Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2012

EF1 tornado, Edgar Spgs to Winkler, Missouri, February 29, 2012

From Edgar Spgs to Winkler, this EF1 tornado ran 18.0 miles across Phelps and Dent counties on February 29, 2012, touching down at 1:06 AM CST and reaching 75 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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. 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.

  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
EF1
Date
February 29, 2012
Touchdown
1:06 AM CST (07:06 UTC)
Lifted
1:22 AM CST (07:22 UTC)
On the ground
16 minutes
Path length
18.0 miles (29.0 km)
Path width
75 yards (69 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Counties
Phelps and Dent counties
Touchdown point
37.708, -91.877
Lift-off point
37.816, -91.563
Record number
1202290106-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A strong system moved across the Midwest and brought a round of severe storms to the Ozarks late on the 28th and early on the 29th of February. A squall line with embedded bows and super cellular type storms produced large hail and very strong damaging winds along with several deadly and destructive tornadoes.

An EF-1 rated tornado with a maximum wind speed of 90 to 95 mph tracked four miles from just northwest of Edgar Springs to the northeast, crossed into northwest Dent County just west of the Richard F. Clement Memorial State Forest and Wildlife Area, then crossed back into Phelps County before lifting to the northeast of Seaton north of YY. The overall track of the tornado was 19 miles.

This is a continuation of the EF1 rated tornado that touched down in Phelps County at 01:06 CST. The tornado crossed into northwest Dent County just west of the Richard F. Clement Memorial State Forest and downed trees before moving back into Phelps County before lifting to the northeast of Seaton, north of Highway YY.

This is a continuation of the EF-1 rated tornado that touched down in Phelps County at 01:06 CST, crossed into northwest Dent County, then back into Phelps County before lifting to the northeast of Seaton north of YY. The overall track of the tornado was 19 miles with damage limited to downed trees.

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

The warnings

35 minutes of warning. NWS SGF issued a tornado warning for this county at 06:31 UTC, 35 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 07:15 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 04:30 UTC and running to 08:22 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
04:30 UTC08:22 UTCTornado WatchSGF
06:31 UTC07:15 UTCTornado WarningSGF
07:06 UTC07:45 UTCTornado WarningSGF

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

7.1 hours before the tornado, 207 km from the path. February 29, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2012-02-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 75 joules per kilogram, CIN -196, lifted condensation level 595 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 2012-02-29The 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 482 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 76 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
75 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-196 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
595 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
76 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
482 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
563 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.4
0-3 km lapse rate
4.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z

4.9 hours after it, 207 km from the path. February 29, 2012.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2012-02-29Temperature 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 -90819, lifted condensation level 2181 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 2012-02-29The 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 -103 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 98 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
-90819 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2181 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
98 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 07:04 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
06:52 UTCTSTM WND DMGWaynesvillePulaski, MOLARGE TREE UPROOTED..CONCRETE WALL BLOWN OVER MINOR BUILDING DAMAGE
07:06 UTCTORNADO1 Nw Edgar SpringsPhelps, MOAN EF-1 RATED TORNADO WITH A MAXIMUM WIND SPEED OF 90 TO 95 MPH TRACKED 19 MILES FROM JUST NORTHWEST OF EDGAR SPRINGS TO THE NORTHEAST TO HIGHWAY 68 JUST NORTH OF HIGHWAY YY. THE TORNADO SEVERELY DAMAGED AND REMOVED THE
07:10 UTCTSTM WND GST 60RollaPhelps, MOHAM RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED 60 MPH WIND GUST
07:23 UTCTSTM WND DMG12 S St. JamesPhelps, MOROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE AND LARGE TREES DOWN...POSSIBLE TORNADO...NEAR HWY 68 AND HWY YY
07:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Wsw CubaCrawford, MOLARGE BILLBOARD BLOWN OVER ONTO HIGHWAY ZZ JUST SOUTHWEST OF TOWN...STILL BLOCKING ROAD.
07:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Nw CubaCrawford, MOLARGE TREE UPROOTED AND SEVERAL LARGE SHEDS BLOWN OVER ON HIGHLAND DRIVE JUST NORTH OF CUBA.
07:41 UTCTSTM WND DMGCubaCrawford, MOPOWER LINES DOWN IN CUBA...ALSO TREE LIMBS DOWN OVER US ROUTE 19.
07:45 UTCTSTM WND GST 701 S HoustonTexas, MOHAM RADIO ESIMATED 60 TO 70 MPH WIND GUSTS AND NICKEL SIZE HAIL.
07:50 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ese DillardCrawford, MOLARGE OAK TREE DOWN BLOCKING HWY 49...ONE CAR RAN INTO DITCH...NO INJURIES. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
07:52 UTCHAIL 0.25SullivanFranklin, MO
09:29 UTCTSTM WND DMGWaynesvillePulaski, MOLARGE TREE UPROOTED..CONCRETE WALL BLOWN OVER MINOR BUILDING DAMAGE

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2012 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of February 29, 2012

31 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 2912:18 AM CSTEF1Laclede, MO11.01505$750,000
February 2912:22 AM CSTEF1Laclede, MO0.375$500,000
February 2912:42 AM CSTEF2Barry, MO1.740014$575,000
February 291:13 AM CSTEF2Stone, MO24.340047$21 million
February 292:55 AM CSTEF2Madison, MO31.98001$100,000
February 293:34 AM CSTEF2Bollinger, MO7.7120$170,000
February 293:47 AM CSTEF2Cape Girardeau, MO to IL31.93001$350,000
February 294:00 AM CSTEF3Stoddard, MO20.07001$150,000
February 294:24 AM CSTEF1Scott, MO15.775$250,000
February 294:26 AM CSTEF2Williamson, IL14.9300$100,000
February 294:51 AM CSTEF4Harrisburg–Ridgway tornado, IL26.13258108$3.0 million
February 295:00 AM CSTEF2Pulaski, IL to KY22.71505$250,000
February 295:35 AM CSTEF2Massac, IL2.4150$50,000
February 295:57 AM CSTEF1Henderson, KY1.31502$80,000
February 296:03 AM CSTEF1Warrick, IN2.4150$250,000
February 296:40 AM CSTEF0Hopkins, KY0.530$10,000
February 298:45 AM CSTEF1Muhlenberg, KY0.130$30,000
February 298:45 AM CSTEF2Muhlenberg, KY5.52001$100,000
February 299:55 AM ESTEF2Hardin, KY5.0250$200,000
February 299:42 AM CSTEF2Grayson, KY2.02001$50,000
February 2911:05 AM ESTEF2Larue, KY2.5200$200,000
February 2911:12 AM ESTEF2Larue, KY0.9100$20,000
February 291:42 PM ESTEF2Morgan, KY6.3400$100,000
February 2912:47 PM CSTEF1Metcalfe, KY1.0150$10,000
February 291:22 PM CSTEF2Russell, KY7.2150$210,000
February 292:53 PM ESTEF1Pulaski, KY1.560$50,000
February 293:46 PM CSTEF1DeKalb, TN14.83001$700,000
February 294:02 PM CSTEF0White, TN2.250$10,000
February 294:30 PM CSTEF2Cumberland, TN11.11,00027$1.0 million
February 297:30 PM ESTEF0Blount, TN0.8100$25,000
February 2912:32 AM ESTEF0Washington, VA0.670$50,000

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.