Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2017
EF0 tornado, W B Jct to Standish, Missouri, March 6, 2017
From W B Jct to Standish, this EF0 tornado ran 6.0 miles across Carroll County on March 6, 2017, touching down at 8:40 PM CST and reaching 100 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
- March 6, 2017
- Touchdown
- 8:40 PM CST (02:40 UTC)
- Lifted
- 8:46 PM CST (02:46 UTC)
- On the ground
- 6 minutes
- Path length
- 6.0 miles (9.6 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Carroll County
- Touchdown point
- 39.338, -93.515
- Lift-off point
- 39.368, -93.411
- Record number
- 1703062040-01
The damage survey
7 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS EAX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 110 mph.
- Centerpoint irrigation system overturned.
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
On the evening of March 6, 2017 a line of severe thunderstorms formed, then moved into eastern Kansas and western and central Missouri. Ahead of and along this line of storms supercells formed and produced large hail, damaging winds, and several tornadoes. Officially there were 11 tornadoes recorded in the EAX portion of Missouri, with a 12th tornado recorded in Leawood, Kansas, on the Kansas side of the EAX CWA. The most notable of the tornadoes were the EF-2 and EF-3 tornadoes that impacted Smithville, Missouri and Oak Grove, Missouri respectively. According to news reports there were 12 injuries associated with the Oak Grove tornado, but despite the widespread significant damage there were no fatalities. As the line of storms moved eastward several embedded supercells and mesovortices produced several more tornadoes across northern and central Missouri. By the end of the event, officially there were four EF-1 tornadoes, one EF-2 tornado (Smithville, MO), one EF-3 (Oak Grove, MO), and five EF-0 tornadoes in Missouri. The Leawood Kansas tornado was rated EF-0 as well, rounding out the 12 confirmed tornadoes in the EAX CWA from that evening.
A squall line with embedded supercells and mesovortices moved through western Missouri and eastern Missouri on the evening of March 6. The storm took out a center point irrigation system just southwest of Carrolton; however, in the city of Carrolton several structures on the south side of the city were heavily damaged by tornadic winds. Along Main Street windows were completely blown out of several businesses and a couple buildings along Main Street even had some partial roof and external wall failure. The tornado moved east of town and did some external damage to a metal building. The tornado crossed HWY 65 and paralleled HWY 24 for a mile or two, causing damage to outbuildings along the route. About 2-3 miles east of Carrolton it crossed HWY 24 and dissipated north of HWY 24.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
7 minutes of warning. NWS EAX issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:33 UTC, 7 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:00 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:52 UTC and running to 04:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:00 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | EAX |
| 20:52 UTC | 04:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | EAX |
| 02:06 UTC | 02:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 02:15 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 02:32 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 02:33 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 02:55 UTC | 03:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 17:00 UTC | 20:21 UTC | Fire Weather Watch | EAX |
| 17:00 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Red Flag Warning | EAX |
| 17:07 UTC | 21:46 UTC | Wind Advisory | EAX |
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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:54 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
2.7 hours before the tornado, 192 km from the path. March 7, 2017.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 707 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -62 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1361 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1970 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 64 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 333 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 349 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 9.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 8.5 K/km
Topeka, KS (KFOE), 12:00Z
9.3 hours after it, 192 km from the path. March 7, 2017.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -98509 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1901 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 119 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -281 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -229 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.2 K/km
The surface observations
Marshall (MHL), 36 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:55 UTC | 73.4 | 57.2 | 180° 20 kt | 25 | 999.7 | |
| 01:15 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 180° 21 kt | 27 | 999.7 | |
| 01:35 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 180° 24 kt | 34 | 999 | |
| 01:55 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 170° 28 kt | 35 | 997.6 | |
| 02:15 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 180° 23 kt | 35 | 997.3 | VCTS |
| 02:35 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 180° 29 kt | 37 | 997.3 | |
| 02:55 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 190° 26 kt | 36 | 998.3 | |
| 03:15 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 180° 26 kt | 38 | 998.6 | VCTS |
| 03:35 UTC | 73.4 | 59 | 270° 22 kt | 31 | 1001.7 | VCTS |
| 03:55 UTC | 55.4 | 51.8 | 270° 18 kt | 31 | 1004.4 | +TSRA |
| 04:15 UTC | 51.8 | 50 | 270° 9 kt | 18 | 1003.4 | -TSRA |
| 04:35 UTC | 53.6 | 46.4 | 270° 9 kt | 18 | 1005.1 | -VCTSRA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:38 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Grand Pass | Saline, MO | TREE DOWN THE SIZE OF A TELEPHONE POLE. |
| 01:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ene Lawson | Ray, MO | 6 INCH LIMBS DOWN. |
| 01:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Braymer | Caldwell, MO | DAMAGE TO OUTBUILDINGS. |
| 01:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Wsw Richmond | Ray, MO | A SWATH OF WIND AROUND 80 TO 90 MPH AFFECTED AREAS AROUND AND IN RICHMOND. A CENTER POINT IRRIGATION SYSTEM WAS TOPPLED OVER SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY. INSIDE OF RICHMOND SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED AS WELL AS POWER POLES. AL |
| 01:26 UTC | TSTM WND GST 65 | Chillicothe | Livingston, MO | . |
| 01:26 UTC | HAIL 1 | Chillicothe | Livingston, MO | . |
| 01:27 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Lexington | Lafayette, MO | CITY EM REPORTED CAR PORT BLOWN INTO A ROADWAY. |
| 01:29 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Odessa | Lafayette, MO | TWO HOMES COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND NUMEROUS OTHERS DAMAGED...ROOF OFF WATER PLANT AND DAMAGES TO THE POWER GRID. NO REPORTED INJURIES OR TRANSPORTS. |
| 01:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Lexington | Lafayette, MO | CAR PORT BLOWN INTO ROADWAY. |
| 01:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nnw Carrollton | Carroll, MO | MAJOR DAMAGE. 1 POWER POLE FELL ON A VEHICLE WITH PEOPLE IN IT. THEY WERE RESCUED AND UNHARMED. THERE ARE ALSO POWER LINES OVER THE RAILROAD. |
| 01:40 UTC | TORNADO | Carrollton | Carroll, MO | MAJOR DAMAGE. 1 POWER POLE FELL ON A VEHICLE WITH PEOPLE IN IT. THEY WERE RESCUED AND UNHARMED. THERE ARE ALSO POWER LINES OVER THE RAILROAD. |
| 01:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Grand Pass | Saline, MO | TREE DOWN THE SIZE OF A TELEPHONE POLE. |
| 01:52 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Waverly | Lafayette, MO | |
| 01:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sse Mendon | Chariton, MO | POWER POLES SNAPPED...2 BY 4S SCATTERED ACROSS THE ROAD. |
| 01:57 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Mendon | Chariton, MO | EM RELAYED REPORT 2X4S ACROSS THE ROAD, HOUSE ROOF BLOWN OFF, POWER POLES SNAPPED. |
| 01:57 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Mendon | Chariton, MO | REPORT FROM RAILROAD EMPLOYEE OF TRAIN ROCKING BACK AND FORTH, CAUSING A POSSIBLE MINOR TRAIN DERAILMENT AND FORCING TRAINS TO STOP MOVING IN THE AREA. |
| 02:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ene Lawson | Ray, MO | 6 INCH LIMBS DOWN |
| 02:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ene Lawson | Ray, MO | 6 INCH LIMBS DOWN. |
| 02:08 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Marceline | Linn, MO | |
| 02:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Braymer | Caldwell, MO | DAMAGE TO OUTBUILDINGS |
| 02:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Braymer | Caldwell, MO | DAMAGE TO OUTBUILDINGS. |
| 02:23 UTC | HAIL 0.25 | Marshall | Saline, MO | . |
| 02:25 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Marceline | Linn, MO | . |
| 02:26 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 N Hardin | Ray, MO | DELAYED REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. MULTIPLE BARNS DOWN AND TREES UPROOTED. TIME MATCHED TO RADAR. |
| 02:26 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 S Russellville | Ray, MO | DELAYED REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. MULTIPLE BARNS DOWN AND TREES UPROOTED. TIME MATCHED TO RADAR. |
| 02:26 UTC | TSTM WND GST 65 | Chillicothe | Livingston, MO | . |
| 02:26 UTC | HAIL 1 | Chillicothe | Livingston, MO | . |
| 02:27 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Lexington | Lafayette, MO | CITY EM REPORTED CAR PORT BLOWN INTO A ROADWAY. |
| 02:29 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Odessa | Lafayette, MO | TWO HOMES COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND NUMEROUS OTHERS DAMAGED...ROOF OFF WATER PLANT AND DAMAGES TO THE POWER GRID. NO REPORTED INJURIES OR TRANSPORTS. |
| 02:29 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Odessa | Lafayette, MO | DELAYED REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN ON HOME. TIME MATCHED TO RADAR. |
| 02:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Lexington | Lafayette, MO | CAR PORT BLOWN INTO ROADWAY |
| 02:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Lexington | Lafayette, MO | CAR PORT BLOWN INTO ROADWAY. |
| 02:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nnw Carrollton | Carroll, MO | MAJOR DAMAGE. 1 POWER POLE FELL ON A VEHICLE WITH PEOPLE IN IT. THEY WERE RESCUED AND UNHARMED. THERE ARE ALSO POWER LINES OVER THE RAILROAD. |
| 02:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Carrollton | Carroll, MO | MAJOR DAMAGE. 1 POWER POLE FELL ON A VEHICLE WITH PEOPLE IN IT. THEY WERE RESCUED AND UNHARMED. THERE ARE ALSO POWER LINES OVER THE RAILROAD. |
| 02:40 UTC | TORNADO | Carrollton | Carroll, MO | MAJOR DAMAGE. 1 POWER POLE FELL ON A VEHICLE WITH PEOPLE IN IT. THEY WERE RESCUED AND UNHARMED. THERE ARE ALSO POWER LINES OVER THE RAILROAD. |
| 02:40 UTC | TORNADO | Carrollton | Carroll, MO | POSSIBLE TORNADO IN CARROLLTON. |
| 02:52 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Waverly | Lafayette, MO | |
| 02:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Mendon | Chariton, MO | POWER POLES SNAPPED...2 BY 4S SCATTERED ACROSS THE ROAD |
| 02:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sse Mendon | Chariton, MO | POWER POLES SNAPPED...2 BY 4S SCATTERED ACROSS THE ROAD. |
| 02:57 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Mendon | Chariton, MO | EM RELAYED REPORT 2X4S ACROSS THE ROAD, HOUSE ROOF BLOWN OFF, POWER POLES SNAPPED. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2017 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of March 6, 2017
53 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6 | 5:04 PM CST | EF1 | Faribault, MN | 9.3 | 200 | |||
| March 6 | 5:23 PM CST | EF0 | Webster, IA | 2.4 | 30 | |||
| March 6 | 5:28 PM CST | EF1 | Webster, IA | 2.9 | 50 | $70,000 | ||
| March 6 | 5:35 PM CST | EF0 | Geary, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 5:36 PM CST | EF0 | Wabaunsee, KS | 16.1 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 5:37 PM CST | EF0 | Pottawatomie, KS | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| March 6 | 5:37 PM CST | EF0 | Wabaunsee, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 5:38 PM CST | EF1 | Freeborn, MN | 11.9 | 300 | |||
| March 6 | 5:39 PM CST | EF1 | Sherburne, MN | 8.8 | 300 | |||
| March 6 | 5:59 PM CST | EF0 | Wabaunsee, KS | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 6:13 PM CST | EF0 | Shawnee, KS | 5.2 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 6:27 PM CST | EF0 | Boone, IA | 17.9 | 85 | $125,000 | ||
| March 6 | 6:30 PM CST | EF0 | Nodaway, MO | 5.8 | 25 | |||
| March 6 | 6:58 PM CST | EF1 | Hardin, IA | 6.3 | 300 | $25,000 | ||
| March 6 | 7:05 PM CST | EF0 | Butler, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 7:19 PM CST | EF1 | Warren, IA | 4.8 | 100 | $80,000 | ||
| March 6 | 7:24 PM CST | EF2 | Clay, MO | 19.6 | 1,000 | |||
| March 6 | 7:29 PM CST | EF1 | Marion, IA | 5.3 | 120 | $50,000 | ||
| March 6 | 7:35 PM CST | EF1 | Marion, IA | 6.8 | 80 | $20,000 | ||
| March 6 | 7:38 PM CST | EF1 | Franklin, KS | 3.0 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 7:40 PM CST | EF1 | Mercer, MO | 10.3 | 100 | |||
| March 6 | 7:47 PM CST | EF0 | Marion, IA | 5.5 | 65 | $25,000 | ||
| March 6 | 7:51 PM CST | EF0 | Johnson, KS | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| March 6 | 8:03 PM CST | EF0 | Jackson, MO | 2.3 | 25 | |||
| March 6 | 8:11 PM CST | EF3 | Jackson, MO | 17.7 | 400 | 12 | ||
| March 6 | 8:16 PM CST | EF2 | Wayne, IA | 14.9 | 250 | $2.0 million | ||
| March 6 | 8:30 PM CST | EF1 | Appanoose, IA | 8.0 | 60 | $40,000 | ||
| March 6 | 8:33 PM CST | EF2 | Appanoose, IA | 9.7 | 90 | $750,000 | ||
| March 6 | 8:34 PM CST | EF1 | Lafayette, MO | 1.8 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 8:46 PM CST | EF1 | La Crosse, WI | 2.6 | 200 | $290,000 | ||
| March 6 | 8:56 PM CST | EF1 | Chariton, MO | 19.8 | 100 | |||
| March 6 | 9:10 PM CST | EF0 | Pettis, MO | 3.9 | 25 | |||
| March 6 | 9:17 PM CST | EF0 | Henry, MO | 7.8 | 25 | |||
| March 6 | 9:40 PM CST | EF0 | Cooper, MO | 17.4 | 400 | |||
| March 6 | 9:40 PM CST | EF1 | Shelby, MO | 18.5 | 150 | 1 | ||
| March 6 | 9:44 PM CST | EF1 | Adair, OK | 6.1 | 650 | $100,000 | ||
| March 6 | 9:50 PM CST | EF0 | Dubuque, IA | 5.7 | 25 | $5,000 | ||
| March 6 | 9:56 PM CST | EF2 | Louisa, IA | 0.3 | 150 | |||
| March 6 | 10:00 PM CST | EF1 | Hickory, MO | 0.8 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| March 6 | 10:05 PM CST | EF2 | Muscatine, IA | 1.8 | 200 | 3 | $100,000 | |
| March 6 | 10:13 PM CST | EF2 | Muscatine, IA | 25.3 | 1,000 | $52,000 | ||
| March 6 | 10:18 PM CST | EF1 | Cedar, IA | 16.6 | 100 | $110,000 | ||
| March 6 | 10:19 PM CST | EF2 | Scott, IA | 34.7 | 200 | |||
| March 6 | 10:24 PM CST | EF1 | Camden, MO | 2.0 | 400 | 1 | $100,000 | |
| March 6 | 10:36 PM CST | EF0 | Morgan, MO | 0.3 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| March 6 | 10:40 PM CST | EF0 | Clinton, IA | 4.4 | 50 | |||
| March 6 | 10:51 PM CST | EF1 | Washington, AR | 6.4 | 400 | $40,000 | ||
| March 6 | 10:53 PM CST | EF1 | Whiteside, IL | 1.5 | 10 | |||
| March 6 | 11:03 PM CST | EF1 | Osage, MO | 7.3 | 75 | |||
| March 6 | 11:17 PM CST | EF1 | Montgomery, MO | 20.9 | 150 | |||
| March 6 | 11:38 PM CST | EF2 | Newton, AR | 36.6 | 700 | 1 | $400,000 | |
| March 6 | 11:51 PM CST | EF1 | Saint Charles, MO | 3.1 | 100 | 3 | ||
| March 6 | 11:52 PM CST | EF1 | Mason, IL | 6.8 | 150 | $150,000 |
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.