Thunderstorm Wind in Callaway County, Missouri

Strong straight-line winds accompanied a brief tornado that approached Fulton from the southwest. These downed and damaged numerous trees between CR-325 and northwest Fulton. Winds ripped off the front part of a trailer near Carrington. In Fulton, the stoplights at Bluff and Industrial Ave were damaged, as was the Sonic restaurant sign on North Bluff Street. Numerous street lights sustained damage throughout town, and 2 utility poles were downed. The old KFAL radio tower was knocked down. Finally, large and healthy trees were uprooted on the Warson Woods University campus. Here, metal bleachers were blown over and debris was found in trees.

The environment during the afternoon of April 17th was primed for the development of severe thunderstorms. Semi-discrete convection blossomed ahead of a cold front during the early afternoon, causing wind damage and large hail in portions of central and east-central Missouri. Later in the afternoon, thunderstorms more closely tied to the cold front produced 4 tornadoes in Missouri.