho | Newton, MO | STRUCTURAL DAMAGE NORTH OF NEOSHO. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sw Granby | Newton, MO | EXTENSIVE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE INCLUDING A 30 BY 40 FOOT BUILDING DESTROYED. |
| 23:15 UTC | HAIL 1 | Monett | Barry, MO | QUATER SIZE HAIL FALLING. SHEET METAL IS ALSO FALLING FROM THE SKY. |
| 23:16 UTC | TORNADO | 1 S Sarcoxie | Newton, MO | TORNADO ON THE GROUND AT HIGHWAY 37 AND UNICORN. |
| 23:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 E Carthage | Jasper, MO | *** 1 FATAL *** TREE LANDED ON TRAILER HOUSE APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES EAST OF CARTHAGE SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 96 NEAR COUNTY ROAD 80. DAMAGE PATH FROM COUNTY ROAD 80 TO COUNTY ROAD 130. |
| 23:20 UTC | HAIL 1 | Granby | Newton, MO | QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 60 MPH WINDS IN GRANBY. |
| 23:20 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 6 Ene Carthage | Jasper, MO | *** 1 FATAL, 10 INJ *** AN NWS SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED THAT A EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN EAST-NORTHEAST OF CARTHAGE JUST NORTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF IVY ROAD AND 90TH ROAD AND TRACKED EAST TO NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF |
| 23:20 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Ene Carthage | Jasper, MO | *** 1 FATAL *** AN NWS SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED THAT A EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN EAST-NORTHEAST OF CARTHAGE JUST NORTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF IVY ROAD AND 90TH ROAD AND TRACKED EAST TO NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF IVY ROAD |
| 23:20 UTC | TORNADO | Newtonia | Newton, MO | SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IN NEWTONIA |
| 23:24 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Nne Fairview | Barry, MO | *** 1 FATAL *** THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE TORNADO THAT TRAVERSED NEWTON COUNTY. A TORNADO WITH A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 200 YARDS CROSSED INTO BARRY COUNTY 3 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF FAIRVIEW. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO |
| 23:29 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 S Neosho | Newton, MO | LARGE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. |
| 23:30 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 3 Ne Monett | Lawrence, MO | |
| 23:37 UTC | TORNADO | 2 W Purdy | Barry, MO | TORNADO REPORTED WEST OF PURDY MOVING EAST. |
| 23:38 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 2 N Monett | Lawrence, MO | LOTS OF NICKEL SIZE HAIL FALLING. |
| 23:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Purdy | Barry, MO | STORM DAMAGE REPORTED IN THE AREA OF HWY 97 AND B HWY. 3 BARNS DESTROYED, 3 LARGE TREES UPROOTED, AND THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF OF A HOUSE. |
| 23:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Purdy | Barry, MO | LARGE LIMBS DOWN IN PURDY |
| 23:40 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 N Monett | Lawrence, MO | |
| 23:43 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 S Pierce City | Barry, MO | TREES UPROOTED SOUTH OF PIERCE CITY. |
| 23:43 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Monett | Barry, MO | GOLFBALL HAIL AND 60 MPH WINDS IN MONETT |
| 23:50 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Rocky Comfort | Mcdonald, MO | |
| 23:58 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Wnw Jenkins | Barry, MO | A NWS STORM SURVEY HAS FOUND EVIDENCE OF AN EF1 TORNADO WITH A DAMAGE PATH A HALF MILE WIDE ALONG AND SOUTH OF FLAT CREEK. THE BEGINNING OF THE TORNADO WAS AT 36.813 AND 93.783 EXTENDING TO 36.795 93.745 AND ENDED WITH E |
| 00:00 UTC | HAIL 1 | 5 Ssw Purdy | Barry, MO | |
| 00:10 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Ne Purdy | Barry, MO | DAMAGE TO 4 TRAILER HOMES...A CHURCH...HOMES...AND SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS IN THE PURDY AREA. |
| 00:11 UTC | TSTM WND GST 70 | 2 N Galena | Stone, MO | ESTIMATED 70 TO 80 MPH WIND |
| 00:14 UTC | HAIL 1 | Spokane | Christian, MO | 1 INCH HAIL AT SPOKANE |
| 00:19 UTC | HAIL 1 | Chestnutridge | Christian, MO | 1 INCH HAIL AT CHESTNUTRIDGE |
| 00:25 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 1 N Branson | Taney, MO | REPORT OF A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR HIGHWAY 65 AND HIGHWAY 160 |
| 00:32 UTC | TSTM WND GST 0 | Forsyth | Taney, MO | 80 MPH WIND REPORT |
| 00:32 UTC | TSTM WND GST 80 | Forsyth | Taney, M | 80 MPH WIND REPORT |
| 00:32 UTC | TSTM WND GST 80 | Forsyth | Taney, MO | 80 MPH WIND REPORT |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 10, 2008
36 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10 | 1:28 PM CDT | EF0 | Washington, AR | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:03 PM CDT | EF2 | Pittsburg, OK | 8.2 | 200 | $500,000 | ||
| May 10 | 5:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Labette, KS | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:19 PM CDT | EF0 | McIntosh, OK | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:19 PM CDT | EF0 | Labette, KS | 1.0 | 60 | |||
| May 10 | 5:19 PM CDT | EF0 | Cherokee, KS | 2.0 | 150 | $10,000 | ||
| May 10 | 5:20 PM CDT | EF4 | Picher–Neosho tornado, Oklahoma and Missouri | 75.5 | 1,760 | 21 | 350 | $61 million |
| May 10 | 5:21 PM CDT | EF0 | Pittsburg, OK | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Pittsburg, OK | 0.5 | 75 | |||
| May 10 | 5:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Mayes, OK | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:34 PM CDT | EF0 | Latimer, OK | 5.5 | 100 | |||
| May 10 | 5:42 PM CDT | EF2 | Pittsburg, OK | 19.0 | 580 | 4 | $1.2 million | |
| May 10 | 5:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Ottawa, OK | 2.3 | 200 | |||
| May 10 | 6:05 PM CDT | EF2 | Pushmataha, OK | 3.5 | 100 | $75,000 | ||
| May 10 | 6:08 PM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, MO | 3.0 | 440 | 1 | 10 | $1.0 million |
| May 10 | 6:30 PM CDT | EF1 | Pushmataha, OK | 1.5 | 200 | |||
| May 10 | 6:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Pushmataha, OK | 0.5 | 100 | |||
| May 10 | 6:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Benton, AR | 1.5 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:05 PM CDT | EF0 | McCurtain, OK | 0.4 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 7:14 PM CDT | EF1 | White, AR | 9.2 | 350 | $25,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:42 PM CDT | EF0 | White, AR | 0.0 | 8 | |||
| May 10 | 7:47 PM CDT | EF1 | Lonoke, AR | 2.7 | 400 | |||
| May 10 | 7:51 PM CDT | EF0 | Franklin, AR | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 7:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Sevier, AR | 1.5 | 100 | $250,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:57 PM CDT | EF1 | Woodruff, AR | 10.2 | 500 | $90,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:57 PM CDT | EF3 | Arkansas, AR | 14.1 | 1,320 | 9 | $75 million | |
| May 10 | 8:26 PM CDT | EF1 | Monroe, AR | 4.4 | 700 | $25,000 | ||
| May 10 | 9:04 PM CDT | EF0 | Hempstead, AR | 1.0 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| May 10 | 9:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Nevada, AR | 2.4 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 9:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Quitman, MS | 0.3 | 30 | $25,000 | ||
| May 10 | 10:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Tallahatchie, MS | 8.7 | 100 | 2 | $185,000 | |
| May 10 | 11:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Lauderdale, AL | 1.6 | 250 | $100,000 | ||
| May 10 | 11:18 PM CDT | EF1 | Marion, AL | 25.5 | 400 | $100,000 | ||
| May 10 | 11:59 PM CDT | EF1 | Lauderdale, AL | 1.0 | 250 | $5,000 | ||
| May 10 | 12:27 AM CDT | EF1 | Walker, AL | 9.3 | 400 | $20,000 | ||
| May 10 | 12:37 AM CDT | EF2 | Walker, AL | 13.5 | 330 | $155,000 |
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.