EF2 tornado in Adair County, Missouri

An EF2 tornado touched down at 17:09 CST, 2 miles north-northwest of Kirksville. This tornado traveled east over northern portions of Kirksville, before lifting at 17:20 CST, 2 miles west-southwest of the town of Clay. This tornado killed two people and damaged numerous homes in northern Kirksville. Ten homes were destroyed and fifteen others suffered major damage. Up to 186 other buildings and homes had minor to moderate damage. Two dealerships suffered major damage. Several farmsteads suffered damage east of Kirksville.

During the evening of May 13, 2009, a series of powerful supercell storms developed ahead of a cold front, pushing southward out of Iowa and Nebraska. These supercell storms produced a wide array of severe weather, with large hail up to the size of golf balls and winds up to 60 mph reported. These storms marched across eastern Kansas and northern Missouri during the evening hours, with a strong supercell storm producing tornadic activity in parts of northeast Missouri. Damage surveys conducted

by the National Weather Service, in conjunction with emergency management, have

found evidence of three tornadoes in Sullivan and Adair counties. All tornadoes

appeared to have been produced by the same supercell thunderstorm. There were

three fatalities. Moderate to severe damage was reported, in the Kirksville area.