917 ABUS34 KSTL 091827 PNSSTL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 100 PM CDT FRI MAY 9 2003 ...80 TO 100 MPH WINDS POUNDED DE SOTO AND SURROUNDING AREAS ON TUESDAY EVENING MAY 6 2003... A DAMAGE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OF DESOTO AND SURROUNDING AREAS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY REVEALED A LARGE AREA OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY DOWNBURST WINDS OF 80 TO AROUND 100 MPH. THE PARALLELOGRAM SHAPED DAMAGE AREA WAS ALMOST 10 MILES WIDE AND 13 MILES LONG. THE MOST CONCENTRATED AREA OF DAMAGE WITHIN THIS AREA WAS FROM 3 TO 4 MILES WIDE AND 8 MILES LONG. THERE WERE ALSO 2 SMALL TORNADOES WHICH OCCURRED WITHIN THE DAMAGE AREA. HOWEVER 90% OF THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY THE DOWNBURST WINDS. THIS TYPE OF EVENT...OFTEN CALLED A MACROBURST DUE TO THE WIDTH OF THE DAMAGE...WAS CAUSED BY 2 SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH MOVED ACROSS THE AREA. THE FIRST STORM MOVED RAPIDLY ACROSS NORTH WASHINGTON COUNTY INTO JEFFERSON COUNTY. THE SECOND MOVED EAST SOUTHEAST FROM NORTHEAST FRANKLIN COUNTY. THE COMBINATION OF THESE STORMS PRODUCED A PERIOD OF DAMAGING WINDS FROM 20 TO ALMOST 30 MINUTES IN LENGTH. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF THE DE SOTO AREA CONDUCTED BY THE STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND THE AMERICAN RED CROSS REVEALED THE FOLLOWING. SINGLE FAMILY HOMES: 6 DESTROYED, 27 WITH MAJOR DAMAGE, AND 111 WITH MINOR DAMAGE. MOBILE HOMES: 1 DESTROYED, 2 WITH MAJOR DAMAGE, AND 2 WITH MINOR DAMAGE. AT THE DE SOTO SENIOR AND JUNIOR HIGH COMPLEX, THE JUNIOR HIGH GYMNASIUM ROOF COLLAPSED AND THE SENIOR HIGH SUFFERED ROOF DAMAGE. VINELAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ALSO SUFFERED MAJOR ROOF DAMAGE AND BROKEN WINDOWS. ONE OF THE SMALL TORNADOES OCCURRED ABOUT 150 YARDS SOUTH OF THE SCHOOL COMPLEX ABOUT 735 PM. THE TORNADO WAS RATED F0 AND LEFT A PATH OF DOWNED AND MANGLED TREES ABOUT 50 YARDS WIDE AND 1/4 MILE LONG. THE SECOND TORNADO OCCURRED ALONG HIGHWAY WW NEAR THE FRANKLIN... WASHINGTON...AND JEFFERSON COUNTY LINE ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF FLETCHER. THIS BRIEF TORNADO...ALSO RATED F0...DOWNED TREES ALONG A 75 YARD WIDE PATH FOR ABOUT 1/4 MILE IN DE SOTO THE BULK OF THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY DOWNED TREES. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM ROCK ROAD (HIGHWAY N) SOUTH TO AMVETS ROAD. COUNTLESS TREES WERE PUSHED OVER TO THE EAST WITH MANY FALLING ON HOMES AND VEHICLES. POWER LINES WERE DOWN EVERYWHERE LEAVING THE ENTIRE TOWN WITHOUT POWER. TWO BUSINESSES SUFFERED MAJOR ROOF DAMAGE AND ONE CHURCH LOST ITS ROOF COMPLETELY. THE PARKVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH SITS ON A HILL ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN OFF HIGHWAY E. ON THE WEST FACING WALL AT THE TOP WAS A LARGE STAINED GLASS WINDOW. IT IS BELIEVED THE WINDOW FAILED WHICH ALLOWED THE STRONG WIND INSIDE THE STRUCTURE. THIS AIR THEN LIFTED THE ENTIRE ROOF OFF AND DEPOSITED IT TO THE EAST. AT THE JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH COMPLEX IT IS BELIEVED THE TWO STORMS TOGETHER CONTRIBUTED TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE GYMNASIUM ROOF. TEACHERS AND STUDENTS RETURNING FROM A TRACK MEET ARRIVED AT THE SCHOOL AROUND 715 PM. AT THIS TIME WARNINGS WERE ALREADY OUT AND OUTDOOR SIRENS WERE GOING OFF. THE TEACHERS GATHERED THE STUDENTS AND SOME OF THE PARENTS ARRIVING INTO THE SCHOOL TO THE TEACHER LOUNGE. THIS WAS THE LOWEST AVAILABLE ROOM WHICH WAS UNDERNEATH THE GYMNASIUM. THE INITIAL STORM HIT ABOUT 730 PM. TEACHERS INSIDE THE SCHOOL CAME UP FROM THE LOUNGE ABOUT 745 PM TO CHECK ON THINGS SINCE IT HAD QUIETED DOWN A BIT. WHEN THEY LOOKED INSIDE THE GYM...THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE ROOF HAD BLOWN OFF BUT THE REST OF THE ROOF AND GYM WAS INTACT. THEY THEN NOTICED THE WIND PICKING UP AGAIN SO THEY WENT BACK TO THE LOUNGE. WHEN THEY CAME OUT ABOUT 800 PM THE GYM ROOF HAD COLLAPSED. OTHER PEOPLE INTERVIEWED IN DE SOTO TOLD A SIMILAR STORY. THE INITIAL WIND AND RAIN STARTED ABOUT 730 PM WITH A BRIEF SLOWDOWN ABOUT 745 PM. THE RAIN AND WIND THEN INCREASED AGAIN BEFORE LETTING UP ABOUT 800 PM. DAMAGING WINDS THUS BLEW ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY FOR 20 TO 30 MINUTES. WEST OF DE SOTO THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ALONG PETER MOORE ROAD. THREE BARN TYPE STRUCTURES WERE DESTROYED AND ABOUT 6 HOMES SUFFERED VARYING DEGREES OF ROOF DAMAGE. MANY OF THESE STRUCTURES SAT ON HILLSIDES WITH OPEN VIEWS TO THE WEST. TO THE SOUTHWEST OF DE SOTO ALONG DODSON ROAD ONE HOME WAS DESTROYED AND ANOTHER SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE. BOTH HOMES SAT ON A RIDGE WITH A CLEAR VIEW TO THE WEST. IN BOTH CASES THE GARAGE DOORS BLEW IN RESULTING IN ONE HOME LOSING ITS ENTIRE ROOF AND THE OTHER HOME PART OF ITS ROOF. WITNESSES INTERVIEWED TOLD OF A LARGE BLACK AND GREEN MASS THAT COVERED VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE WEST HORIZON HEADING EAST TOWARD THEM. AS WAS THE CASE IN DE SOTO THE DAMAGING WIND LASTED 20 TO 30 MINUTES. AT ONE HOME IN WHICH THE ENTIRE ROOF BLEW OFF THERE WERE 9 PEOPLE INSIDE. EVERYONE WENT TO THE BASEMENT AND ESCAPED INJURY. CONTINUING ON A GENERAL WEST PATH FROM DE SOTO POCKETS OF SIGNIFICANT TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE OCCURRED ON HIGHWAYS Y AND H...AND ALONG WARE CHURCH ROAD...BROWNS FORD ROAD...ENGLE FORD ROAD...AND PINSON FORD ROAD. THERE WAS ALSO MAJOR TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE ALONG HIGHWAY WW WHICH RUNS NORTH AND SOUTH FROM NEAR GRUBVILLE TO FLETCHER NEAR THE FRANKLIN...WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON COUNTY LINE. JUST WEST OF FLETCHER...ALONG HIGHWAY H ABOUT 1/4 MILE ACROSS THE WASHINGTON COUNTY LINE...A NEWLY BUILT HOME WAS DESTROYED. ANOTHER NEARBY HOME SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE GARAGE AND WEST SIDE OF THE STRUCTURE. WINDS IN THIS AREA WERE ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR 100 MPH. JPK NNNN