April 23, 2010 Tornado: Warren/Lincoln County, MO

Published on April 23, 2010

The weather didn’t look promising at all Friday, April 23rd, 2010. I had class early in the day and wasn’t looking forward to my geology test. Luckily for me nothing of note had been percolating every time I checked the radar. After class (and the test) I went back home to give the radar and SPC a look. Out in central MO convection had started to bubble up. Since I lived in St. Charles it wouldn’t be much trouble to hop on I-70 and head west towards the Columbia area. Today I wouldn’t have to leave my backyard. By 5:30 PM I was gassing up and headed west. On the horizon it was evident that something was going on. Passing Wentzville and Foristell it became evident that the day was not truly wasted. At 6:30 I exited the highway at Warrenton and waited in a parking lot; observing the storm. Twenty minutes later the sirens went off. I’m not much of a fan of late afternoon/evening chases in terrain that’s full of hills and trees. The one positive thing that the cell had going for it was that it was relatively slow moving.

Heading north out of Warrenton on Route 47 I was able to come to a clearing in the Hawk Point area. The structure looked scuddy/ratty. The second tornado of the evening dropped soon after. Didn’t see much, if any damage. I then followed 47 to Troy headed back home.