Tornadoes · United States · Missouri · 2026
EF0 tornado, Peace Vly, Missouri, April 28, 2026
This EF0 tornado ran 0.6 miles across Howell County on April 28, 2026, touching down at 3:37 PM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody.
Preliminary. This is NWS SGF's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as White Church. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.
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 survey
- Rating, as surveyed
- EF0, preliminary
- Date
- April 28, 2026
- Touchdown
- 3:37 PM CDT (20:37 UTC)
- Lifted
- 3:38 PM CDT (20:38 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 0.6 miles (1.0 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Howell County
- Touchdown point
- 36.818, -91.780
- Lift-off point
- 36.817, -91.769
- Highest wind the damage implies
- 75 mph
- Surveyed by
- NWS SGF
- The office's name for it
- White Church
- Survey last edited
- May 22, 2026
- Record number
- None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.
What the survey found
A combination of ground surveys, radar data, and Sentinel-2 satellite data concluded an EF0 tornado briefly occurred approximately 2 miles south of White Church. A short 0.6-mile confined path of trees were damaged just east of State Route 17.
Written by NWS SGF in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.
The damage survey
2 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS SGF, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 74 mph.
- Isolated tree damage noted via Sentinel-2 satellite data in line with report of multiple trees down from Emergency Management.
- End of isolated tree damage noted via Sentinel-2 satellite data.
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
Several supercells formed across southeast Kansas moved into and across southwest Missouri, bringing very large hail to the area. The most prolific hail-producing storm was a left-moving supercell that split as it moved into Barry County in Missouri, tracking north-northeast through Lawrence, Christian, Greene, Dallas, Webster, Laclede, and Camden counties, producing severe hail for two hours and twenty minutes.||This storm reached peak intensity as it reached Aurora and tracked across northwest Springfield, bringing a large swath of significant severe hail the size of baseballs (2.75 inches) to as large as 4.75 inches (slightly larger than a grapefruit, or around the size of a CD) across the Springfield metropolitan area. Hail was retrieved and measured at 4 inches in diameter at the NWS Springfield office, even after 30 minutes of melting. Widespread damage across the path of this storm was reported to vehicles, homes, businesses, vegetation, and utility infrastructure, including significant damage around the Springfield-Branson National Airport. An emu at Dickerson Park Zoo was killed by the hail, with another animal left in veterinary care, and numerous people were treated in area hospitals for injuries sustained from the hail.
A combination of National Weather Service ground surveys, radar data, and Sentinel-2 satellite data concluded that an EF0 tornado briefly occurred approximately 2 miles south of White Church. A short 0.6-mile confined path of trees were damaged just east of State Route 17.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
7 minutes of warning. NWS SGF issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:30 UTC, 7 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:46 UTC.
The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 15:18 UTC and running to 23:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:18 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SGF |
| 20:07 UTC | 21:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF |
| 20:30 UTC | 20:46 UTC | Tornado Warning | SGF |
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 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. 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.
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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Apr 28, 1:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Showers and thunderstorms will continue to impact the region through the evening (50-70% chance). With additional showers and storms, through midnight.
- Slight (2 of 5) to Enhanced (3 of 5) Risk for some storms to become strong to severe into tonight, mainly along and south of I-44. Large hail up to baseballs is the main hazard throughout the day, with a conditional damaging wind and tornado risk this afternoon and evening.
- Due to chances of storms throughout the day, localized flooding may occur with any repeated rainfalls or training of storms.
- Mostly dry with cooler than average temperatures Wednesday and onward.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 1:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Springfield MO 147 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Showers and thunderstorms will continue to impact the region through the evening (50-70% chance). With additional showers and storms, through midnight. - Slight (2 of 5) to Enhanced (3 of 5) Risk for some storms to become strong to severe into tonight, mainly along and south of I-44. Large hail up to baseballs is the main hazard throughout the day, with a conditional damaging wind and tornado risk this afternoon and evening. - Due to chances of storms throughout the day, localized flooding may occur with any repeated rainfalls or training of storms. - Mostly dry with cooler than average temperatures Wednesday and onward. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 1259 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 A very unstable airmass was in place over the Ozarks this afternoon. Despite a significant inversion on the SGF 12Z sounding, elevated instability was from 1000 to 2500 j/kg, with elevated lapse rates from 7 to 8.5. A middle level 700mb trough was approaching the region with a surface low moving across Texas. This combination is expected to allow the cold front that moved through the Ozarks yesterday to lift back north as a warm front this afternoon into the evening. Additionally, the system this afternoon into this evening will have middle an upper level Jet support with a 30-40kts southerly winds at 850mb, 40 to 55kts southwesterly winds at 700mb, and a coupled jet over the Ozarks at 250mb. This will allow allow for continued upscale growth of storms across the region. Forecast hodographs remained very long and straight above the surface inversion which would favor splitting supercells, which should favor left-movers over right- movers. There's remains uncertainty in shower, storm, and severe chances between 4 PM and midnight. Given large-scale synoptic ascent with the lifting warm front, these storms may be somewhat widespread, which could overturn the atmosphere, washing out mid-level lapse rates and associated MUCAPE. What may aid in storm development is a lifting warm front that as of the 1pm mesoscale interrogations looks to have lifted into southern Missouri from Rogers, AR to north of Branson to just south of West Plains. This boundary may allow for enhanced vorticity and lift along the front. Along and south of the boundary would also provide the potential for surface based storms to develop, allowing for a possible brief tornado spin up. Finally, with multiple rounds of rain anticipated into tonight, localized flash flooding will also be possible. Storms will have estimated hourly rainfall rates of 2 to 4 inches, though residence time will be shorter. This would still allow for for localized flooding. Rain chances should clear our area by midnight, with temperatures cooling into the lower 50s in south-central Missouri, and the lower 40s in west-central Missouri. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Issued at 1259 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 In the wake of todays storms, high pressure will filter into the region and allow for a few days of quiet weather into at least Thursday though possibly into the coming weekend. A weak upper level trough may produce some light rain Thursday night ahead to the trough but synoptic models wash out the rain before it reaches the region. Overall, the upper level flows looks as though it will be zonal into the coming weekend. The pattern and rounds of cooler high pressure will bring below average temperatures through at least Saturday with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. The coolest period still looks light Friday and Friday night as a trough moves through the area. High temperatures are forecast in the lower 60s with lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s. There may be a low end frost risk if trends continue decreasing temperatures. Ensembles still show a potential warm-up beginning Sunday into early next week back to near normal temperatures in the lower 70s. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1230 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 A very unstable airmass is in place across the Ozarks with a warm front south of thew region lifting into the area. Significant thunderstorm development allowed storms with large hail to develop and move over the Springfield airport with hail up to 4 inches in diameter. Additional thunderstorms were occurring and will continue to impact the regions airports through this afternoon. Large hail will be a potential to impact the regions terminals. Where storms move over an airfield, flight conditions will fall to MVFR to IFR in rain. Surface winds will remain generally northeast to northerly. Storms will remain possible through 02-04Z with conditions improving to VFR through the remainder of the forecast into Wednesday. && .SGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...None. MO...None. && SHORT TERM...Hatch LONG TERM...Hatch AVIATION...Hatch
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 28, 2:12 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Springfield MO 212 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-291915- Bourbon-Crawford-Cherokee-Benton-Morgan-Miller-Maries-Vernon- St. Clair-Hickory-Camden-Pulaski-Phelps-Barton-Cedar-Polk-Dallas- Laclede-Texas-Dent-Jasper-Dade-Greene-Webster-Wright-Newton- Lawrence-Christian-Douglas-Howell-Shannon-McDonald-Barry-Stone- Taney-Ozark-Oregon- 212 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Missouri Ozarks and extreme southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Weather hazards expected... Slight tornado risk. Enhanced hail risk. Slight thunderstorm wind damage risk. Elevated lightning risk. Limited excessive rainfall risk DISCUSSION... A Slight (2 of 5) to Enhanced (3 of 5) Risk for severe storms exists for areas along and south of I-44 today. Showers and thunderstorms have a 50 to 70 percent chance of occurring anytime through midnight tonight. The primary hazards will be lightning and large hail up to the size of tennis balls. A conditional, low risk for tornadoes may develop after 3 PM, generally south of Highway 60 and east of Highway 65. Furthermore, a localized flooding threat exists for areas that see multiple rounds of rain today. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. No Hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will be needed today and tonight for the Ozarks. && More detailed information can be accessed at: http://www.weather.gov/sgf/dsspacket This product in graphical format...along with other weather... hydrological and climate information...at http://www.weather.gov/sgf Hatch
In the hours before
Local storm report, Apr 28, 3:17 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Springfield MO
317 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1140 AM Hail 4 SSW Glidewell 37.26N 93.34W
04/28/2026 E2.50 Inch Greene MO Amateur Radio
Spotter reports vehicle and house damaged.
Roof damage and all guttering torn off by
tennis ball size hail.
&&
TEOSpecial weather statement, Apr 28, 3:22 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Springfield MO
322 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026
MOZ090-282045-
Greene MO-
322 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHERN GREENE COUNTY THROUGH
345 PM CDT...
At 322 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Republic, moving east at 45 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Springfield, Republic, Battlefield, Brookline, Glidewell, and
Galloway.
This includes Interstate 44 between mile markers 64 and 80.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 600 PM CDT for
southwestern Missouri.
&&
LAT...LON 3710 9356 3715 9359 3734 9328 3713 9314
TIME...MOT...LOC 2022Z 248DEG 38KT 3714 9351
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
TitusLocal storm report, Apr 28, 3:28 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Springfield MO
328 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0258 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 6 S Norwood 37.03N 92.42W
04/28/2026 Douglas MO 911 Call Center
Douglas County has had a report of a tree on
C hwy north of Skyline school, about 4
miles.
&&
TEOLocal storm report, Apr 28, 3:31 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Springfield MO
331 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Gentryville 36.87N 92.36W
04/28/2026 Douglas MO 911 Call Center
A report of tree down 95 hwy just north of
Gentryville in Douglas county. Road blocked.
&&
TEOLocal storm report, Apr 28, 3:34 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Springfield MO
334 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0333 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Pomona 36.87N 91.91W
04/28/2026 M60 MPH Howell MO Emergency Mngr
&&
TEOLocal storm report, Apr 28, 3:37 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Springfield MO
337 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0335 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 WNW West Plains 36.75N 91.89W
04/28/2026 Howell MO Amateur Radio
6-8 inch tree limbs down in West Plains at
CC and Christopher Drive.
&&
TEOThe 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
8.6 hours before the tornado, 180 km from the path. April 28, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -12084 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1333 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 29 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 180 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 2.4 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z
3.4 hours after it, 180 km from the path. April 29, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 19 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -223 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 648 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 77 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 226 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 379 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.2 K/km
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 152 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:59 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Wnw Vanzant | Douglas, MO | tree down on the E side of CO RD ZZ 137 off E 76 HWY. |
| 20:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Gentryville | Douglas, MO | A report of tree down 95 hwy just north of Gentryville in Douglas county. Road blocked. |
| 20:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw West Plains | Howell, MO | Large tree down. |
| 20:33 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Pomona | Howell, MO | |
| 20:34 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wsw Pomona | Howell, MO | Tree down across the road on Co Rd 4870, Howell county. |
| 20:34 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Pomona | Howell, MO | |
| 20:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wnw West Plains | Howell, MO | 6-8 inch tree limbs down in West Plains at CC and Christopher Drive. |
| 20:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nnw West Plains | Howell, MO | Tree fell on house. Large branches off of trees. |
| 20:37 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 4 Sse Pomona | Howell, MO | |
| 20:37 UTC | TORNADO | 2 S White Church | Howell, MO | A combination of ground surveys, radar data, and Sentinel-2 satellite data concluded an EF0 tornado briefly occurred approximately 2 miles south of White Church. A short 0.6-mile confined path of trees were damaged just |
| 20:38 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 N White Church | Howell, MO | Several trees down 17 highway north of West Plains, Howell co, north of White Church. |
| 20:38 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Wsw White Church | Howell, MO | large trees down. |
| 20:39 UTC | HAIL 1 | 4 Nnw White Church | Howell, MO | quarter size hail 9 miles southwest of Mtn View Mo, Howell county, spotter report. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in MissouriEvery tornado in Missouri since 1950Warnings in force in Missouri nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 28, 2026
15 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 28 | 1:24 AM CDT | EF0 | Hart, KY | 1.0 | 150 | |||
| April 28 | 2:28 AM CDT | EF1 | Davidson, TN | 1.6 | 150 | |||
| April 28 | 3:26 PM CDT | EF1 | Johnston, OK | 7.8 | 100 | |||
| April 28 | 3:37 PM CDT | EF2 | Atoka, OK | 20.8 | 1,500 | |||
| April 28 | 4:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Wise, TX | 1.6 | 250 | |||
| April 28 | 4:54 PM CDT | EF1 | Choctaw, OK | 8.5 | 550 | |||
| April 28 | 5:00 PM CDT | EF3 | Palo Pinto, TX | 4.7 | 800 | 5 | ||
| April 28 | 5:21 PM CDT | EF0 | Clay, AR | 1.9 | 75 | |||
| April 28 | 6:17 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 1.1 | 300 | |||
| April 28 | 6:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 3.5 | 150 | |||
| April 28 | 7:10 PM CDT | EF1 | Johnson, TX | 2.0 | 100 | |||
| April 28 | 7:50 PM CDT | EF2 | Monroe, AR | 5.1 | 200 | |||
| April 28 | 8:37 PM CDT | EF0 | Ashley, AR | 0.8 | 0 | |||
| April 28 | 9:52 PM EDT | EF0 | Hardin, KY | 2.2 | 50 | |||
| April 28 | 10:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Washington, MS | 0.3 | 60 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.
Sources
NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.