Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2024
EF0 tornado, Pleasant Gap, Missouri, April 26, 2024
This EF0 tornado ran 1.1 miles across Bates County on April 26, 2024, touching down at 6:47 PM CDT and reaching 50 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
- April 26, 2024
- Touchdown
- 6:47 PM CDT (23:47 UTC)
- Lifted
- 6:52 PM CDT (23:52 UTC)
- On the ground
- 5 minutes
- Path length
- 1.1 miles (1.8 km)
- Path width
- 50 yards (46 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Bates County
- Touchdown point
- 38.166, -94.098
- Lift-off point
- 38.173, -94.080
- Record number
- 2404261747-01
The damage survey
11 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS EAX and NWS SGF, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 85 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
On the afternoon hours of April 26th, supercells produced 4 brief EF-0 tornadoes in Bates and Henry Counties.
Storm survey found evidence of a brief, 0.8 mile EF-0 tornado in Bates County just southeast of the community of Pleasant Gap.
Storm survey found evidence of a brief, 1.2 mile EF-0 tornado in Bates County just WSW of Appleton City Lake.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
5 minutes of warning. NWS EAX issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:42 UTC, 5 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:58 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:49 UTC and running to 01:48 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20:49 UTC | 01:48 UTC | Tornado Watch | EAX |
| 22:55 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 23:12 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 23:42 UTC | 23:58 UTC | Tornado Warning | EAX |
| 23:45 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX |
| 00:09 UTC | 00:40 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 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 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:58 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
11.8 hours before the tornado, 143 km from the path. April 26, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -102516 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 687 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 506 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 537 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 2.6 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z
0.2 hours after it, 143 km from the path. April 27, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 167 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -115 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 387 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 918 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 60 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 49 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 448 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 435 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.0 K/km
The surface observations
Clinton (GLY), 41 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:55 UTC | 68 | 60.8 | 170° 16 kt | 24 | 1003.7 | |
| 22:15 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 170° 16 kt | 22 | 1003.7 | HZ |
| 22:35 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 160° 13 kt | 19 | 1004.1 | |
| 22:55 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 160° 14 kt | 1004.4 | ||
| 23:15 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 170° 10 kt | 16 | 1004.4 | |
| 23:35 UTC | 66.2 | 62.6 | 150° 21 kt | 29 | 1002.4 | |
| 23:55 UTC | 66.2 | 62.6 | 160° 23 kt | 28 | 1003 | |
| 00:15 UTC | 66.2 | 62.6 | 140° 13 kt | 1003 | ||
| 00:35 UTC | 66.2 | 62.6 | 110° 13 kt | 1003.4 | VCTS | |
| 00:55 UTC | 62.6 | 59 | 340° 7 kt | 15 | 1005.1 | VCTS RA BR |
| 01:15 UTC | 60.8 | 59 | 70° 5 kt | 1005.1 | ||
| 01:35 UTC | 60.8 | 59 | 120° 9 kt | 1004.4 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:49 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23:03 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | Hume | Bates, MO | Photo of approximately ping pong ball size hail in Hume relayed to NWS employee. Time estimated from radar. |
| 23:07 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ene Stotesbury | Vernon, MO | An EF-1 tornado occurred, with a path length of 3.4 miles and a width of 95 yards. Maximum wind speeds of 95 mph destroyed two outbuildings, and caused a number of trees to be either uprooted or have large limbs snapped. |
| 23:36 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Ene Rich Hill | Bates, MO | Fire department reported a tornado east of Rich Hill. Time and location estimated from radar. |
| 23:42 UTC | TORNADO | 7 N Rockville | Bates, MO | NWS Damage Survey confirmed a brief EF-0 tornado southwest of Appleton City, MO the evening of the 26th of April, 2024. Minor damage to trees along the path. |
| 23:53 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Sw Montrose | Bates, MO | Downed trees blocking Highway 52 west of Appleton City near the St. Clair County line. Time estimated from radar. |
| 23:53 UTC | TORNADO | 7 Sw Montrose | Bates, MO | Damage to a structure near Appleton City Lake. Time estimated from radar. |
| 23:56 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Appleton City | St. Clair, MO | An NWS storm survey determined that a tornado briefly touched down Friday evening on Highway 52 at the Bates and St Clair county line, downing trees and power lines. |
| 00:12 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 3 Se Butler | Bates, MO | Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). Time corrected from radar. |
| 00:34 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Ese Clinton | Henry, MO | NWS Damage Survey confirms a very brief EF-0 tornado southeast of Clinton, MO. Damage to two outbuildings. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2024 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 26, 2024
77 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26 | 4:49 AM CDT | EF0 | Cleveland, OK | 0.5 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| April 26 | 4:52 AM CDT | EF0 | Pottawatomie, OK | 2.4 | 40 | $5,000 | ||
| April 26 | 4:53 AM CDT | EF1 | Cleveland, OK | 1.9 | 75 | $6,000 | ||
| April 26 | 5:05 AM CDT | EF0 | Pottawatomie, OK | 2.4 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| April 26 | 5:28 AM CDT | EF1 | Okfuskee, OK | 9.9 | 500 | $20,000 | ||
| April 26 | 5:31 AM CDT | EF0 | Lincoln, OK | 0.2 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| April 26 | 6:18 AM CDT | EF1 | Okmulgee, OK | 6.9 | 650 | $25,000 | ||
| April 26 | 7:22 AM CDT | EF1 | Pittsburg, OK | 1.7 | 250 | $50,000 | ||
| April 26 | 12:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Sherman, NE | 4.7 | 175 | $140,000 | ||
| April 26 | 12:23 PM CDT | EF0 | McLennan, TX | 0.1 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| April 26 | 12:26 PM CDT | EF1 | McLennan, TX | 0.9 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| April 26 | 12:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Sherman, NE | 5.7 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| April 26 | 12:48 PM CDT | EF0 | McLennan, TX | 0.2 | 15 | |||
| April 26 | 12:48 PM CDT | EF2 | Hill, TX | 5.7 | 165 | $200,000 | ||
| April 26 | 12:52 PM CDT | EF0 | Howard, NE | 2.3 | 50 | $200,000 | ||
| April 26 | 12:58 PM CDT | EF3 | Howard, NE | 9.3 | 600 | $3.5 million | ||
| April 26 | 1:06 PM CDT | EF1 | Hill, TX | 0.2 | 55 | $60,000 | ||
| April 26 | 1:30 PM CDT | EF1 | Navarro, TX | 9.0 | 200 | $200,000 | ||
| April 26 | 1:32 PM CDT | EF2 | Howard, NE | 9.2 | 880 | $800,000 | ||
| April 26 | 1:46 PM CDT | EF1 | Navarro, TX | 11.3 | 200 | $200,000 | ||
| April 26 | 1:49 PM CDT | EF1 | Hill, TX | 2.4 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| April 26 | 2:04 PM CDT | EF2 | Greeley, NE | 26.7 | 500 | $25,000 | ||
| April 26 | 2:19 PM CDT | EF0 | Navarro, TX | 2.1 | 100 | |||
| April 26 | 2:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Navarro, TX | 1.1 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| April 26 | 2:51 PM CDT | EF1 | Butler, NE | 8.1 | 200 | |||
| April 26 | 2:52 PM CDT | EF3 | Lincoln tornado, NE | 5.3 | 700 | 3 | ||
| April 26 | 2:57 PM CDT | EF1 | Lancaster, NE | 3.0 | 150 | |||
| April 26 | 3:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Lancaster, NE | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 3:06 PM CDT | Unrated | Butler, NE | 0.7 | 30 | |||
| April 26 | 3:12 PM CDT | EF1 | Saunders, NE | 3.8 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 3:27 PM CDT | Unrated | Boone, NE | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 3:30 PM CDT | EF4 | Elkhorn tornado, NE | 31.9 | 1,900 | 4 | ||
| April 26 | 3:32 PM CDT | EF2 | Elk, KS | 8.5 | 300 | |||
| April 26 | 3:34 PM CDT | EF2 | Woodson, KS | 6.7 | 100 | |||
| April 26 | 3:42 PM CDT | Unrated | Boone, NE | 2.0 | 100 | |||
| April 26 | 3:52 PM CDT | EF0 | Wilson, KS | 1.0 | 150 | |||
| April 26 | 4:07 PM CDT | EF1 | Platte, NE | 4.8 | 100 | |||
| April 26 | 4:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Wilson, KS | 1.3 | 60 | |||
| April 26 | 4:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Mills, IA | 2.7 | 80 | |||
| April 26 | 4:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Harrison, IA | 9.1 | 766 | |||
| April 26 | 4:54 PM CDT | EF3 | Douglas, IA to NE | 19.1 | 550 | |||
| April 26 | 4:59 PM CDT | EF0 | Harrison, IA | 2.6 | 200 | |||
| April 26 | 5:02 PM CDT | Unrated | Allen, KS | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| April 26 | 5:08 PM CDT | EF3 | Pottawattamie, IA | 13.3 | 900 | |||
| April 26 | 5:10 PM CDT | Unrated | Richardson, NE | 0.0 | 1 | |||
| April 26 | 5:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Stanton, NE | 0.7 | 100 | |||
| April 26 | 5:17 PM CDT | EF0 | Monona, IA | 1.5 | 100 | |||
| April 26 | 5:23 PM CDT | EF1 | Monona, IA | 3.3 | 250 | |||
| April 26 | 5:25 PM CDT | EF3 | Minden–Harlan tornado, IA | 40.3 | 1,900 | 1 | 3 | |
| April 26 | 5:29 PM CDT | EF0 | Bourbon, KS | 3.3 | 75 | $50,000 | ||
| April 26 | 5:40 PM CDT | EF1 | Harrison, IA | 1.8 | 30 | |||
| April 26 | 5:45 PM CDT | Unrated | Richardson, NE | 0.0 | 1 | |||
| April 26 | 6:07 PM CDT | EF1 | Vernon, MO | 3.4 | 95 | $40,000 | ||
| April 26 | 6:14 PM CDT | Unrated | Holt, MO | 0.0 | 1 | |||
| April 26 | 6:28 PM CDT | EF2 | Shelby, IA | 9.3 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| April 26 | 6:30 PM CDT | Unrated | Crawford, IA | 2.5 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 6:36 PM CDT | EF0 | Bates, MO | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 6:49 PM CDT | EF1 | Shelby, IA | 13.0 | 300 | $30,000 | ||
| April 26 | 6:52 PM CDT | EF2 | Adams, IA | 9.7 | 350 | $300,000 | ||
| April 26 | 6:56 PM CDT | EF0 | St. Clair, MO | 0.2 | 50 | $20,000 |
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.