Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2010
EF0 tornado, Notch, Missouri, December 31, 2010
This EF0 tornado ran 1.8 miles across Stone County on December 31, 2010, touching down at 12:17 AM CST and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $750,000 of property damage.
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
- December 31, 2010
- Touchdown
- 12:17 AM CST (06:17 UTC)
- Lifted
- 12:22 AM CST (06:22 UTC)
- On the ground
- 5 minutes
- Path length
- 1.8 miles (2.8 km)
- Path width
- 75 yards (69 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $750,000
- County
- Stone County
- Touchdown point
- 36.616, -93.350
- Lift-off point
- 36.638, -93.334
- Record number
- 1012310017-01
The damage survey
2 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS TSA, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 65 mph.
- End of tornado track in Carroll County, AR; tornado continued into Missouri, dissipating near the intersection of Highways 86 and 13
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
What the Weather Service recorded
Between the evening of the 30th and the morning of the 31st, two separate lines of thunderstorms produced significant severe weather across southwest Missouri including damaging wind, large hail, and deadly tornadoes. The first round of storms lifted out of Arkansas late on the evening of the 30th and the second round moved out of western Kansas shortly before daybreak on the 31st.
An EF-0 tornado touched down along the southern point of the Indian Point peninsula. The tornado impacted a neighborhood with frame homes prior to damaging the eastern shore ling of the peninsula. Four coves were affected by this tornado damaging approximately six boat docks and four boats . These boat docks had mainly open slips. There was damaged to one boat dock at Rock Lane Resort. The peak wind speeds were estimated at 70 miles per hour.
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.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04:56 UTC | 05:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF |
| 06:22 UTC | 06:36 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
| 07:05 UTC | 13:32 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 13:20 UTC | 13:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF |
| 13:32 UTC | 15:42 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 13:33 UTC | 14:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
| 13:34 UTC | 14:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
| 15:00 UTC | 21:33 UTC | Wind Advisory | SGF |
| 18:00 UTC | 21:36 UTC | Red Flag 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 General Thunderstorms Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 05:44 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
6.3 hours before the tornado, 51 km from the path. December 31, 2010.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -84631 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 783 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 60 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 315 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 285 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.7 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z
5.7 hours after it, 51 km from the path. December 31, 2010.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 764 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -39 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 341 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 569 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 535 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 546 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.9
- Supercell composite
- 10.7
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.6 K/km
The surface observations
Branson (BBG), 16 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04:35 UTC | 59 | 55.4 | 140° 10 kt | 15 | 1003.4 | VCTS |
| 04:55 UTC | 59 | 55.4 | 140° 13 kt | 18 | 1003 | -RA |
| 05:15 UTC | 59 | 55.4 | 130° 12 kt | 17 | 1002.4 | |
| 05:35 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 140° 15 kt | 21 | 1002.4 | VCTS |
| 05:55 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 150° 12 kt | 20 | 1002.4 | |
| 06:15 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 150° 17 kt | 20 | 1002 | VCTS |
| 06:35 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 160° 12 kt | 19 | 1002.4 | |
| 06:55 UTC | 60.8 | 57.2 | 170° 13 kt | 17 | 1002.4 | |
| 07:15 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 160° 12 kt | 17 | 1002 | |
| 07:35 UTC | 62.6 | 57.2 | 160° 11 kt | 19 | 1002.4 | |
| 07:55 UTC | 62.6 | 55.4 | 170° 8 kt | 19 | 1002.7 | |
| 08:15 UTC | 62.6 | 55.4 | 150° 10 kt | 15 | 1002.4 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 06:18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05:19 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Sse Lampe | Stone, MO | STONE COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SURVEYED TORNADO DAMAGE APPROXIMATELY 2.5 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF LAMPE. MINOR DAMAGE CONSISTED OF ONE FRAME HOME...ONE MOBILE HOME...2 LARGE FARM GAS TANKS...AND AN OUTBUILDI |
| 05:26 UTC | TORNADO | 8 S Branson West | Stone, MO | NWS STORM SURVEY REVEALED THAT A STRONG EF-1 TORNADO IMPACTED THE EASTERN SHORE LINE OF THE HIGHWAY DD PENINSULA. NUMEROUS BOAT DOCKS AND BOATS WERE DESTROYED. APPROXIMATELY 60 HOMES EXPERIENCED MINOR TO MODERATE ROOF DA |
| 06:17 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ssw Indian Point | Stone, MO | AN EF-0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG THE INDIAN POINT PENINSULA EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE TORNADO DAMAGED SEVERAL BOATS...BOAT DOCKS...AND FRAME HOMES. THE PATH LENGTH OF THE TORNADO WAS 1.75 MILES...WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH O |
| 06:18 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ne Sparta | Christian, MO | AN EF-1 TORNADO WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 250 YARDS AND WIND SPEEDS ESTIMATED NEAR 105 MPH CAUSED MAJOR DAMAGE TO SEVERAL STRUCTURES. ONE TRAILER HOME WAS SPUN AND DISPLACED 150 YARDS. A LARGE BARN HAD ITS ROOF REMOVED WIT |
| 06:18 UTC | TORNADO | 7 S Branson West | Stone, MO | A NWS STORM SURVEY REVEALED THAT A TORNADO IMPACTED THE TABLE ROCK LAKE AREA. SEVERAL BOAT DOCKS AND BOATS WERE EITHER HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THIS SURVEY HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED AND WILL BE FINISHED SATURDAY. AN EF |
| 06:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Indian Point | Stone, MO | EM REPORTS DAMANGE TO A PROPANE TANK AND SEVERAL HOMES IN THE INDIAN POINT AREA. THIS DAMANGE WAS FROM THE FIRST STORM THAT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA. |
| 06:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ne Sparta | Christian, MO | MOBILE HOME ROLLED OVER INTO JOHNS FORD ROAD...ROOF OFF OF A FRAME HOUSE. NUMEROUS TREES DOWN BLOCKING ROADS IN THE VICINITY. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 06:23 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Sse Rogersville | Christian, MO | TREES DOWN AND A FEW OUTBUILDINGS DAMAGED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF BRADEN AND LAROSE. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 06:27 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ese Rogersville | Christian, MO | SEVERAL TREES DOWN...DAMAGE TO A FEW BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS...PORCH DAMAGED ON RESIDENCE NEAR THE INTERSTECT OF HIGHWAYS KK AND U. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 06:29 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ese Rogersville | Webster, MO | SEVERAL TREES DOWN AND OUTBUILDINGS DAMAGED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF OLGA ROAD AND HIGHWAY U. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 06:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Branson West | Stone, MO | REPORT FROM TRAINED SPOTTER VIA MEDIA OF POWER FLASHES AROUND BRANSON WEST. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2010 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of December 31, 2010
28 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31 | 12:18 AM CST | EF1 | Christian, MO | 5.3 | 250 | 2 | $200,000 | |
| December 31 | 12:31 AM CST | EF0 | Webster, MO | 3.1 | 150 | $100,000 | ||
| December 31 | 6:05 AM CST | EF3 | Adair, OK to AR | 21.1 | 500 | 4 | 10 | $1.9 million |
| December 31 | 7:48 AM CST | EF0 | Carroll, AR to MO | 4.3 | 50 | $15,000 | ||
| December 31 | 8:37 AM CST | EF0 | Polk, MO | 1.0 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| December 31 | 9:43 AM CST | EF3 | Pulaski, MO | 7.5 | 500 | 4 | $90 million | |
| December 31 | 10:06 AM CST | EF3 | Phelps, MO | 11.0 | 500 | 2 | 6 | $1.0 million |
| December 31 | 10:12 AM CST | EF1 | Phelps, MO | 6.8 | 440 | 2 | $500,000 | |
| December 31 | 10:40 AM CST | EF1 | Crawford, MO | 6.4 | 100 | |||
| December 31 | 11:16 AM CST | EF1 | Franklin, MO | 0.8 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| December 31 | 11:17 AM CST | EF0 | Franklin, MO | 0.4 | 50 | |||
| December 31 | 11:19 AM CST | EF2 | Franklin, MO | 12.2 | 370 | |||
| December 31 | 11:25 AM CST | EF0 | Saint Charles, MO | 2.0 | 50 | |||
| December 31 | 11:27 AM CST | EF1 | Jefferson, MO | 8.6 | 50 | |||
| December 31 | 11:48 AM CST | EF3 | Saint Louis, MO | 6.7 | 440 | 1 | 6 | $1.0 million |
| December 31 | 11:48 AM CST | EF1 | Saint Louis, MO | 1.7 | 175 | |||
| December 31 | 11:56 AM CST | EF0 | Calhoun, IL | 3.6 | 50 | |||
| December 31 | 12:08 PM CST | EF1 | City of Saint Louis, MO | 2.7 | 100 | |||
| December 31 | 12:30 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Clair, IL | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| December 31 | 12:37 PM CST | EF3 | Menard, IL | 3.6 | 200 | 1 | $12 million | |
| December 31 | 1:05 PM CST | EF0 | Bond, IL | 1.7 | 100 | |||
| December 31 | 1:24 PM CST | EF2 | Carter, MO | 2.6 | 200 | $200,000 | ||
| December 31 | 2:25 PM CST | EF2 | Butler, MO | 0.2 | 100 | $250,000 | ||
| December 31 | 2:35 PM CST | EF0 | LaSalle Parish, LA | 0.4 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| December 31 | 4:11 PM CST | EF1 | Warren, MS | 3.6 | 100 | $110,000 | ||
| December 31 | 4:44 PM CST | EF2 | Hinds, MS | 26.2 | 800 | $2.7 million | ||
| December 31 | 5:42 PM CST | EF0 | Rankin, MS | 1.4 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| December 31 | 8:09 PM CST | EF1 | Lincoln, MS | 2.1 | 50 | $250,000 |
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.