EF1 tornado in Greene County, Missouri

A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado tracked from four miles northeast of Willard, Missouri to five miles northeast of Willard. The tornado was on the ground for approximately two minutes along its 1.7 mile total track with maximum wind speeds estimated at 100 mph. The first observed signs of this tornado was substantial damage to a farm house, a large pole barn and six outbuildings within an area of cyclonic tree fall pattern along North Farm Road 117. Observers noted similar tree patterns along a ridge top to the west of the farmhouse and other light tree damage along the Little Sac River valley. An intermittent path of mainly light tree damage and damage to two outbuildings was then noted eastward to Farm Road 123. There was a noticeable break along the southern (right) flank of this tornadic path where a swath of up to 70 mph straight line winds damaged or uprooted numerous trees south along and south of Farm Road 54.

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.