National Weather Service “To provide weather and flood Natural Hazard Risk Assessment warnings, public forecasts and Information For: advisories for all of the United GreeneGreene 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 Springfield, Missouri in Greene County Overview of Weather Hazards in Southwest Missouri 2 Normal Normal Normal Normal Record Record Record Record Historical information for Greene County Missouri 3 High Low Precip. Snow High Low Precip. Snow Tornado Information 4 Jan 42 22 2.11” 6.6” 76 -19 9.31” 23.1” Severe Hail, Lightning, Wind and Winter Weather 5 Feb 48 26 2.28” 4.4” 84 -29 5.68” 24.1” Flooding 6 Mar 58 35 3.82” 2.9” 92 -8 9.09” 23.9” Heat , Drought, and Wildfires 7 Apr 68 44 4.31” 0.4” 93 16 12.15” 7.1” Dam Failure 8 Historic Weather in Southwest Missouri 9 May 76 53 4.57” 0 95 29 16.15” 6.1” Local Climatology 10 Jun 85 62 5.02” 0 101 42 12.27” 0 Jul 90 67 3.56” 0 113 44 18.75” 0 Aug 90 66 3.37” 0 106 44 10.81” 0 Sept 81 57 4.83” 0 104 30 17.46” 0 Oct 71 46 3.47 T 93 18 11.94” 3.7” Nov 56 35 4.46” 1.7” 81 4 12.24” 19.5” Dec 46 26 3.17” 4” 77 -16 8.84” 20.5” 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 Greene 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 coun- over much southwest, south central and central ties that WFO Springfield is responsible for, with an average of 11 Missouri from noon on the eighth to noon on the occurring each year. There were 71 fatalities from these tornadoes, ninth. The heaviest snow fell in a band from Cass- or 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. Mar. 12th–1961...A tornado touched down at 745 The Ozarks experiences between 50 and 70 thunderstorm days a am in southern Greene County and moved north- year. During any given storm, large hail, damaging winds and mi- east from near Plainview road towards the KWTO crobursts are possible. The Ozarks go through three severe thunder- towers. The tornado blew down 2 of KWTO's tow- storm seasons during the course of the year. The spring season is the ers, damaged the roof on the Disney school and period that supercell thunderstorms are most common, next comes Weather in the Ozarks damage 3 other homes. This event surpassed the December 17-18, 2002 summer as large clusters of storms move across the region, mainly Apr. 23rd-1967...A severe thunderstorm formed tornado event in both loss of lives and property during the overnight hours. Finally fall sees the return of supercells and tornadoes, squall lines and train- over the northwest portion of the city of Spring- damage, and exceeded tornado events that occurred ing storms ( thunderstorms that form and move over the same area ). field, MO spawning a tornado. The weather service over the past 100 Years for this part of Missouri. The region is affected during the course of any year by flooding, drought, heat and cold extremes and office measured a wind gust of 63 mph as the tor- The hardest hit locations included Battlefield, winter storms. Heat extremes and flooding have caused the greatest number of fatalities in the area. Win- nado moved through the center of the city. Nearly Stockton and Pierce City. 14 tornadoes resulted in ter storms affect the region in many forms. Ice storms, heavy snow and extreme cold have occurred 1000 homes and businesses were destroyed with extensive damage and 24 deaths. Several of the tor- across the area. Freezing rain is the typical form ice storms in the Ozarks take. Ice storms have depos- one fatality and 9 injuries reported. nadoes tracked long distances ranging from 15 to ited 2 to 3 inches of ice during their duration causing power outages, tree damage, and traffic problems. May 4th– 2003...Three tornadic supercell thunder- 80 miles. storms formed over southeast Kansas and moved Jun. 9th-1975...Thunderstorms that developed Tornadoes by county for the Springfield County Warning Area from 1950 to June 2003 across the Missouri Ozarks, spawning 13 torna- over the Springfield area dropped 3.62 inches of does. This was a very rare event for this part of rainfall in one hour. This was the greatest hourly Missouri since many of the tornadoes experienced rainfall rate recorded for Springfield. County F0/1 F2 F3 F4 F5 County F0/1 F2 F3 F4 F5 County F0/1 F2 F3 F4 F5 across this area are short lived small tornadoes. Nov. 11th-1911...A high of 80 and low of 13 were BARRY 20 7 1 0 0 DOUGLAS 8 6 1 0 0 OREGON 9 4 2 1 0 recorded on the same day in Springfield. A cold BARTON 23 1 3 1 0 GREENE 19 10 3 1 0 OZARK 21 2 2 1 0 front, ahead of a very cold airmass, moved through the Ozarks making temperatures fall rapidly. BENTON 18 2 4 0 0 HICKORY 8 1 1 0 0 PHELPS 15 4 2 0 0 Nov. 29th-1991...An F4 tornado that developed 3 BOURBON,KS 10 5 0 0 0 HOWELL 20 11 3 1 0 POLK 16 3 0 0 0 miles north of Nixa tracked southeast for 10 miles CAMDEN 15 6 1 0 0 JASPER 30 5 4 1 0 PULASKI 9 4 1 0 0 to Springfield and lifted over east Springfield. Ex- CEDAR 10 2 3 0 0 LACLEDE 9 6 1 0 0 SHANNON 11 1 1 0 0 tensive damage to homes and businesses was re- CHEROKEE,KS 28 5 2 1 0 LAWRENCE 11 2 3 0 0 ST.CLAIR 13 2 2 0 0 ported. 2 deaths and 64 injuries were directly re- CHRISTIAN 19 2 1 1 0 MARIES 4 3 0 0 0 STONE 10 3 0 0 0 lated to the tornado. Dec. 17-18th-2002...At approximately 1118 pm a CRAWFORD,KS 19 11 3 1 0 McDONALD 11 5 0 0 0 TANEY 6 1 0 0 0 tornado struck near Chesapeake Mo. The F2 tor- DADE 11 2 2 0 0 MILLER 22 3 0 0 0 TEXAS 14 8 1 2 0 nado hit the Lucky Lady trailer park in addition to DALLAS 7 1 1 0 0 MORGAN 11 7 0 0 0 VERNON 20 1 6 0 0 1 home northeast and 3 homes southwest of the DENT 8 1 1 0 0 NEWTON 30 5 1 2 0 WEBTSER 19 7 2 0 0 trailer park. The tornado resulted in 1 fatality and WRIGHT 10 4 0 1 0 15 injuries. Page 9 Page 2 National Weather Service National Weather Service Historical information for Greene County, Missouri Dam Failure Severe Weather in Greene County Dams in Greene County In 2000, a private company looked at 277 cities Greene County contains 15 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 Greene 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 Lake Springfield Dam: James River, Battlefield Valley Water Mills Dam: S. Dry Sac Severe thunderstorms in Greene County have River, Springfield Hardeke Lake Dam: Pomme De Terre dropped hail up to 3” in diameter, created winds in Fellows Lake Dam: Little Sac River, Trib, Fair Grove excess of 100 miles an hour and rainfall rates greater Springfield Hagewood Lake Dam: Pickerel Creek, than 3” in an hour. While southwest Missouri re- McDaniel Lake Dam: Little Sac River, Republic ceives nearly 11 tornadoes a year, Greene County Springfield averages an event every 2 years. Salisbury Lake Dam: S. Fork of Pomme De Terre, Bassville Most of the dams in Greene County are less Number of Tornadoes in Greene Co.