Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2014

EF0 tornado, Armour, Missouri, June 29, 2014

This EF0 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Buchanan County on June 29, 2014, touching down at 9:12 PM CDT and reaching 25 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 mphthis tornado

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    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
EF0
Date
June 29, 2014
Touchdown
9:12 PM CDT (02:12 UTC)
Lifted
9:13 PM CDT (02:13 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.3 miles (0.4 km)
Path width
25 yards (23 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Buchanan County
Touchdown point
39.563, -95.053
Lift-off point
39.563, -95.048
Record number
1406292012-01

What the Weather Service recorded

An extremely unstable environment was in place during this time period. On the evening of the 29th, several super cell thunderstorms producing tornadoes tracked across northwestern and northern Missouri producing multiple weak tornadoes. Storms erupted again the evening of the 30th and again produced several weak tornadoes across northern Missouri. The storms eventually evolved into a southward advancing line the evening of June 30th, producing another weak tornado in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Weak and brief tornado was observed with no known damage reported.

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

The warnings

16 minutes of warning. NWS EAX issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:56 UTC, 16 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:30 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:46 UTC and running to 04:49 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
09:00 UTC20:34 UTCFlood WarningEAX
23:46 UTC04:49 UTCTornado WatchEAX
00:41 UTC01:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAX
01:04 UTC01:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAX
01:20 UTC01:45 UTCTornado WarningEAX
01:37 UTC01:41 UTCTornado WarningEAX
01:45 UTC02:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAX
01:56 UTC02:30 UTCTornado WarningEAX
02:16 UTC08:00 UTCFlash Flood WarningEAX
02:21 UTC02:45 UTCTornado WarningEAX
02:28 UTC02:45 UTCTornado WarningEAX
02:45 UTC03:00 UTCTornado WarningEAX
02:52 UTC03:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAX
03:33 UTC03:50 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAX

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 Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:00 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.

Topeka, KS (KFOE), 00:00Z

2.2 hours before the tornado, 81 km from the path. June 30, 2014.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2014-06-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 4952 joules per kilogram, CIN -3, lifted condensation level 878 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2014-06-30The 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 91 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 49 knots.193958Sfc1 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
4952 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Surface CAPE
6708 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
878 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
91 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
9.5
0-3 km lapse rate
6.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Topeka, KS (KFOE), 12:00Z

9.8 hours after it, 81 km from the path. June 30, 2014.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2014-06-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2105 joules per kilogram, CIN -355, lifted condensation level 1205 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2014-06-30The 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 254 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 26 knots.193958Sfc1 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
2105 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-355 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2616 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1205 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
254 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
225 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

St. Joseph (STJ), 26 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:32 UTC8377180° 9 kt1008.5-TSRA
00:49 UTC80.677220° 10 kt1009.1+TSRA BR
00:53 UTC8177240° 10 kt1009.8+TSRA BR
01:03 UTC80780° 0 kt1008.8+TSRA BR
01:16 UTC8078230° 7 kt1008.8VCTS -RA BR
01:18 UTC8078230° 9 kt1009.1-TSRA BR
01:24 UTC8078260° 10 kt1009.5TSRA BR
01:30 UTC7674220° 13 kt211009.5+TSRA BR
01:32 UTC7571230° 8 kt211009.5+TSRA BR
01:38 UTC7471 4 kt1009.8RA BR
01:43 UTC7471180° 5 kt1009.8-RA BR
01:45 UTC7571180° 7 kt1009.8-RA BR
01:53 UTC8076200° 10 kt1009.8-RA
02:00 UTC8077200° 11 kt181009.5VCTS BR
02:13 UTC7871210° 11 kt231010.2TS
02:28 UTC7874200° 16 kt221010.2VCTS -RA
02:41 UTC7772200° 20 kt331009.8TSRA
02:53 UTC7774220° 17 kt231009.8-TSRA BR
03:11 UTC7469200° 22 kt281010.2+TSRA
03:23 UTC7673170° 10 kt1010.2-TSRA BR
03:30 UTC7673180° 21 kt251009.8-TSRA BR
03:42 UTC7570160° 11 kt1010.5TS
03:53 UTC7568160° 7 kt1010.2TS
04:05 UTC7569170° 6 kt1010.2VCTS

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:10 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
02:00 UTCTORNADORushvilleBuchanan, MOFUNNEL CLOUD BRIEFLY TOUCHED THE GROUND
02:12 UTCTORNADO1 Ese AtchisonBuchanan, MOBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. HAS SINCE LIFTED.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2014 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 29, 2014

14 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 296:05 AM CDTEF1Gove, KS1.050$50,000
June 297:28 PM CDTEF0Hamilton, IA2.040
June 298:08 PM CDTEF0Shelby, IA0.550
June 298:18 PM CDTEF1Grundy, IA1.950$30,000
June 298:25 PM CDTEF1Hardin, IA1.375$1,000
June 299:20 PM CDTEF0Shawnee, KS1.630
June 299:55 PM CDTEF1Mercer, MO6.3300
June 2910:00 PM CDTEF1Grant, WI8.2600$410,000
June 2910:18 PM CDTEF2Iowa, WI29.1400$3.5 million
June 2910:26 PM CDTEF2Iowa, WI5.0200$400,000
June 2910:36 PM CDTEF0Jones, IA0.125
June 2911:27 PM CDTEF1Dane, WI2.3500$50,000
June 2912:30 AM CDTEF1Carroll, IL2.2600$50,000
June 2912:45 AM CDTEF1Schuyler, MO4.7300

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.