NWS confirms EF-2 tornado in Phelps County alongside multiple tornadoes in St. Louis area, more surveys expected Monday
The National Weather Service in Springfield on Sunday confirmed an EF-2 tornado hit Phelps County and Rolla on Friday night.
The tornado was on the ground for 8 minutes and traveled about 8.7 miles. The maximum winds were rated at 120 mph as the storm traveled from about 4 miles southeast of Doolittle to about 3 miles east northeast of Northwye.
The tornado damaged several homes and businesses on the southeast side of Rolla with roofs and windows blown out. Several trees were uprooted and snapped along the path. ABC 17 News crews were in Rolla on Saturday where power outages were still being reported and residents were in clean up mode.
Rolla Public Schools announced Sunday that district schools will be closed all week and will resume after scheduled spring break on March 31 due to extensive storm damage to some of the buildings.
The National Weather Service in St. Louis surveyed multiple tornado tracks on Saturday and Sunday. Four tornadoes have been confirmed so far, including an EF-1 that traveled 19 miles from Elmont to Union, damaging homes, trees, and telephone poles.
An EF-2 tornado with maximum winds of 130 mph traveled about 13.6 miles from Villa Ridge to Fox Creek, causing extensive damage to homes, trees, and collapsed a microwave tower. Purina Farms in Franklin County also took a direct hit, causing major damage to the facility. One person was injured in this tornado.
NWS St. Louis also found EF-1 and EF-2 damage from a tornado that started near Hillsboro and continued through Arnold, and meteorologists plan to continue surveying that track through south St. Louis County on Monday.
On Sunday night, NWS St. Louis reported areas of EF-2 damage along a track roughly from the Chesterfield Mall to West Alton. The survey is not yet complete, but the damage found in Bridgeton was rated for winds up to 122 mph.
The team also continues to survey a long-track tornado stretching from Reynolds, Wayne, Iron, to Madison counties, with maximum winds up to 150 mph and EF-3 damage in the Des Arc area in Iron County. Six people died in Wayne County where multiple homes were completely destroyed.
NWS Paducah confirmed an EF-3 tornado in Poplar Bluff with winds up to 138 mph. One person was killed in that tornado, and several injured. An EF-1 tornado was reported in Webster County, and an EF-3 in Ozark County where at least 3 people were killed near Bakersfield.
The National Weather Service in St. Louis is sending out two teams on Monday. One to survey a track from Jefferson County into St. Louis County and then one from St. Louis County to St. Charles County. Another team will investigate a track near O'Fallon and Summerfield to Trenton on the Illinois side.
