Lightning Strike
File photo courtesy of Envato Elements

Severe Thunderstorms Sweep Across the Ozarks Late Sunday Night into Early Monday Morning

3:15 A.M. UPDATE: We’ve getting our first reports of quarter size hail with the storm moving through the Dallas and Laclede County areas, with large hail in the Morgan area of Laclede County, and two miles southeast of Foose in Dallas County. Penny size hail was reported at 2:41 a.m. near Galloway, with another penny size hail report northwest of Fremont Hills at 2:49 a.m. Storms located east of Springfield have started to weaken.

3:10 A.M. UPDATE: The Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northeastern Webster and Laclede Counties will be allowed to expire at 3:15 a.m. The National Weather Service says the storms have weakened below severe limits. Small hail and gusty winds are still possible with these storms. Also, Barton, Cedar, Dade, Hickory and Jasper Counties have been dropped from the Severe Thunderstorm Watch. The remainder of the Ozarks is under the watch until 4:00 a.m. In addition, a Flood Advisory has been issued for Greene, Dade, Dallas, Jasper, Lawrence and Polk Counties until 9:15 a.m. Monday. Between one and three inches of rain has fallen in these areas, and minor flooding is ongoing.

3:00 A.M. UPDATE: The Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northeastern Greene and southern Dallas Counties has been cancelled. The storms that prompted the warning have been moved out of the area. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning remains in effect for northeastern Webster and Laclede Counties until 3:15 a.m.

2:52 A.M. UPDATE: The Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Christian, Stone and Taney Counties will be allowed to expire at 3:00 a.m. The National Weather Service says the storms that prompted the warning have weakened below severe limits.

2:40 A.M. UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northeastern Greene, northern Webster, southern Dallas, and Laclede Counties until 3:15 a.m. Severe storms are located along a line from near Buffalo to Strafford, moving northeast at 35 miles per hour. 60 mile per hour winds and quarter size hail are possible as these storms track through northeast Springfield, Lebanon, Marshfield, Strafford, Conway, Niangua, and Elkland.

2:30 A.M. UPDATE: The National Weather Service office in northwest Springfield took a director lightning hit around 2:25 a.m. The weather service’s radar is currently inoperable.

2:20 A.M. UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Christian, Stone and Taney Counties until 3:00 a.m. Monday. Severe storms are located along a line extending from northwest of Marionville to Aurora to near Cassville, moving east at 60 miles per hour. 60 mile per hour winds and nickel size hail are possible in the Nixa, Ozark, Branson, Forsyth, Hollister, Kimberling City, Clever, Sparta, Shell Knob and Billings areas. We’ve had reports of several streets in Willard covered with nickel size hail, with lots of .25 to .50 inch hail coming down at the NWS office in northwest Springfield.

2:01 A.M. UPDATE: Penny size hail reported two miles east of Sacville in Greene County and dime size hail near Willard.

1:51 A.M. UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Barry and southern Lawrence Counties. Severe storms are located along a line extending from near Sarcoxie to near Fairview to southwest of Wheaton, moving east at 55 miles per hour. 60 mile per hour winds and quarter size hail possible in the Monett, Mt. Vernon, Aurora, Cassville, Pierce City, Marionville, Shell Knob, Purdy, Exeter, and Verona areas. We’ve also had reports of half dollar size hail at Zora and Highway 249 east of Oakland Park in Jasper County. Flooding continues to be a problem, with a Jasper County deputy reporting 2-4 inches of flooding at 7th and Schifferdecker.

1:45 A.M. UPDATE: The Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northern Lawrence, eastern Jasper and southern Dade Counties has been allowed to expire. The storms that prompted the warning have weakened below severe limits. The National Weather Service says strong thunderstorms will impact parts of central Lawrence, Greene, southeastern Jasper and southeastern Dade Counties through 2:45 a.m. Wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour and penny size hail are possible with storms moving into Mt. Vernon, Ash Grove, Willard, northern Springfield, Walnut Grove, Strafford and Fair Grove.

1:40 A.M. UPDATE: 50 mile per hour wind gusts have been reported in Tiff City, ten miles west of Anderson in McDonald County. 45 to 50 mile per hour winds have also been reported in Pineville.

1:30 A.M. UPDATE: The Carl Junction Fire Department is reporting about 2-3 inches of water over the roadway at the intersections of Main and Eaglewood and Belle Center and Black Cat.

1:20 A.M. UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Newton and McDonald Counties until 2:00 a.m. 60 mile per hour winds and quarter size hail are possible in southern Joplin, Noel, Pineville, Wheaton, Neosho, Seneca, Anderson, Goodman and Diamond areas. Also, the Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northwestern Laclede, northern Dallas and southern Camden Counties that had been in effect until 1:45 a.m. has been cancelled by the weather service because the storm has weakened below severe limits.

1:15 A.M. UPDATE: Law enforcement is reporting street flooding in Joplin, with 2-4 inches of rain having fallen in a short amount of time. Locations that will experience flash flooding include Joplin, Carthage, Webb City, Carl Junction and Oronogo. Nickel size hail has been reported at Stone’s Corner in Jasper County and at 49 and Center. Also reports of nickel size hail two miles north of Airport Drive.

12:42 A.M. UPDATE: Nickel size hail reported in the Joplin area at 12:35 a.m.

12:10 A.M. UPDATE: A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for Jasper County until 6:30 a.m. Monday. Between one and 2.5 inches of rain has already fallen, and flash flooding is ongoing in the Joplin, Carthage, Webb City and Carl Junction areas.

12:05 A.M. UPDATE: Several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are in effect for southwest Missouri, including one for southeastern Barton, northeastern Jasper and Dade Counties until 1:15 a.m., for southeastern Cedar and northeastern Dade Counties until 1:00 a.m., and for Hickory, northern Dallas, northern Polk and southwestern Camden Counties until 1:00 a.m. 60 mile per hour winds and quarter size hail are the biggest threats with these storms.

A long line of storms capable of producing damaging wind gusts and large hail up to the size of golf balls are pushing across southwest Missouri early Monday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for most of southwest Missouri until 4:00 a.m. Monday. That watch now includes our far eastern counties.

93-3 and AM 560 KWTO will have the latest watches, warnings and damage reports from storms as they sweep across the area.