EF1 tornado in McDonald County, Missouri

A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado that tracked a total of 12 miles from five miles southwest of Rocky Comfort in McDonald County to five miles northeast of Wheaton in Barton County, Missouri. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 22 minutes along its total track with maximum wind speeds estimated at 110 mph. The tornado tracked for six miles across northeastern McDonald County before continuing into western Barry County. As the tornado tracked across McDonald County a Missouri Highway Patrolman and Sheriff Department Deputy observed the tornado touch down along Carnell Road southwest of Rocky Comfort and intermittently cause light damage to trees before causing minor damage to the roof of an outbuilding along Chitwood Road. This tornado track continued into Barry County.

Very moist and unstable conditions developed over the Missouri Ozarks ahead of an intense low pressure system over the southern Plains. Widespread severe storms developed over Oklahoma and eastern Kansas during the early morning hours and tracked eastward into the Springfield county warning area during the afternoon and evening. Very heavy rainfall, hail to tennis ball size, damaging winds in excess of 70 mph and 27 tornadoes occurred with this system as storms tracked repeatedly over the region. Four injuries were reported as a result of severe storms. One injury was near Mountain Grove and three were in southeastern Greene County were an EF-2 Tornado tracked. The resulting rainfall led to widespread flash flooding, which continued into the morning of May 1st, on head water streams and low water crossings. One live was lost when a camper along Hunter Creek in Douglas County drowned as the campground flooded.