A new line of severe thunderstorms swept into west-central and central Missouri early today, prompting two active Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and shifting the threat away from the five southwestern counties warned a day earlier.
The National Weather Service office in Pleasant Hill issued a warning for eastern Henry County and southern Pettis County, in effect until 7:30 a.m. CDT. Radar indicated a severe thunderstorm near Lincoln, about 7 miles north of Warsaw, moving east at 55 mph and capable of producing wind gusts up to 70 mph. A second warning, issued by the National Weather Service office in Springfield, covers Benton County, also until 7:30 a.m. CDT. That storm was tracking as a line extending from near Windsor to 9 miles south of Calhoun to 7 miles east of Deepwater, moving east at 35 mph with the same 70 mph gust potential.
The activity marks a geographic shift from Wednesday’s warning, when the Springfield office flagged five counties farther southwest — Dallas, Cedar, Polk, Greene and Dade. Today’s cells have moved north and east into the Henry-Pettis-Benton corridor, and with storm motion continuing eastward at 35 to 55 mph, additional counties downstream in central Missouri should watch for warnings to follow as the line advances.
Both warnings carry the same core hazard: 70 mph wind gusts, strong enough to snap tree limbs, down power lines and damage outbuildings. The National Weather Service has instructed residents in the warned areas to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building for protection until the warnings expire.
Missouri remains the only state with active severe thunderstorm alerts in the country as of this morning, with two warnings in effect. Both are set to expire at 7:30 a.m. CDT, though forecasters caution that new warnings often follow as fast-moving storm lines like this one continue tracking east through the morning commute.
Residents in and around the warned counties, including those checking Kansas City weather and St. Louis weather for the latest local conditions, should keep a way to receive warnings handy as the line pushes through the state. The threat is expected to diminish through midday as the storms move east of Missouri, but locally damaging winds remain possible wherever the line is still active.