Month: April 2025

Hours after storms brought up to 90 mile per hour winds and potential tornadoes to Springfield and the Ozarks, thousands of people remain in the dark Tuesday evening.

Springfield City Utilities crews are working around the clock in an emergency situation to get power restored to more than 40,000 customers.

Here’s the latest update in a news release from City Utilities:

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri – City Utilities is working to restore power to roughly 41,000 customers after severe weather has caused significant damage across the service territory. As crews continue to assess the damage, customers should prepare for extended electric outages that may last for multiple days. For the latest information regarding electric outages, please refer to the City Utilities outage map.

All available resources have been mobilized to respond to this weather emergency. More than 60 contractors and lineworkers, along with 15 tree trimming crews, have responded to mutual aid requests from around the state. These crews are on-site and are actively assisting with power restoration efforts.

Customers who depend on critical medical equipment or medications should take steps now to prepare for the possibility of an extended power outage. We strongly encourage making alternative arrangements to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones. Your health and well-being are our highest priorities, and we’re working diligently to safely restore power as quickly as possible.

Downed power lines remain across the service area and present a significant safety hazard. If you encounter downed power lines, always assume they are energized. Stay far away and report them immediately by calling (417) 863-9000 or 911. This number is reserved for emergencies and downed line reports only.

If you are experiencing a power outage, please report it through the City Utilities MyAccount app, on our website at www.cityutilities.net, or by calling 888-863-9001. We encourage all customers with an electric outage to report it and not to assume we have record of your outage.

City Utilities remains committed to providing updates to our customers on restoration efforts. Updates will be provided through our social media channels, website, and through our local media partners. We appreciate your patience and support as we work to restore service across our community. 

Storms that produced tornadoes and damaging wind gusts up to 90 miles per hour moved through the Ozarks Tuesday morning, downing trees and power lines and damaging homes and buildings.

The National Weather Service reported confirmed tornadoes near Fair Grove and Niangua, with a suspected tornado earlier doing damage in the Neosho area, with part of a barn blocking Interstate 49 at the 23 mile marker.

A MODOT building was damaged in Monett, and buildings in the Nixa area were also damaged.

In Springfield, we’ve had numerous reports of power lines down, trees down onto homes, with reports throughout the area of trees down blocking roadways.

The National Weather Service measured a 90 mile per hour wind gust at its offices near the Springfield-Branson National Airport as the tornado warning sirens were going off in Springfield.

A weather spotter reported a tree that collapsed part of a home near the golf course at Scenic and Sunshine in Springfield.

Springfield City Utilities is reporting several hundred power outages and crews in several communities in the Ozarks are working around the clock to restore electricity.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch that was in effect for the eastern Ozarks has been cancelled.

93-3 and AM 560 KWTO is your home for severe weather coverage in the Ozarks, and we’ll keep you up to date with any additional bad weather that develops.

(Photo of storm damage at Cedarbrook and Catalpa in Springfield, courtesy of Patricia Flowers-Palmer, SW MO Regional Skywarn).

A woman from Marshfield has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of her boyfriend in 2022.

Madison Rueckert pleaded guilty to second degree murder and armed criminal action in 2024.

Rueckert admitted she shot Jonathan Miller after she found messages from other women on his phone.

Her case was heard in Dallas County on a change of venue from Webster County.

The Missouri Department of Revenue and law enforcement agencies are warning about a new scam.

Residents are receiving e-mails and texts from someone claiming to be with the Department of Revenue.

The messages say the recipient has unpaid tolls or fines.

Department of Revenue officials say you should immediately delete the message and not click on any links in the message.

Large hail and damaging winds are possible with thunderstorms that move through the Ozarks through early Tuesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 10:00am Tuesday for Greene, Christian, Barry, Dade, Lawrence, Stone, McDonald, Newton, Jasper and Barton Counties.

Hail up to the size of quarters and wind gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour will be possible with these storms, which are moving into the area from northeast Oklahoma and eastern Kansas.

In addition, a Flood Watch is in effect through Thursday morning for all of the Ozarks, with multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms expected through Thursday evening.

Widespread amounts of 1 to 3 inches of rain are expected, with localized amounts up to 4 to 6 inches possible within areas that see multiple rounds of heavy rain within thunderstorms.

More thunderstorms are on the way to the Ozarks, and forecasters say some of them could be strong to severe.

The National Weather Service says the highest chances for storms overnight Monday into Tuesday are north of I-44.

Areas along and north of a line from Joplin to Stockton to Osage Beach are under a Level 2 “slight risk” for severe storms, while the Springfield area is under a Level 1 “marginal risk.”

The primary hazards with these storms are damaging winds and large hail. The tornado threat is low.

On Tuesday, the risk shifts to areas along and south of I-44 through the afternoon and evening hours, with damaging winds being the biggest threat.

In addition, multiple rounds of showers and storms are expected from Tuesday through Thursday, leading to the potential for heavy rainfall and flooding.

The heaviest rainfall axis will be focused along and north of the interstate, with 2 to 3 inches of rain possible in the Springfield area through Wednesday night.

Here’s the National Weather Service packet outlining details of the expected storms and heavy rains this week.