Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2017
EF0 tornado, Stringtown to Hillard, Missouri, May 27, 2017
From Stringtown to Hillard, this EF0 tornado ran 1.9 miles across Butler County on May 27, 2017, touching down at 8:18 PM CDT and reaching 85 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $40,000 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
- May 27, 2017
- Touchdown
- 8:18 PM CDT (01:18 UTC)
- Lifted
- 8:22 PM CDT (01:22 UTC)
- On the ground
- 4 minutes
- Path length
- 1.9 miles (3.0 km)
- Path width
- 85 yards (78 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $40,000
- County
- Butler County
- Touchdown point
- 36.791, -90.501
- Lift-off point
- 36.784, -90.469
- Record number
- 1705271918-01
The damage survey
5 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS PAH, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 79 mph.
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
An organized severe weather outbreak affected southeast Missouri with numerous damaging wind gusts, a few swaths of large hail, and a weak tornado. By the afternoon hours, large amounts of moisture and instability were present, along with plenty of deep-layer wind shear. As a mid-level disturbance lifted out of the Southern Plains, multiple storm clusters and bowing segments formed across Missouri in a very favorable environment for severe thunderstorms. There was also a supercell thunderstorm in the Ozark foothills during the evening. Dew points were in the lower 70's in many locations in the afternoon, coupled with surface cape values of 3000-4000 j/kg. Boundaries left over from early morning storms also played a role in the placement of afternoon thunderstorm development. Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms impacted the middle Mississippi Valley on the first day of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. There were two or three bowing lines of thunderstorms that impacted the region with damaging winds. Individual cells and clusters also developed early on in the event, producing both large hail and strong winds. Multiple rounds of storms over the same locations also resulted in locally heavy rainfall. Rainfall totals of 1.5 to 3 inches were observed from Carter County, Missouri east into southern Scott County.
The tornado began near the intersection of Highway PP and County Road 429 in the Mark Twain National Forest. The tornado was on the ground for four minutes. It lifted before crossing U.S. Highway 67 west of Poplar Bluff. Several trees were uprooted, and numerous limbs were broken. At least two homes received minor damage due to falling trees. At least six homes received shingle damage. Peak winds were estimated near 85 mph. A trained spotter witnessed the funnel in the area. This tornado was from the same supercell storm that produced large hail from the Ellsinore area of Carter County to areas north of Poplar Bluff.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 27, 7:25 PM CDT, 53 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 27, 7:25 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 725 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 .MESOSCALE DISCUSSION... Issued at 723 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 Dynamic and complicated convective scenario remains in play across the WFO PAH forecast area. In coordination with SPC, the following counties that were in Tornado Watch # 275 that just expired were placed back into Tornado Watch #284 until 2 am CDT Sunday morning. Locations from south of Van Buren to New Madrid have seen scattered severe/non- severe thunderstorm activity, but the airmass still remains primed with ESRL HRRR CAPE of 3000-5000 J/kg2 with decent upward vertical velocities expected between 10 pm and midnight over the new counties included in the new Tornado Watch #284 for southern MO. There are still active storms moving across these southeast Missouri counties, so additional warnings may be possible earlier this evening. Reference SPC's Mesocale disussion # 878 issued earlier this evening for more details on the storms in southeast Missouri this evening. The serial bowing segments moving through West Kentucky now should work stabilize further convective activity through the remainder of the evening. May need to shave off part of the current PDS from some of the Southern Illinois/Southwest Indiana counties along the Interstate 64 corridor. With boundaries still nearby, may hold these counties in the watch until expiration. && .UPDATE... Issued at 152 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 Rapid adjustments made to reflect current activity across the WFO PAH Forecast area. Greatest concern at the moment will be the convective complex moving from East Central Missouri, then along and remnant outflow/frontal boundaries south of the Interstate 64 corridor...then again along the common borders of Southeast Missouri, Northeast Arkansas, West Kentucky and Tennessee. | UPDATE Issued at 1133 AM CDT Sat May 27 2017 Convection is developing along outflow boundaries and existing warm frontal boundary over Southern Missouri and parts of Southern Illinois and the Pennyrile of West Kentucky. Some local concern that some of these storms along the boundary may go severe severe before the main bowing line (developing derecho?) reaches the WFO PAH CWA later this afternoon and this evening. Waiting to see what SPC might do with the MDT risk area in their midday update. Also added Flash flood Watch for Carter/Ripley counties from 1 pm today through 7 am Sunday.(see hydro section). && .SHORT TERM...(Today through Monday night) Issued at 134 AM CDT Sat May 27 2017 New SWODY1 outlooks moderate risk for much of FA this pm/evening, with all svr wx hazards possible. AM storms to our west are modeled to affect western ptns FA later this morning, and may lay out a boundary and also blow off debris clouds that could stall development after daybreak. However, differential heating should mix the atmos up enough to allow super charge to take place, with high cape environ and steep mid level lapse rates revealed by model soundings. At some point during the pm hours, cap should break and convection become numerous to widespread, with associated moderate risk of svr extending from late pm into/thru the evening hours. Svr chances begin to diminish overnight as large scale instability is lost the farther east storms push away from source boundary/energy. Primary cold front does not make actual passage until Sunday evening, so until then, we'll be continuing pops along/ahead of the boundary, and this includes a continued slight risk of severe again for mainly Sunday afternoon/early evening. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Friday) Issued at 134 AM CDT Sat May 27 2017 The extended period continues to be troublesome with models flip flopping the best chances for rain. Still dealing with another frontal boundary passage on Tuesday/Tuesday night. The GFS has been the most consistent with the timing of this feature but not as much on QPF. Still, believe that precip chances need to be included for that time frame given the consistency of this signal and the consistency of the GFS ensemble precip means. At this time our confidence does not warrant anything more than slight chances. The ECMWF was never that excited about Tuesday's rain prospects and still isn't. Instead, the 12Z ECMWF brings a front down into the area on Wednesday through Thursday. That is the exact same time that the GFS brings in a reinforcing sfc high pressure system that dries us out. However, the 00Z ECMWF is back to looking like the GFS with the drier weather on Wednesday with the incoming sfc high. The early part of the extended forecast is going to be hinged on exactly what this large upper level low over the upper Great Lakes region/eastern Canada does and the timing and strength of impulses rotating around it. For now, leaning toward the more consistent GFS for guidance. Given the above discussion, POPs will be low Tuesday through Thursday given uncertainty's in the model signals. There has been a stronger signal for more wet weather as we head into the latter half of the week. However, the upper level pattern is not being consistently resoled by the models very well at all. Yesterdays runs indicated more of a southwesterly flow pattern setting up and now the upper flow stays more west northwesterly through Friday. We will continue to have POPs for late week, but work will need to be done on fine tuning these chances as models grasp a better handle on things. && .AVIATION... Issued at 152 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 Current 18z Saturday TAF issuance will be a challenge with mutiple boundaries focusing VFR to IFR changing conditions. Base forecast includes thunderstorms in each TAF location. Main concern within the next six ho9urs will be the KEVV, KCGI, and KPAH TAF locations for lowered visibility. && .HYDROLOGY... Issued at 1133 AM CDT Sat May 27 2017 WPC recently upgraded parts of Southern Missouri in a Moderate Risk of excessive rainfall through today and tonight. Given the antecedent rainfall this morning, combined with the expected position of the frontal boundary and outflows today, felt it was prudent to add Carter and Ripley counties to the Flash Flood Watch later this afternoon and tonight. Depending on the propagation of the convection along the boundary and the southern end of the expected wind-damaging MCS, may need to extend the Flash Flood Watch to Wayne and Butler counties as well. Will monitor the progression of the storms this afternoon. Minimum rainfall of 1-1.25 inches is likely...with higher amounts possible. Given the flashy nature of runoff and the terrain, as well as the potential for higher public presence outdoors this weekend, decided to go ahead with a Flash Flood Watch for Carter and Ripley counties from 1 pm today through 7 am Sunday. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...Flash Flood Watch until 7 AM CDT Sunday for MOZ107-108. IN...None. KY...None. && MESOSCALE...Smith UPDATE...Smith AVIATION...Smith HYDROLOGY...Smith
Hazardous weather outlook, May 27, 2:55 PM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 255 pm CDT Sat May 27 2017 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-281000- Jefferson-Wayne IL-Edwards-Wabash-Perry IL-Franklin-Hamilton- White-Jackson-Williamson-Saline-Gallatin-Union-Johnson-Pope- Hardin-Alexander-Pulaski-Massac-Gibson-Pike-Posey-Vanderburgh- Warrick-Spencer-Fulton-Hickman-Carlisle-Ballard-McCracken-Graves- Livingston-Marshall-Calloway-Crittenden-Lyon-Trigg-Caldwell- Union KY-Webster-Hopkins-Christian-Henderson-Daviess-McLean- Muhlenberg-Todd-Perry MO-Bollinger-Cape Girardeau-Wayne MO-Carter- Ripley-Butler-Stoddard-Scott-Mississippi-New Madrid- 255 pm CDT Sat May 27 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Latest forecast trends indicate that an intense line of severe thunderstorms will move into the northwest part of the outlook area, namely southwest Illinois and Southeast Missouri, this afternoon and again this evening. If a line of storms move through the area, they will likely produce widespread wind gusts in excess of 80 mph. The damaging winds could last up to an hour. Depending on the intensity and duration of these lines of severe storms, most of the thunderstorms could completely move through the outlook area by midnight. In addition to the damaging wind potential, isolated severe storms may develop ahead of these lines of thunderstorms today and tonight. These isolated storms would have the potential for large hail, damaging winds, as well as a tornado. At this time, the greatest risk for widespread severe thunderstorms is later this afternoon and this evening. Heavy rainfall and deadly lightning will also be storm hazards. Flash Flooding may also be a possibility in parts of Southeast Missouri late this afternoon and tonight. A moderate risk remains is in place for most of the outlook area, except parts of Southwest Indiana and a very small part of northwest Kentucky. The remainder of the outlook area remains in an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday A slight risk of severe thunderstorms is forecast Sunday, especially during the afternoon and early evening. Damaging winds and hail are the primary severe weather hazards, with locally heavy rain and deadly lightning also storm hazards. Thunderstorms are also forecast Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday through Friday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is expected today and tonight. Smith
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 27, 7:45 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
745 PM CDT SAT MAY 27 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0535 PM TSTM WND DMG 8 ESE POCAHONTAS 37.46N 89.50W
05/27/2017 CAPE GIRARDEAU MO TRAINED SPOTTER
LARGE TREE ACROSS ROAD AND SOME LARGE LIMBS DOWN
&&
RSTLocal storm report, May 27, 7:51 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
751 PM CDT SAT MAY 27 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0610 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 S ELKTON 36.75N 87.16W
05/27/2017 TODD KY LAW ENFORCEMENT
COUPLE OF TREES DOWN ON HWY 181 SOUTH OF ELKTON. ANOTHER
TREE DOWN ON HWY 104 NEAR TN STATE LINE
&&
SPLocal storm report, May 27, 7:55 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
755 PM CDT SAT MAY 27 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0553 PM TSTM WND DMG ANNA 37.46N 89.24W
05/27/2017 UNION IL TRAINED SPOTTER
LARGE TREE AND NUMEROUS LIMBS DOWN NEAR UNION COUNTY
HOSPITAL.
&&
RSTLocal storm report, May 27, 8:01 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
801 PM CDT SAT MAY 27 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0758 PM HAIL 3 NE HUNTER 36.92N 90.81W
05/27/2017 E1.00 INCH CARTER MO TRAINED SPOTTER
ON HWY 21 NEAR HWY 60 BETWEEN HUNTER AND ELLSINORE
&&
SPLocal storm report, May 27, 8:10 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
810 PM CDT SAT MAY 27 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0805 PM HAIL ELLSINORE 36.93N 90.75W
05/27/2017 M1.00 INCH CARTER MO EMERGENCY MNGR
ON HWY 60 NEAR TOWN
&&
SPLocal storm report, May 27, 8:18 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
818 PM CDT SAT MAY 27 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0550 PM TSTM WND DMG JONESBORO 37.45N 89.27W
05/27/2017 UNION IL TRAINED SPOTTER
WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE INCLUDING A COLLAPSED GARAGE DUE
TO TREE FALLING ON IT. NUMEROUS POWER POLES SNAPPED
ACROSS TOWN.
&&
SPThe 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 (KBYH), 00:00Z
1.3 hours before the tornado, 223 km from the path. May 28, 2017.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 3385 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -56 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 5036 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1096 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 49 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 17 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 113 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 157 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.5
- Supercell composite
- 15.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.2 K/km
The surface observations
Popular Bluff (POF), 14 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 155 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:18 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.
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 May 27, 2017
13 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 | 2:38 PM CDT | EF1 | Morgan, MO | 0.1 | 300 | $25,000 | ||
| May 27 | 2:38 PM CDT | EF1 | Morgan, MO | 0.1 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| May 27 | 2:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Laclede, MO | 9.0 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| May 27 | 3:05 PM CDT | EF1 | Laclede, MO | 5.0 | 400 | $100,000 | ||
| May 27 | 3:09 PM CDT | EF1 | Laclede, MO | 2.1 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 3:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Laclede, MO | 0.0 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 4:00 PM CDT | EF0 | Dent, MO | 0.0 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 8:20 PM CDT | EF0 | Okfuskee, OK | 2.1 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 8:55 PM CDT | Unrated | Okfuskee, OK | 0.6 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 10:17 PM CDT | Unrated | Murray, OK | 2.8 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 10:39 PM CDT | Unrated | Johnston, OK | 1.5 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 11:06 PM CDT | Unrated | Jefferson, OK | 2.5 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 11:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Crawford, OK to AR | 11.2 | 700 | $30,000 |
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.