EF-2 tornado confirmed in Pilot Grove Wednesday morning
The National Weather Service in Kansas City surveyed tornado damage in Cooper County on Wednesday, finding EF-2 damage on the northeast side of town.
The storm rolled in from Pettis County around 8:30 a.m., and was on the ground for 6 minutes while it traveled 6.3 miles across Pilot Grove, lifting near I-70.
Minor damage was observed near a farmstead southwest of Pilot Grove, with the tornado gaining intensity and damaging roofs of homes on west Bock Street and Katy Manor on Prospect Street. Several buildings were damaged along Harris Street.
Meteorologists saw a manufactured home thrown 100 feet off its cinder blocks and completely destroyed. Large trees were uprooted and thrown onto a home next to that, and an outbuilding on that property was destroyed.
As the tornado barreled onto the northeast, it caused major damage to a barn home along Route M south of Immele Rd. Several homes were damaged along Route 135 as the tornado moved northeast. The most severe damage was noted between Immele Road up to Chouteau Springs Rd., where winds were estimated to reach 115 mph. The tornado also reached its widest point here, increasing in diameter to 200 yards.
The tornado ended after striking and severely damaging an outbuilding on the south outer road of I-70.
The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team was tracking the storm and caught the debris signature on Doppler Radar as the tornado passed over Pilot Grove.
ABC 17 Stormtrack Meteorologist Chance Gotsch as well as our news crews were in Pilot Grove assessing damage and talking to residents post-storm. No injuries or fatalities were reported, and Cooper County EMA confirmed to ABC 17 News that sirens did not sound before the tornado hit.
