2003 was a RECORD YEAR for TORNADOS in MISSOURI

[vbhoutex]

Got this article off of WeatherMatrix. Thought everyone would find it interesting.

Related Site: NSSL & SPC 2003 Tornado Log:
http://www.weathermatrix.net/archive/spclog/0042.html

ARTICLE:
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/wea ... etail.html

"ST. LOUIS -- The 84 tornadoes that swept through Missouri last year set a
new state record, breaking the previous one set in 1973, the National
Weather Service said Wednesday.

The previous record for the number of tornadoes in one year in Missouri was
79, the National Weather Service said.

The records are based on statistics kept from 1950.

Seventy-six of the tornadoes in 2003 -- or 90 percent -- occurred during
one week, May 4 to May 10. April saw six tornadoes; June and September had
one each.

Three tornadoes that were considered "violent" by Weather Service ratings
occurred May 4 in Platte, Clay and Barton counties.

Last year's tornadoes took 19 lives, the highest number of deaths since
1959, when 21 people were killed. Last year was only the fourth year since
1950 that recorded double-digit fatality figures from tornadoes in Missouri.

The year 1957 had the most tornado-related casualties with 56 deaths. In
1959 there were 21; 1952, 18; and 1967 and 1973, eight each.

The killer tornadoes in 2003 all occurred on May 4.

Last year's tornadoes also injured 171 people. That's the highest total
since 310 were injured in 1957.

The National Weather Service said that while 2003 was a bad year for
tornadoes, it could have been much worse. The agency said that its timely
and accurate warnings, along with the help of storm spotters, law
enforcement and emergency personnel, amateur radio operators, and the
media, helped disseminate the severe weather warnings."

[isobar]

That was one incredible, exhausting week for MO and many in the midwest (May 4-10).

Thanks for posting.