Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2011
EF1 tornado, Billmore to Job, Missouri, May 25, 2011
From Billmore to Job, this EF1 tornado ran 2.5 miles across Oregon County on May 25, 2011, touching down at 2:56 PM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $20,000 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 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
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
- EF1
- Date
- May 25, 2011
- Touchdown
- 2:56 PM CDT (19:56 UTC)
- Lifted
- 3:05 PM CDT (20:05 UTC)
- On the ground
- 9 minutes
- Path length
- 2.5 miles (4.0 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $20,000
- County
- Oregon County
- Touchdown point
- 36.571, -91.243
- Lift-off point
- 36.555, -91.275
- Record number
- 1105251356-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A powerful upper level low pressure system moved across the Ozarks causing numerous strong to severe storms to develop with several supercells as well.
A NWS survey team determined that an EF-1 tornado with winds 90 to 100 mph occurred in southern Oregon County. The tornado touched down about three miles north of Mrytle and lifted about five miles north of Mytle. One tree, about three feet in diameter was snapped and several other trees were uprooted with large limbs blown down. Three outbuildings had minor roof damage. The path width was about 100 yards.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
13 minutes of warning. NWS SGF issued a tornado warning for this county at 19:43 UTC, 13 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:18 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 15:41 UTC and running to 21:59 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06:22 UTC | 10:54 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 15:41 UTC | 21:59 UTC | Tornado Watch | SGF |
| 19:29 UTC | 20:17 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF |
| 19:43 UTC | 20:18 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
| 20:55 UTC | 21:08 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF |
| 21:43 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm 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 16:23 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.
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), 12:00Z
7.9 hours before the tornado, 226 km from the path. May 25, 2011.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2124 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -14 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1926 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 600 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 49 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 445 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 413 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 6.0
- Supercell composite
- 20.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.3 K/km
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), 00:00Z
4.1 hours after it, 226 km from the path. May 26, 2011.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -10 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 167 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2470 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 64 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 65 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 163 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 8.6 K/km
The surface observations
Walnut Ridge (Awos) (ARG), 57 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:15 UTC | 82.4 | 69.8 | 190° 26 kt | 32 | 1001.7 | |
| 18:35 UTC | 82.4 | 69.8 | 190° 26 kt | 35 | 1001 | |
| 18:55 UTC | 84.2 | 69.8 | 190° 24 kt | 33 | 1001 | |
| 19:15 UTC | 84.2 | 71.6 | 180° 20 kt | 28 | 1001 | |
| 19:35 UTC | 82.4 | 69.8 | 180° 19 kt | 27 | 1000.7 | |
| 19:55 UTC | 84.2 | 69.8 | 190° 21 kt | 29 | 1000 | |
| 20:15 UTC | 84.2 | 69.8 | 190° 24 kt | 33 | 999 | |
| 20:35 UTC | 84.2 | 69.8 | 190° 25 kt | 34 | 998.6 | |
| 20:55 UTC | 82.4 | 69.8 | 180° 19 kt | 25 | 998 | |
| 21:15 UTC | 80.6 | 69.8 | 180° 22 kt | 35 | 997 | TS |
| 21:35 UTC | 78.8 | 69.8 | 190° 13 kt | 998.3 | TS |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 184 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 19:54 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:50 UTC | HAIL 1 | West Plains | Howell, MO | |
| 19:56 UTC | TORNADO | 3 N Myrtle | Oregon, MO | A NWS SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED THAT AN EF-1 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 90 TO 100 MPH OCCURRED IN SOUTHERN OREGON COUNTY ON WEDNESDAY. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF MYRTLE ABOUT 256 PM AND STAYED ON THE GROUND |
| 20:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 N Myrtle | Oregon, MO | TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ALONG COUNTY ROAD 244 |
| 20:00 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Couch | Oregon, MO | |
| 20:05 UTC | HAIL 1 | Gatewood | Ripley, MO | QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED. |
| 20:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 11 Ese Alton | Oregon, MO | TREES DOWN ALONG COUNTY ROAD 225 JUST SOUTH OF COUNTY ROAD 305. |
| 20:21 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Freemont | Carter, MO | |
| 20:22 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Freemont | Carter, MO | FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED NEAR THE COMMUNITY. |
| 20:25 UTC | HAIL 1 | West Plains | Howell, MO | |
| 20:27 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | West Plains | Howell, MO | |
| 20:28 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 1 Se West Plains | Howell, MO | |
| 20:28 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 2 Ese West Plains | Howell, MO | |
| 20:49 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 2 S Ellsinore | Carter, MO | ALONG K HIGHWAY. |
| 20:50 UTC | TORNADO | Grandin | Carter, MO | 2 MOBILE HOMES DESTROYED. |
| 20:51 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Ellsinore | Carter, MO | |
| 20:56 UTC | TORNADO | 1 S Ellsinore | Carter, MO | REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF TOWN. |
| 20:56 UTC | TORNADO | 2 W Ellsinore | Carter, MO | ...UPDATE...3 MILE DEBRIS FIELD 2 TO 5 MILES WEST OF TOWN. TWO PEOPLE TRAPPED IN SEMI BETWEEN TWO TREES. ALL CELL PHONE SERVICE IS OUT. THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM THE FIRST TORNADO NEAR THE COMMUNITY. |
| 20:56 UTC | TORNADO | Ellsinore | Carter, MO | TORNADO DAMAGE REPORTED BY STATE POLICE. TREES AND DEBRIS BLOCKING HWY 60. 1 HOME DESTROYED. POWER LINES DOWN. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE/RESCUE RESPONDING. |
| 20:56 UTC | TORNADO | Grandin | Carter, MO | TREES DOWN AND COMMUNITY IS WITHOUT POWER. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE REPORTED TO INCLUDE A CHURCH. |
| 20:57 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Ellsinore | Carter, MO | DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT INTERSECTION OF HWY 21 AND HWY 60. |
| 21:00 UTC | TORNADO | Ellsinore | Carter, MO | TORNADO ALONG HWY 21 AND HWY 60 BETWEEN ELLSINORE AND VAN BUREN. |
| 21:01 UTC | TORNADO | Ellsinore | Carter, MO | TORNADO IS SUCKING UP TREES INTO THE FUNNEL ALONG HIGHWAY 60. |
| 21:15 UTC | HAIL 1 | Birch Tree | Shannon, MO | |
| 21:19 UTC | TSTM WND GST 50 | Birch Tree | Shannon, MO | BLOWING LAWN FURNITURE ACROSS YARD |
| 21:23 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Birch Tree | Shannon, MO | SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON HWY 60 |
| 21:42 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 4 S Doniphan | Ripley, MO | GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED SOUTH OF DONIPHAN. |
| 21:44 UTC | TORNADO | 3 W Hunter | Carter, MO | AN EF0 TORNADO DOWNED A FEW TREES AND TREE LIMBS ALONG HIGHWAY E NEAR THE CURRENT RIVER. |
| 21:58 UTC | TORNADO | Oxly | Ripley, MO | BRIEF TOUCHDOWN. |
| 22:01 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 1 W Myrtle | Oregon, MO | |
| 22:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Birch Tree | Shannon, MO | LARGE TREE FELL ON POLICE VEHICLE. |
| 22:46 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Ellsinore | Carter, MO | FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED OVER THE TOWN. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2011 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 25, 2011
93 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Webster, MO | 9.3 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:35 AM CDT | EF1 | Macon, IL | 1.0 | 75 | $165,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:39 AM CDT | EF1 | Macon, IL | 1.5 | 75 | $100,000 | ||
| May 25 | 9:04 AM CDT | EF1 | Kankakee, IL | 5.8 | 50 | $250,000 | ||
| May 25 | 9:13 AM CDT | EF0 | Newton, IN | 0.1 | 20 | $25,000 | ||
| May 25 | 9:19 AM CDT | EF2 | Newton, IN | 1.9 | 300 | $50,000 | ||
| May 25 | 9:24 AM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, IN | 2.9 | 100 | $500 | ||
| May 25 | 9:26 AM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, IN | 1.9 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| May 25 | 10:45 AM EDT | EF0 | Pulaski, IN | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| May 25 | 10:45 AM CDT | EF0 | Miami, KS | 0.1 | 40 | $5,000 | ||
| May 25 | 11:10 AM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, KS | 0.7 | 60 | $10,000 | ||
| May 25 | 11:22 AM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, KS | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 11:35 AM CDT | EF0 | Cass, MO | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 11:38 AM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, KS | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 12:22 PM CDT | EF2 | Pettis, MO | 2.1 | 500 | 20 | $4.0 million | |
| May 25 | 12:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Clay, MO | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 12:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Clay, MO | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 12:52 PM CDT | EF0 | Pettis, MO | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 1:04 PM CDT | EF0 | Cooper, MO | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 1:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Lafayette, MO | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 2:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Montgomery, MO | 7.1 | 100 | |||
| May 25 | 3:26 PM EDT | EF0 | Van Wert, OH | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 3:49 PM CDT | EF3 | Carter, MO | 47.4 | 1,200 | 2 | $800,000 | |
| May 25 | 4:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, AR | 5.5 | 500 | $40,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:15 PM EDT | EF1 | Decatur, IN | 0.8 | 600 | $500,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:20 PM EDT | EF1 | Decatur, IN | 0.1 | 400 | $250,000 | ||
| May 25 | 4:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Madison, MO | 5.5 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 4:37 PM CDT | EF1 | Wayne, MO | 17.8 | 150 | $70,000 | ||
| May 25 | 4:44 PM CDT | EF0 | Carter, MO | 0.5 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| May 25 | 4:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Des Moines, IA | 4.8 | 100 | $250,000 | ||
| May 25 | 4:46 PM CDT | EF1 | Madison, MO | 5.3 | 440 | |||
| May 25 | 4:47 PM CDT | EF1 | Madison, MO | 4.3 | 580 | |||
| May 25 | 4:51 PM CDT | EF0 | Perry, MO | 0.3 | 60 | $3,000 | ||
| May 25 | 4:58 PM CDT | EF0 | Ripley, MO | 0.7 | 50 | |||
| May 25 | 6:00 PM EDT | EF1 | Huron, OH | 8.0 | 50 | $250,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Des Moines, IA | 3.6 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:14 PM CDT | EF0 | Butler, MO | 0.7 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 6:14 PM EDT | EF0 | Hardin, OH | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| May 25 | 5:26 PM CDT | EF1 | Bollinger, MO | 13.0 | 250 | $30,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:06 PM CDT | EF0 | McLean, IL | 0.9 | 25 | $8,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:09 PM CDT | EF1 | McLean, IL | 10.3 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:10 PM EDT | EF0 | Montgomery, OH | 0.1 | 25 | $5,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:18 PM CDT | EF1 | Cape Girardeau, MO | 2.1 | 250 | $20,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:18 PM CDT | EF0 | St. Francis, AR | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| May 25 | 6:28 PM CDT | EF2 | Jefferson, IL | 13.5 | 250 | $4.0 million | ||
| May 25 | 6:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Scott, MO | 0.4 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:30 PM EDT | EF0 | Summit, OH | 4.2 | 50 | $200,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Union, IL | 2.0 | 125 | $150,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:40 PM CDT | EF1 | Pulaski, IL | 5.5 | 250 | $50,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Pulaski, IL | 10.0 | 120 | $40,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Crittenden, AR | 2.5 | 100 | $500,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF2 | Pulaski, IL | 19.9 | 325 | $255,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:58 PM CDT | EF0 | Champaign, IL | 0.2 | 15 | $5,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:58 PM EDT | EF3 | Lawrence, IN | 6.8 | 300 | $150,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:08 PM PDT | EF1 | Glenn, CA | 21.6 | 120 | $200,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:12 PM PDT | EF1 | Glenn, CA | 26.4 | 120 | $150,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:18 PM CDT | EF1 | Clay, IL | 1.0 | 75 | $510,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Richland, IL | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| May 25 | 7:57 PM CDT | EF2 | Crawford, IL | 5.5 | 200 | $920,000 | ||
| May 25 | 7:58 PM CDT | EF0 | Union Parish, LA | 5.5 | 150 |
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.