Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2019

EF0 tornado, Cadet, Missouri, March 24, 2019

This EF0 tornado ran 0.0 miles across Washington County on March 24, 2019, touching down at 5:22 PM CDT and reaching 20 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
March 24, 2019
Touchdown
5:22 PM CDT (22:22 UTC)
Lifted
5:23 PM CDT (22:23 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.0 miles (0.0 km)
Path width
20 yards (18 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Washington County
Touchdown point
37.992, -90.710
Lift-off point
37.992, -90.710
Record number
1903241622-01

The damage survey

1 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LSX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 65 mph.

  • A few branches were broken off at tree top in this location where law enforcement witnessed a tornado touchdown.

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

As a strong cold front moved through the region, severe storms developed mainly along and south of Interstate 70. There were numerous reports of large hail, as well as some wind damage and 3 tornadoes.

A few branches were broken off in this location where law enforcement witnessed a|brief tornado touchdown just southwest of the intersection of Highway E and Route 47. The tornado was rated EF0 with a max wind speed of 65 mph. The path length was 0.01 mile with a max path width of 20 yards. No deaths or injuries were reported.

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

The warnings

18 minutes of warning. NWS LSX issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:04 UTC, 18 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:45 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 19:52 UTC and running to 03:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
19:52 UTC03:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchLSX
21:25 UTC22:18 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX
21:34 UTC22:15 UTCTornado WarningLSX
22:04 UTC22:45 UTCTornado WarningLSX
22:40 UTC23:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX
23:18 UTC23:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX
23:55 UTC00:32 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSX

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 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:00 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.

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z

10.4 hours before the tornado, 299 km from the path. March 24, 2019.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2019-03-24Temperature 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 -90417, lifted condensation level 592 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2019-03-24The 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 469 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 46 knots.19395878Sfc1 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
-90417 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
592 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
469 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
407 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z

1.6 hours after it, 299 km from the path. March 25, 2019.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2019-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 38 joules per kilogram, CIN -96, lifted condensation level 1123 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2019-03-25The 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 44 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 40 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
38 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Surface CAPE
303 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1123 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:24 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
21:15 UTCHAIL 14 N SteelvilleCrawford, MOHAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS.
21:20 UTCHAIL 0.254 E LeasburgCrawford, MO
21:31 UTCTSTM WND DMG8 Sw Anthonies MillCrawford, MODELAYED REPORT. LOCATION AND TIME BOTH APPROXIMATE AND ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. PHOTOS POSTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA OF TREE DAMAGE, STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A HOME, AND CAR DAMAGE NEAR THE TOWN OF BUTTS AND THE HUZZAH CREEK RECREATIO
21:31 UTCTORNADO8 Sse LeasburgCrawford, MOTORANDO RATED EF0. PATH LENGTH OF 5.75 MILES AND MAX PATH WIDTH AROUND 100 YARDS. THE TORNADO BEGAN ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HUZZAH RIVER APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF STEELVILLE WHERE A BARN WAS DAMAGED. THE T
21:55 UTCHAIL 0.251 Wsw House SpringsJefferson, MOGETTING A LOT OF MARBLE SIZE HAIL (1/2 INCH) CURRENTLY.
22:04 UTCHAIL 0.751 Wsw House SpringsJefferson, MOWIND HAS INCREASED TO 40 MPH.
22:18 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD2 S Old MinesWashington, MOFUNNEL CLOUD BETWEEN POTOSI AND OLD MINES, MOVING EAST.
22:22 UTCHAIL 11 Ne SteelvilleCrawford, MOFROM FACEBOOK POST WITH PICTURE. TIME ESTIMATED.
22:22 UTCTORNADO1 Wnw CadetWashington, MOBRIEF TORNADO RATED EF0 - A FEW TREE BRANCHES WERE BROKEN OFF IN THIS LOCATION WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT WITNESSED A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY E AND ROUTE 47.
22:24 UTCHAIL 0.881 Wnw CadetWashington, MOHAIL COVERS THE GROUND.
22:25 UTCHAIL 1.754 Wnw BlackwellWashington, MOMPING REPORT.
22:27 UTCHAIL 0.88CadetWashington, MORELAYED THROUGH WASHINGTON COUNTY 911.
22:27 UTCTORNADO1 Wnw CadetWashington, MOTORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN. TREE DAMAGE REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. CHECKING ON STRUCTURAL DAMAGE NOW.
22:35 UTCHAIL 1.753 Se BlackwellJefferson, MOLATE REPORT.
22:47 UTCHAIL 0.7MapavilleJefferson, MO
22:49 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Sse Valles MillSt. Francois, MO6 TO 12 INCH TREE LIMBS BLOWN DOWN.
22:54 UTCHAIL 0.25PevelyJefferson, MO
22:55 UTCHAIL 1.754 Ene Valles MillJefferson, MO
23:00 UTCHAIL 1.755 Ne French VillageSte. Genevieve, MO
23:01 UTCHAIL 1.252 Ese French VillageSt. Francois, MOCORRECTS TIME OF PREVIOUS HAIL REPORT FROM 2 ESE FRENCH VILLAGE.
23:16 UTCHAIL 1BloomsdaleSte. Genevieve, MO
23:20 UTCHAIL 0.88BloomsdaleSte. Genevieve, MO
23:22 UTCHAIL 1PotosiWashington, MO
23:23 UTCHAIL 1.5PotosiWashington, MOREPORT VIA FACEBOOK WITH PICTURE.
23:25 UTCHAIL 1.252 Ese French VillageSt. Francois, MO
23:35 UTCHAIL 0.75BloomsdaleSte. Genevieve, MO
23:57 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD3 W DillardCrawford, MO
00:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Wnw ViburnumIron, MOSEVERAL 40 FOOT TALL, ONE FOOT DIAMETER OAK TREES DOWNED 1/2 MILE NORTH OF TOWN ON HIGHWAY 49.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2019 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 24, 2019

3 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 244:31 PM CDTEF0Crawford, MO5.8100
March 247:31 PM CDTEF1Madison, MO4.2250
March 248:47 PM CDTEF2Bollinger, MO10.32501$60,000

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.