Northern Missouri was hit by multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms over the weekend, bringing heavy rainfall, flooding and several tornadoes, with additional severe weather expected later in the week.
National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Jon Kurtz said thunderstorms carrying heavy rain and hail moved from Grundy County through Livingston County and into Linn County.
Kurtz said three tornadoes touched down during the storms but were short-lived and caused only minor damage. Two tornadoes impacted farmsteads in Linn County, while a third briefly touched down about two miles from Chula.
Despite the tornado activity, Kurtz said flooding from heavy rainfall caused the greatest impact across the region.
“We had anywhere from 7 to 10 inches of rain across parts of Grundy County and into Livingston County, and that really caused quite a bit of flooding on the Shoal and Grand rivers and all the tributaries that run in there,” Kurtz said. “A lot of roads closed up there yesterday morning still, and even a lot of flooding even into Sunday afternoon along some of the low-lying areas across that region.”
While communities continue recovering from flooding and storm damage, forecasters say additional severe thunderstorms are expected across northwest Missouri later this evening.
Kurtz said initial storm development is expected around 8 p.m., with areas including Maryville facing an elevated tornado risk before storms move toward St. Joseph and the Kansas City metropolitan area.
“I think it’s, again, making sure that people have multiple ways to get weather warnings,” Kurtz said. “And when they get a warning, whether it’s on their phone or a weather radio, or they’re watching local media for their location, go ahead and seek shelter immediately.”
Kurtz urged residents to stay alert, monitor local forecasts and take all severe weather warnings seriously.