National Weather Service “To provide weather and flood Natural Hazard Risk Assessment warnings, public forecasts and Information For: advisories for all of the United PulaskiPulaski CountyCounty MissouriMissouri States...and it territories...for the protection of life and property. Information Provided By WFO Springfield, Mo National Weather Service 2009 Update Includes data and information through December 2008 5808 W Hwy EE Springfield, Mo. 65802 Phone: 417-864-8535 Email: [email protected] [email protected] National Weather Service Table of Contents Local Climatology Averages and records for Waynesville, Missouri in Pulaski County Overview of Weather Hazards in Southwest Missouri 2 Normal Normal Normal Normal Record Record Record Record Historical information for Pulaski County Missouri 3 High Low Precip. Snow High Low Precip. Snow Tornado Information 4 Jan 44 19 2.26 7.9 79 -23 5.36 42.5 Severe Hail, Lightning, Wind and Winter Weather 5 Feb 50 24 2.40 4.5 85 -23 7.63 21.5 Flooding 6 Mar 61 32 3.94 2.4 87 -14 8.54 32.0 Heat , Drought and Wildfires 7 Apr 71 41 4.09 0.4 99 -13 11.78 6.0 Dam Failure 8 Historic Weather in Southwest Missouri 9 May 77 51 4.71 0 94 25 11.12 0 Local Climatology 10 Jun 84 60 4.19 0 104 35 14.78 0 Jul 89 65 3.74 0 115 42 12.41 0 Aug 88 63 3.54 0 107 36 9.07 0 Sept 81 55 4.06 0 104 24 12.72 0 Oct 72 43 3.87 0 97 11 10.74 0 Nov 58 33 4.36 1.7 85 -3 10.35 21.0 Dec 48 23 3.33 2.4 79 -25 10.58 19.8 Links for Climate information www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/ www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ www4.ncdc.noaa.gov This document is intended to provide general information on severe weather that has affected Pulaski County and the communities with in the county. web.missouri.edu/~moclimat/ mrcc.sws.uiuc.edu/ By Gene Hatch Meteorologist Intern WFO Springfield. Mo. agebb.missouri.edu/weather/index.htm Page 1 Page 11 National Weather Service National Weather Service Overview of Weather Hazards in Southwest Historic Weather in Southwest Missouri Missouri & Extreme Southeast Kansas Jan. 8th-1997...Six inches or more of snow fell From 1961 to 2008, 522 tornadoes were reported in the 37 counties over much southwest, south central and central that WFO Springfield is responsible for, with an average of 11 oc- Missouri from noon on the eighth to noon on the curring each year. There were 71 fatalities from these tornadoes, or ninth. The heaviest snow fell in a band from Cass- near one and a half each year. Tornadoes occurred during every ville to Springfield north to Hermitage where up to month of the year and at every hour of the day. The majority of ten inches was recorded. Damage estimates at these tornadoes are weak, but the occurrence of strong and violent 670K dollars were due to the cost of snow removal. storms is always a possibility and cannot be discounted. Apr. 23rd-1967...A severe thunderstorm formed The Ozarks experiences between 50 and 70 thunderstorm days a over the northwest portion of the city of Spring- year. During any given storm, large hail, damaging winds and mi- field, MO spawning a tornado. The weather service crobursts are possible. The Ozarks go through three severe thunder- office measured a wind gust of 63 mph as the tor- storm seasons during nado moved through the center of the city. Nearly the course of the year. The spring season is the period that supercell Weather in the Ozarks 1000 homes and businesses were destroyed with extensive damage and 24 deaths. Several of the tor- thunderstorms are most common, next comes summer as large clus- one fatality and 9 injuries reported. nadoes tracked long distances ranging from 15 to ters of storms move across the region, mainly during the overnight hours. Finally fall sees the return of May 4th– 2003...Three tornadic supercell thunder- 80 miles. supercells and tornadoes, squall lines and training storms ( thunderstorms that form and move over the storms formed over southeast Kansas and moved Jun. 10th-1958...Severe thunderstorms that devel- same area ). across the Missouri Ozarks, spawning 13 torna- oped during the early evening hours dropped The region is affected during the course of any year by flooding, drought, heat and cold extremes and does. This was a very rare event for this part of grapefruit size hail over much of Pulaski county winter storms. Heat extremes and flooding have caused the greatest number of fatalities in the area. Win- Missouri since many of the tornadoes experienced MO. ter storms affect the region in many forms. Ice storms, heavy snow and extreme cold have occurred across this area are short lived small tornadoes. Jun. 21st-1977...Afternoon thunderstorms pum- across the area. Freezing rain is the typical form ice storms in the Ozarks take. Ice storms have depos- This event surpassed the December 17-18, 2002 meled portions of Pulaski county as they moved ited 2 to 3 inches of ice during their duration causing power outages, tree damage, and traffic problems. tornado event in both loss of lives and property through the area. Hail to the size of softballs were damage, and exceeded tornado events that occurred reported during the height of the storm. Tornadoes by county for the Springfield County Warning Area from 1950 to 2008 over the past 100 Years for this part of Missouri. Nov. 18th-1999...From the 18th through the 21st, The hardest hit locations included Battlefield, fires burned 1500 acres in the western sections of Stockton and Pierce City. 14 tornadoes resulted in the Mark Twain National Forest. Eleven suspected County F0/1 F2 F3 F4 F5 County F0/1 F2 F3 F4 F5 County F0/1 F2 F3 F4 F5 arson fires also burned 1100 acres near Salem in BARRY 20 7 1 0 0 DOUGLAS 8 6 1 0 0 OREGON 9 4 2 1 0 Dent County. Other large fires of over 1000 acres BARTON 23 1 3 1 0 GREENE 19 10 3 1 0 OZARK 21 2 2 1 0 occurred near Roby in northern Texas County and BENTON 18 2 4 0 0 HICKORY 8 1 1 0 0 PHELPS 15 4 2 0 0 near Fort Leonard Wood in southern Pulaski BOURBON,KS 10 5 0 0 0 HOWELL 20 11 3 1 0 POLK 16 3 0 0 0 County. Numerous other smaller fires started over the area on the 18th and continued for two to three CAMDEN 15 6 1 0 0 JASPER 30 5 4 1 0 PULASKI 9 4 1 0 0 days until they were considered under control. The CEDAR 10 2 3 0 0 LACLEDE 9 6 1 0 0 SHANNON 11 1 1 0 0 intensity and magnitude of these fires were unusual CHEROKEE,KS 28 5 2 1 0 LAWRENCE 11 2 3 0 0 ST.CLAIR 13 2 2 0 0 for the area. Although most of the fires were con- CHRISTIAN 19 2 1 1 0 MARIES 4 3 0 0 0 STONE 10 3 0 0 0 fined to grassland and near surface material, the CRAWFORD,KS 19 11 3 1 0 McDONALD 11 5 0 0 0 TANEY 6 1 0 0 0 high winds and dry conditions caused by several DADE 11 2 2 0 0 MILLER 22 3 0 0 0 TEXAS 14 8 1 2 0 months of below normal rainfall caused some lar- 7 1 1 0 0 11 7 0 0 0 20 1 6 0 0 ger scale fires with the burning of larger trees. DALLAS MORGAN VERNON DENT 8 1 1 0 0 NEWTON 30 5 1 2 0 WEBTSER 19 7 2 0 0 WRIGHT 10 4 0 1 0 Page 9 Page 2 National Weather Service National Weather Service Historical information for Pulaski County, Missouri Dam Failure Severe Weather in Pulaski County Dams in Pulaski County In 2000, a private company looked at 277 cities Pulaski County contains 12 dams. While the major- across the United States. They rated each city on ity of theses dams are small and used primarily for variations in temperature, precipitation and other storm water management, irrigation and recreation, some are a part of local reservoirs. All of the dams factors. Of all the cities in their study Springfield, in Pulaski County are of earthen construction and Missouri rated number one as the city with the most there have been no recorded failures. variable weather in the U.S. Where are they Located Alexander Farms Dam: Tavern Creek, Iberia Cardin Lake Dam: Gasconade River, Severe thunder storms in Pulaski County have Jerome dropped hail up to 4 1/2” in diameter, created Penn’s Pond Dam: Roubidoux Creek, winds in excess of 90 miles an hour and rainfall Waynesville rates greater than 2” in an hour. While southwest Schultz Lake Dam: Gasconade River, All of the dams in Pulaski County are less than Missouri receives nearly 11 tornadoes a year, Pulaski Waynesville 100 feet high. Many are located on private County averages an event every 4 years. Bloodland Quad. #1 Dam: Trib. Smith land and fall under private ownership. Branch, Waynesville Number of Tornadoes in Pulaski Co. Bloodland Quad. #2 Dam: Trib. Smith From www.weatherpages.com (1950 to 2008) Pulaski County Missouri is located on the Ozark Branch, Waynesville Plateau along the eastern edge of tornado ally.