Severe Storms - March 8th, 2009

A broken line of severe thunderstorms made its way across southeast Kansas and much of Missouri early on the morning of Sunday, March 8.  A stationary front extended from south central Kansas through northern Missouri for much of the overnight hours with scattered thunderstorms along the front for an extended amount of time.  By 4 AM, an area of low pressure began to rapidly strengthen and move northeast along the front.  At the same time, a vigorous band of upper level jet stream winds interacted with this low pressure, causing the thunderstorms to intensify across the region.

As the low pressure continued off to the northeast, it began to pull the frontal boundary through the Ozarks region.  A broken line of thunderstorms developed along the entire front around sunrise, and rapidly moved east.  Stronger storms embedded within the line exhibited signs of rotation, and produced scattered wind damage through much of the Ozarks, as well as isolated reports of large hail.  Much of the wind damage was reported as downed limbs and trees, although some locations did report structural damage, particularly to outbuildings and roofs.  National Weather Service teams are surveying the damage reports, and updated information will be provided as it becomes available.   The line of storms moved quickly to the east, continuing to produce severe weather across eastern Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana through the day on Sunday. 

Close up view of the areas of concentrated damage in Bourbon county Kansas.

The image below is of the doppler radar indicated areas of rotation within the storms as they moved across the area Sunday morning.  Notice that many of the severe weather reports occur near or within the areas of strongest rotation (red and yellow areas).  Rotation within a storm does not always mean that a tornado is present.  However, thunderstorm rotation increases the strength of the storm, and is often a precursor to severe weather occurrence.  
NOTE:  The red and white areas near the radar locations at Springfield, Kansas City, and St. Louis are a result of algorithm errors in close proximity to the radar location. 

.TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0625 AM     TSTM WND DMG     1 NW HAMMOND            37.95N 94.71W
03/08/2009                   BOURBON            KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ONE HOME AND NUMEROUS TREES DAMAGED. POSSIBLE TORNADO
            TOUCH DOWN.

0640 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 SE DEVON              37.88N 94.77W
03/08/2009                   BOURBON            KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NEAR HIGHWAY 69 AND 235TH STREET HOME DAMAGED. POSSIBLE
            INJURIES.

0640 AM     HAIL             DEVON                   37.92N 94.82W
03/08/2009  E0.70 INCH       BOURBON            KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

0644 AM     TSTM WND DMG     REDFIELD                37.84N 94.88W
03/08/2009                   BOURBON            KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NEAR 1370 JAYHAWK RD. TRAILER HAME AND METAL OUT BUILDING
            DAMAGED.

0644 AM     TSTM WND DMG     5 N FORT SCOTT          37.91N 94.71W
03/08/2009                   BOURBON            KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN AND VACANT HOME DAMAGED ALONG A PATH FROM 150
            AND JAYHAWK ROAD TO 120 AND INDIAN ROAD.

0645 AM     HAIL             SCHELL CITY             38.02N 94.12W
03/08/2009  E0.88 INCH       VERNON             MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

0645 AM     HAIL             2 S HORTON              37.95N 94.36W
03/08/2009  E0.88 INCH       VERNON             MO   CO-OP OBSERVER

0702 AM     HAIL             1 N WALKER              37.91N 94.23W
03/08/2009  E1.00 INCH       VERNON             MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0703 AM     HAIL             3 W HARWOOD             37.96N 94.21W
03/08/2009  E0.70 INCH       VERNON             MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0722 AM     HAIL             1 W EL DORADO SPRINGS   37.88N 94.04W
03/08/2009  E1.00 INCH       CEDAR              MO   PUBLIC

0722 AM     TSTM WND GST     1 W EL DORADO SPRINGS   37.88N 94.04W
03/08/2009  E40.00 MPH       CEDAR              MO   PUBLIC

0728 AM     TSTM WND GST     4 N GRANBY              36.98N 94.25W
03/08/2009  E60.00 MPH       NEWTON             MO   CO-OP OBSERVER

0729 AM     TSTM WND GST     EL DORADO SPRINGS       37.88N 94.02W
03/08/2009  E60.00 MPH       CEDAR              MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

0729 AM     HAIL             EL DORADO SPRINGS       37.88N 94.02W
03/08/2009  E0.70 INCH       CEDAR              MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

0730 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 WNW LOWRY CITY        38.16N 93.79W
03/08/2009                   ST. CLAIR          MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES BLOWN DOWN ON HIGHWAY A 4 MILES WEST OF HIGHWAY 13.


0802 AM     TSTM WND GST     COLE CAMP               38.46N 93.20W
03/08/2009  E50.00 MPH       BENTON             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

0805 AM     TSTM WND GST     PURDY                   36.82N 93.92W
03/08/2009  E60.00 MPH       BARRY              MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

0816 AM     TSTM WND GST     1 N WILLARD             37.32N 93.43W
03/08/2009  E64.00 MPH       GREENE             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

0817 AM     TSTM WND GST     2 N CROSS TIMBERS       38.05N 93.23W
03/08/2009  M68.00 MPH       HICKORY            MO   NWS STORM SURVEY

            NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND TOPS OFF SOME TREES. OFFICIAL NWS
            STORM SURVEY INDICATED DAMAGE WAS A RESULT OF SEVERE
            STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

0820 AM     TSTM WND GST     6 NNE WILLARD           37.39N 93.39W
03/08/2009  E65.00 MPH       GREENE             MO   NWS EMPLOYEE

            SEVERAL TREE LIMBS DOWN. SIDING AND ROOF DEBRIS BLOWN
            INTO YARD FROM NEIGHBORS OUTBUILDING. WINDS ESTIMATED 60
            TO 65 MPH.

0821 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SE OLIVE              37.44N 93.08W
03/08/2009                   DALLAS             MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TRAMPOLINE WRAPPED AROUND POWERLINE.

0827 AM     TSTM WND DMG     5 E CHARITY             37.52N 92.92W
03/08/2009                   DALLAS             MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            BARN BLOWN DOWN.

0830 AM     TSTM WND DMG     FAIR GROVE              37.38N 93.15W
03/08/2009                   GREENE             MO   NWS STORM SURVEY

            THE UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROOF WAS PEALED OFF. OFFICIAL
            NWS STORM SURVEY REVEALED THAT THIS DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT
            OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ESTIMATED AT 85 MPH.

0835 AM     TSTM WND GST     4 NW GRAVOIS MILLS      38.35N 92.88W
03/08/2009  E65.00 MPH       MORGAN             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

0845 AM     TSTM WND GST     3 WNW BRANCH            37.93N 93.05W
03/08/2009  E50.00 MPH       CAMDEN             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

0845 AM     TSTM WND DMG     CLIMAX SPRINGS          38.10N 93.05W
03/08/2009                   CAMDEN             MO   NWS STORM SURVEY

            ROOF TORN OFF OF BOAT STORAGE COMPANY WITH HIGH WINDS
            REPORTED. OFFICIAL NWS STORM SURVEY INDICATED DAMAGE WAS
            DUE TO STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ESTIMATED AT 70 MPH.

0850 AM     TSTM WND GST     CONWAY                  37.50N 92.82W
03/08/2009  E55.00 MPH       LACLEDE            MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

0850 AM     TSTM WND DMG     3 N ROCKY MOUNT         38.32N 92.72W
03/08/2009                   MORGAN             MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            BARN BLOWN OVER ONTO HIGHWAY W.

0850 AM     HAIL             CONWAY                  37.50N 92.82W
03/08/2009  E1.00 INCH       LACLEDE            MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

0858 AM     TSTM WND DMG     1 N VERSAILLES          38.45N 92.84W
03/08/2009                   MORGAN             MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SEVERAL MINI BARNS BLOWN ONTO HIGHWAY W NORTH OF TOWN.

0858 AM     TSTM WND DMG     CONWAY                  37.50N 92.82W
03/08/2009                   LACLEDE            MO   NWS STORM SURVEY

            BUILDING AND TREE DAMAGE REPORTED IN TOWN. OFFICIAL NWS
            STORM SURVEY INDICATED THAT THIS DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF
            STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ESTIMATED AT UP TO 70 MPH.

0911 AM     HAIL             DRY KNOB                37.64N 92.45W
03/08/2009  E0.75 INCH       LACLEDE            MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

0920 AM     TSTM WND DMG     1 E GOODHOPE            36.91N 92.79W
03/08/2009                   DOUGLAS            MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            BARN DAMAGE.

0924 AM     TSTM WND DMG     3 NW COMPETITION        37.51N 92.47W
03/08/2009                   LACLEDE            MO   AMATEUR RADIO

            HOME DAMAGED AT HIGHWAY O AND ROAD 181.

0938 AM     TSTM WND DMG     EDGAR SPRINGS           37.70N 91.87W
03/08/2009                   PHELPS             MO   PUBLIC

            SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO GARAGE...TREES...AND FENCES.
            NUMEROUS ROOFS DAMAGED WITH WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF
            BUILDINGS.

0947 AM     TSTM WND DMG     VANZANT                 36.97N 92.30W
03/08/2009                   DOUGLAS            MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREES DOWN.

1253 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST VICHY                   38.11N 91.76W
03/08/2009  M55.00 MPH       MARIES             MO   ASOS