Figure 1: EF1 Tornado Track and Damage in Bismarck, Missouri
Figure 2: EF0 Tornado Track West of Gillespie, Illinois
Figure 3: Downburst Wind Damage in Gillespie, Illinois
Figure 4: Knox County, Missouri EF0 Tornado Track Map
Figure 5: Tornado Damage 3 Miles North of Edina (Knox County, Missouri)
Figure 6: Tornado Damage 3 Miles North of Edian (Knox County, Missouri)
Figure 7: Tornado Damage 3 Miles Northwest of Knox City (Knox County, Missouri)

NWS
St. Louis, Missouri

Tornado and Wind Damage
May 13-14th 2009

Overview:

A slow moving line of severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds and tornadoes to Missouri and Illinois.  Damage survey teams are in the field and updated information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

Click here to see the storm reports for this event (.pdf file).

Bismarck (St. Francois County, Missouri)

Most of the damage in Bismarck, Missouri was caused by one small tornado.  The survey of damage indicated a brief tornado touched down near Highway BB and Cherry Street, then moved eastward to the northeast edge of town along School Drive.   Most of the damage was to trees, with minor roof dmage also common.  More substantial damage was done to a preschool building along Campus Drive, with the gabled roof torn completely from the well constructed masonry building and thrown into the adjacent parking lot. Damage patterns showed reliable indications of rotation.  The path length was approximately 1 mile long and 200 yards wide.  The severity of roof damage to the preschool building warrents an intensity ranking of EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Storm Damage
Gillespie (Macoupin County, Illinois)

The damage west of and in the city limits of Gillespie, Illinois was caused by downburst winds and one small tornado.  The survey of the damage indicated an intermittent tornado track from 1.5 miles west of Gillespie to the west side of Gillespie at the High School.  Several homes and outbuidings were damaged along with a power pole.  The tornado was 20 to 30 yards wide and traveled adjacent to Illinois Route 16 toward Gillespie.  A building on the high school campus lost its roof and the damage was rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.  Directly south of the tornado track downburst winds caused widespread damage, that continued through the center of Gillespie. Numerous buildings had damage and many trees were blown over or snapped off.  Wind speed was estimated to have been between 60 and 80 mph within the downburst swath.

Storm Damage

Storm Damage
Knox County, Missouri

Two tornado tracks were found across Knox County, Missouri, along with scattered straight line wind damage across Lewis County.  These tornadoes were produced by the same supercell thunderstorm which produced the EF2 tornado in Kirksville, Missouri. The first tornado touched down 1.5 miles northeast of Kenwood and lifted 5 miles northeast of Edina.  The total length was 9.5 miles and the maximum width was 1/8th of a mile.  Damage was recorded in multiple locations along the track with trees sheared, twisted and snapped.  Several outbuildings were damaged with displaced roofs, impacted sides, and associated sheet metal strewn distances upwards of a half mile.  Seven power poles snapped along a stretch of Highway 15, 2.4 miles north of Edina.  The damage was rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.  The second tornado touched down 4.5 miles northwest of Knox City and lifted 2.5 miles north of Knox City.  The total length was 3.8 miles and the maximum width of the tornado was100 yards.  Two outbuildings were heavily damaged , one with a displaced roof and the ofther impacted to its side.  Multiple trees were topped, twisted, torn and snapped along the tornadoes path.  This damage was also clasified as EF0.

Storm Damage

Storm Damage

Storm Damage

Storm Damage

 


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