(News directors J.T. Gerlt and Patty Burns at Missourinet affiliates KTKS and KBNN contributed to this story)
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield says it appears that straight line winds caused the significant damage Saturday evening to a popular Osage Beach shopping center.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield says straight line winds caused the significant damage at the popular King’s Plaza shopping center in Osage Beach on November 14, 2020 (photo from Daniel Carnahan Jr., through J.T. Gerlt at Missourinet Versailles affiliate KTKS Radio)
NWS Springfield meteorologist Justin Titus tells Missourinet that they’ve checked drone footage and have spoken to Osage Beach’s emergency management director.
“And so that’s something that we can still receive new information on and update as we go, but right now preliminarily it looks like straight line winds,” Titus says.
Osage Beach Police Chief Todd Davis tells us the storm damaged at least seven to eight businesses in the King’s Plaza shopping center, which has a Randy’s Custard location. The shopping center is a popular spot for Lake-area tourists and local residents.
Drone photos show that the storm blew roofs off many of the businesses. Walls have caved-in as well, and Missourinet Versailles affiliate KTKS reports vehicles in the parking lot were also damaged during the storm.
The NWS’ Springfield office issued nine tornado warnings and 21 severe thunderstorm warnings on Saturday evening. The thunderstorm warnings were across their entire forecast area.
The NWS had warned Friday that severe storms and hail were possible Saturday afternoon and evening, across the Ozarks.
There are no reports of any serious injuries from the storms.
Titus says the storms also caused damage in the small town of Dixon, which is about 100 miles northeast of Springfield. The town has about 1,400 residents.
“But that Dixon area, north of Waynesville, got hit pretty hard. Had some mobile homes flipped over and some other damage up in that area,” says Titus.
He says while the damage in Dixon appears to be from straight line winds, it’s still under investigation.
Titus says their office is still deciding whether to send survey teams to impacted areas.
“We base that on what we’re seeing out in the field, as far as evidence. So we’ll be making that determination coming up too,” Titus says.
Missourinet Lebanon affiliate KBNN reports the storm brought 65-mile-per hour winds and one-inch hail in some locations, knocking power poles down in Springfield. KBNN reports trees were knocked down in southwest Missouri’s Jasper County.
Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield meteorologist Justin Titus, which was recorded on November 15, 2020:
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