Investigators with the Springfield Office of the National Weather Service have ruled a tornado hit Short Bend during Wednesday’s night severe thunderstorm. Meteorologist Drew Albert says based on the observed damage the twister was designated at EF-1.
“The tornado landed just after 11 p.m. and was on the ground for approximately two minutes,” Albert says. “The path of destruction began nine miles northeast of Salem and continued for 2.5 miles going northeast toward the Dent County’s border with Crawford County. It was measured 200 yards wide. The maximum sustained winds were estimated to be between 90 to 100 miles-per-hour.”
EF-1 is a lower ranking on the scale used to measure a tornado’s strength. The lowest ranking is EF-0, at which winds are below 85 miles-per-hour. The scale goes as high as EF-5, at which wind speeds can reach as high as more than 200 miles-per-hour.
The March 29 tornado is the first tornado to hit Dent County in five years. The last twister landed on Feb. 29, 2012. It was also measured to be EF-1 and was on the ground for 18 miles across a swath of northeast Dent County and southern Phelps County.
The strongest tornado to ever hit Dent County was measured at EF-3. It landed on May 21, 1957, and was on the ground for more than 10 miles beginning near Gladden and continuing northeast toward Howes Mill.
There have been two recorded tornado-related fatalities since official records began being kept by the National Weather Service. They both occurred on Dec. 31, 2010, in east Dent County.
by Andrew Sheeley
Mar 31, 2017
