A potent zone of low pressure moved out of the Great Plains drawing in warm, moist, unstable air while lifting it to great heights. As cold, damp air moved out of the Ozarks, great storm clouds began building rapidly to our west.

As they moved across the state lines, the storms fed on intense instability in the atmosphere and continued their track into the heart of the Ozarks. However, the farther the storms progressed, the farther they moved away from the unstable atmosphere closer to the Kansas and Oklahoma lines.

The supercells lessened in intensity and the tornado signatures became weaker while storm circulations continued at mid-levels of the thunderstorm cloud.

Numerous wind and hail reports were given to the National Weather Service office into the night across northern Arkansas and extreme southern Missouri.

For more images and reports on this storm visit these links:


Springfield National Weather Service report on May 10, 2008 tornadoes


and


Storm Reports from the Storm Prediction Center's Log for May 10, 2008

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Edited news release from National Weather
Service:  

RACINE, Mo. -- The National Weather Service confirmed the touchdown of a very
strong tornado on Saturday in Newton County. 

  At approximately 5:59 p.m., a
tornado crossed the Oklahoma border just north of Iris Road.  The
tornado moved east-southeast to the intersection of Missouri 43 and Iris road,
where it intensified briefly to an EF4 tornado with winds of approximately 170
mph.

  Damage included throwing
automobiles up to one half mile, destroying businesses and numerous homes.  Many
of the deaths in Newton County during this event occurred near this
intersection.

  The tornado grew to one mile in width as it crossed just south of the
intersection of Missouri 86 at Highway BB.  It
continued east-southeast, crossing Highway NN between Iris Road and Jute Road
before once again growing to one mile in width as it struck the community of
Fredville at Missouri 175 at Jute Road.

   The tornado moved toward
the intersection of Missouri 59 at U.S.

60, destroying mobile homes and taking roofs off frame homes as it moved
through the south side of Granby as an EF1 tornado with 110 mph winds.

  The storm took a direct path to
Newtonia.  Based upon significant
damage to roofs and structural damage to most homes in

Newtonia, the storm was rated an EF1 with winds near 100 mph.

  The tornado then crossed into
Barry County one half mile southeast of the intersection of Mulberry Road at
Zebra Road as an EF1 tornado, damaging homes and turkey barns.

  It passed through the north
side of Purdy with an EF2 rank, snapping power poles and causing significant
damage to frame homes and destroying mobile homes.  One
fatality occurred at Commercial Street at Business Route 37.

  The tornado weakened as it
tracked east of Purdy, lifting about one mile southeast of the community of
McDowell.