High Wind — Mississippi, Missouri

2008-09-14 · Mississippi, Missouri

Wider weather episode

Frequent wind gusts from 60 to 75 mph caused widespread damage in parts of southeast Missouri. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois. The center passed between Carbondale and St. Louis on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid speed of the low pressure system contributed to this high wind event.

Extensive tree damage occurred. A very large number of trees were uprooted, and large limbs were broken. Some trees fell on homes, businesses, and public buildings. Downed trees and limbs landed on many vehicles. Numerous streets and highways were blocked. More than half the streets in some cities were blocked by downed trees and power lines. The Butler County highway superintendant estimated 60 trees were down across roads. In Mississippi County, Charleston city public works crews hauled 321 truckloads of tree debris to a compost site within 10 days after the storm. Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to nearly 80 calls, up from the usual 8 to 10 per day. Roof and siding damage was reported on numerous structures. Two walls of a public civic center under construction were brought down in Dexter. Sections of roof were blown off a number of buildings, including a hotel in Piedmont (in Wayne Co.) and an apartment building and utility building in New Madrid. Some windows were broken out of homes and businesses, especially in New Madrid and Mississippi Counties. A dugout was destroyed in East Prairie. A small shed was blown over near Friedheim in Cape Girardeau County, and two roofs were blown off metal trailers at Fruitland. The communications tower for the Dexter Police Department was blown down. A church building in Matthews (New Madrid Co.) lost its steeple. One man was injured near Broseley in Butler County when a huge oak tree crashed into his bedroom while he was sleeping. The man was hit in the head by a 2-by-4 and inhaled some insulation. He was treated and released by a local hospital. His house sustained cracks in the walls and foundation, among other major structural damage. Near Poplar Bluff, a man and woman were extricated from their mobile home after a tree crashed into it. Both were pinned in their bed for about 30 minutes. Damage to utility poles and lines was comparable to the February ice storm disaster. A spokesman for a utility company serving the Ozark foothills (including Poplar Bluff) initially estimated 75 percent of its customers lost power. Power was restored to most places within a few days. Some of the hardest hit areas were in Mississippi County, including Charleston and East Prairie. Because pumps were disabled by the power outage, East Prairie water supplies ran very low. Two water towers became empty, and the third was down to a foot of water. Schools were cancelled for two to three days due to power outages in some cities, such as Charleston. Large signs were blown down across the region, including at least one on Interstate 55. A wind gust to 75 mph was measured at Doniphan in Ripley County by the emergency management director. The 75 mph gust occurred shortly after a wind shift to the north. Prior to the wind shift, gusts to 58 mph occurred from the south. The peak wind gust measured at the Poplar Bluff airport was 66 mph. A wind gust to 60 mph was measured at the Sikeston Power Plant. The peak gust measured at the Cape Girardeau airport was 56 mph before a power failure occurred. A tow boat captain on the Mississippi River reportedly measured a gust to 87 mph, but the details of the time and location could not be confirmed. Some crops were damaged. Lots of pecans and walnuts were blown off trees. Corn and cotton crops were flattened in some places. Preliminary estimates of lost corn yield ranged from 20 to 30 bushels per acre. A few minor fires were sparked by damaged electrical lines.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 125690. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.