Severe Storms Bring Twin Tornadoes to Linn County

Submitted by Stephen Oertwig

Two tornadoes spared Shafter’s school house May 16, but created havoc in northwest Linn County.

National Weather Service survey crews confirmed two tornadoes tore across Linn County near Shafter leaving behind damaged barns, scattered debris, downed electric lines and snapped trees.

NWS survey crews also confirmed a tornado near Chula in Livingston County.

The strongest tornado May 16 near Shafter was an EF-1 with peak winds of 110 mph. A supercell formed north of Shafter near the intersection of Daisy Road and Clark Drive and lasted from 6:28 p.m. to 6:32 p.m. It traveled about 2.6 miles with a width of 200 yards., ending about about one-third mile east of Cherry Drive

Survey crews found damage to several farm buildings, including a barn, and said two empty grain bins were tossed across an open pasture. Tree damage also stretched along State Highway DD.

Shafter’s tornadoes started with an EF-0 with 85 mph winds that touched down just south of Shafter from 6:22 p.m. to 6:24 p.m. The tornado developed between Arbor Drive and Beacon Road on Highway 139 and went for about 1.4 miles with a path 100 yards wide. It caused damage to an outbuilding, a home and part of a barn roof before crossing a wooded area as it moved toward Clark Drive.

No injuries or deaths were reported from the tornadoes.

Farmers were out May 17 sawing down several trees damaged by strong winds. Crews from Milan’s North Central Missouri Electric Cooperative Inc. were out May 17 replacing downed electric line poles. A crew from the Missouri Department of Transportation from Brookfield was out early May 18 felling damaged trees adjacent to State Highway DD.

A third tornado briefly touched down east of Chula in Livingston County around 6:43 p.m. and lasted about a minute. The EF-0 tornado damaged trees and ripped roofing material off a metal building near Highway K before ending in a nearby field.