Thunderstorm Wind in Ralls County, Missouri

Thunderstorm winds blew over portions of an field irrigator, bent a section of it and drove another portion of it into the ground.

A persistent pattern set up over the Mid Mississippi River Valley during May 21-23. Upper level winds were consistently southwesterly, providing large scale lift and moisture to the area. Converging air along frontal boundaries at the surface provided sufficient low level lift to initial storms each night. During the afternoon of May 22, 2019 specifically, a warm front was moving north into southern Missouri, increasing low level moisture. At the same time a cold front was approaching from the west. Storms developed along the cold front as it pushed southeastward through Missouri. The significant low level wind produced storms favorable for hail and tornadoes.