Severe storms moved across the St. Louis metro during the predawn hours. Three tornadoes were confirmed in the region with one of those tornadoes causing significant damage.
Storms broke out Monday evening across central Kansas and merged into a linear formation as they entered western Missouri. These storms were part of a large severe outbreak that caused large tornadoes in parts of the Plains.
This line of severe thunderstorms moved eastward across the state overnight, leaving a large swath of wind damage in its wake. As the line entered the outskirts of the St. Louis metro, some of the storms intensified, producing mesovortices, or areas of rotation.
This prompted the National Weather Service in St. Louis to issue tornado warnings just before 4 a.m. Counties that were warned included: Crawford, Franklin and Washington, Mo.
About 30 minutes later, the storms tracked east, entering metro St. Louis where another area of rotation was detected by the radar, this time in rural St. Charles County, Mo. A Tornado Warning was issued for central St. Charles County and north-central St. Louis County.
National Weather Service survey teams found three locations Tuesday morning where damage was consistent with tornadoes.
Rated EF0, a tornado touched down near the town of Bourbon, Mo. in Crawford County. Winds were estimated to be 80 mph.
It traveled the length of 0.7 miles and was estimated to be on the ground for one minute. No injuries were reported and only tree damage was noted.
Rotation and a “debris ball” were both noted on the radar. Finding tree damage in this matter combined with the observations on the radar helped meteorologists confirm this was tornado damage.
About seven miles up the road from Bourbon, Mo., another area of rotation was detected. Evidence from damage suggested a stronger tornado.
The twister was estimated to have winds of 100 mph, tracking northeast from Sullivan High School, damaging the “One more Pub and Grub” restaurant and several trees. It was on the ground for one minute and traveled 0.3 miles.
No injuries were reported.
An area that knows all too well what can happen when a tornado touches down found themselves under a warning just before 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Although nothing like the EF3 tornado that touched down on Dec. 10, 2021, this one was much weaker.
This was a quick-moving twister that touched down northwest of Defiance, Mo, and traveled 2.3 miles east-northeast. It was rated an EF0 with winds estimated of 76 mph.
It stayed on the ground for one minute and only produced tree damage.
Another round of severe weather is expected for the entire region Wednesday afternoon and evening.