Officials say severe storms blew through the Ozarks Tuesday evening, causing widespread damage and at least one death. Locally, a stretch between Ozark and Rogersville appears to have been hit hardest. The only reported death occurred in Douglas County. While Tuesday's storms are over, it will likely take several days for the bad weather to pass. The National Weather Service expects thunderstorms almost every day until next Tuesday. The weather service said that by Wednesday afternoon, it had confirmed at least three tornadoes in the area — in Miller, Wheaton and Pleasant Ridge — but crews were out doing surveys and several more tornadoes would likely be confirmed. "There's quite a bit of damage around the area," meteorologist Jeff Raberding said, pointing to Wheaton, Miller, Ozark, Willard and Rogersville as some of the places most impacted. Raberding said the powerful storms also produced a dangerous amount of rain that brought flash flooding risks. In Ava, Raberding said, there were reports of 7 inches of rain falling during the storms. Raberding warned citizens to be careful of debris in the roadway and possible flooding this week. Late Tuesday night, Ozark Police Chief Tim Clothier said he believed a tornado had touched down in the city's Waterford subdivision — although that had not been confirmed as of early Wednesday afternoon. Clothier said three people there suffered minor injuries and several homes saw extensive damage. The Salvation Army was on scene Wednesday providing lunch at the Waterford subdivision as well as water, coffee, spiritual counseling and handling other requests from Christian County Emergency Management. In Logan-Rogersville, the fire department posted photos on social media of a home that had been totally destroyed near Highway 60 and Harmony and a partial building collapse at the Salon Knot on Endeavor Drive. City Utilities reported the storms broke 17 power poles along Highway 60, causing 70 people to lose power in the Rogersville area. The sheriff's departments in Dallas County and Stone County posted on social media Tuesday night about downed trees and broken power poles. The Miller Rural Fire Department posted about damaged homes on Missouri 39 and Highway UU. The fire department said there were reports of downed trees blocking the roadway, and Liberty Utilities said 10 to 15 power poles were damaged during the storms. At Roaring River State Park near Cassville, about 15 campers were evacuated to a different campground location when the river began to rise rapidly, according to park manager Joel Topham. "We did evacuate campground 3 and 2," Topham said. "We had water come into campground 3, and we're assessing now if there was any damage or safety issues." Roaring River near the state park rose about 6 feet, cresting at 3:41 a.m. at 7.05 feet. Campgrounds 2 and 3 remain closed, Topham said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that Table Rock Lake rose about a foot and a half overnight due to heavy rain and inflows from rivers. At Table Rock Dam, the Corps planned to open five spillway gates 1 foot this morning to begin releasing 5,000 cubic feet of water per second downstream. Combined with water flowing through the Table Rock Dam turbines, the dam will be sending a total of 15,000 cubic feet of water per second into Lake Taneycomo. Corps spokeswoman Laurie Driver urged boaters to beware of debris — logs, tree branches or other material — that might wash into Table Rock Lake. "If you're on the water, be cautious. It's good to have a spotter on the front of the boat, have your engine kill switch in place, wear your life jacket and slow down," Driver said. In Springfield, the James River just east of town jumped from 5 feet to 15 feet in just a few hours overnight. The USGS river gauge showed the James River was 3 feet above flood level at 9:30 a.m. and still rising. Near Mountain View, the Jacks Fork River rose even higher than the James. The Jacks Fork rose from 3 feet to 18 feet overnight, though it has crested and had dropped to 17 feet by 10 a.m. Ozark National Scenic Riverways closed all of the Jacks Fork River and most of the Current River to paddlers Wednesday morning, with the exception of Tan Vat to Akers on the upper Current, which is still open. According to ONSR, the Alley Spring Campground is being evacuated due to expected flooding. Visitors in back-country campgrounds on the Jacks Fork are being asked to evacuate due to rising water. Portions of the Buffalo National River in Arkansas were above flood stage Wednesday morning, prompting a warning from park officials. "For those of you that were planning to come float the Buffalo River within the next few days please check current river levels at the link below or call the Tyler Bend Visitor Center at 870-439-2502 or the Buffalo Point Ranger Station at 870-449-4311 for more information," the park posted on its Facebook page. "Flood waters are currently moving down the river and with more rain in the forecast there is no way to predict when the river might reach a safe and moderate level again." The Buffalo was in flood stage between Ponca and Pruitt late Wednesday morning, though the river had crested and was dropping at Ponca at 10:45 a.m. All of southwest Missouri remains in a flood warning, according to the National Weather Service. Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington said his agency performed one water rescue Tuesday night after a car got stuck at a low-water crossing on AA Highway in Fair Grove. At least two flights coming to the Springfield-Branson National Airport were canceled and two were diverted late Tuesday evening when the storms were at their peak, according to the website flightstats.com. Airport spokesman Kent Boyd said the airport itself doesn't track the reasons for cancellations or diversions, but "when I see a pattern like this ... that was probably weather-related." People inside the airport were ushered into the basement storm shelter around 8:30 p.m. to get away from the many windows in the terminal area, Boyd said. "Any time there's a tornado warning in the immediate vicinity, we take people into the basement," he said. "But when they get back up, (people waiting for flights) have to get screened again." He said he didn't think anybody would've been waiting for an outbound flight at that hour, however. The Greene County Office of Emergency Management reported the worst storm damage in the county occurred near Missouri 125 between Highway 194 and Highway AD. Greene County residents needing to report damage from the storms can do so by calling 417-869-6040. Convoy of Hope spent Wednesday helping the Greene County Office of Emergency Management as well as working in the Waterford neighborhood in Ozark.<doc-sep>Severe storms that spawned tornado reports in southwest Missouri on Tuesday left a mark on Barry County. David Compton, director of Barry County Emergency Management, said at nearly 8 p.m. Tuesday that Wheaton appeared to be the hardest hit. Located on the western edge of the county, it has 700 residents. "Wheaton took the brunt of the damage," he said. The late afternoon storm that blew through Wheaton left at least three homes "heavily damaged" and destroyed a smattering of outbuildings. "I'm sure there are plenty of others that have minor roof damage," Compton said for a while after the storm, debris and downed trees blocked the two main access roads into Wheaton, including the W and 86 highways. Following the storm, the Wheaton district posted on its website: "Due to significant damage in the area, loss of power at the school, and student safety as our primary concern school is cancelled tomorrow, Wednesday May 1." The stormy forecast spurred the district to cancel its evening events, including softball and baseball games. A series of posts to parents on the site show the weather created havoc at dismissal, as students were asked to take shelter and buses did not run until the threat passed. Compton said first responders worked to help Wheaton families with home damage to find a place to stay. "Most of them are going to have friends and family to go to." Wheaton may have been the hardest hit, but the rest of Barry County was not spared. Compton said there were widespread power outages from Monett to Cassville. He said multiple cities reported debris and downed trees and power lines. In Shell Knob and other communities near Table Rock Lake, he said outbuildings "were tossed around." He said Pleasant Ridge, in the north part of the county, reported tree damage. Crews were working to clear debris off highways, and families in many cities were asked not to venture out to survey the minor or moderate damage until daylight. Compton said with storms expected to bring more rain Wednesday, emergency crews had other worries. "Our big concern now is the potential for flooding through tonight and for tomorrow."<doc-sep>
Update: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning until 9 p.m. for the following: North-central Christian County Northeastern Stone County Southeastern Greene County. A line of severe thunderstorms that spawned tornado reports in Barry, McDonald, Lawrence and Newton — among other — counties was headed toward Springfield this evening. "Most of the storms that have come across southwest Missouri have had some sort of rotation with them," said Mike Albano, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, in an update posted online. "We've had a handful of confirmed, damaging tornadoes and this threat is going to continue." Albano said numerous "discrete supercells," some more organized than others, have spawned tornado reports in southwest Missouri. There was a line of storms traveling up the U.S. 60 corridor Tuesday evening and the possibility of a squall line, he said. Severe thunderstorms are expected to roll through the Ozarks during the evening. "We have more storms behind this," he said. Albano said there were reports of homes destroyed in Wheaton and at least one radar-confirmed tornado in Miller. "Miller has already been hit hard by a tornado," he said. He added there was a "tornado debris signature in Pleasant Ridge, Missouri, associated with this storm, between Purdy and Aurora." Kelsey Angle, also a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, said the initial trio of reports — including potential damage — came in between 3:30 and 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. "There have been reports of damage," he said. Throughout Tuesday evening, most of southwest Missouri was under a tornado watch with pockets of tornado warnings. "It's important to remain weather aware today, tomorrow and right through Thursday," he said. "We expect a busy weather week." The line of storms is traveling northeast at 30 mph, meaning heavy rain, damaging hail, flooding and the possibility of tornadoes may hit Springfield and nearby cities during the rush hour, when many are traveling home from work. Holly Michelle posted photos of hail near Golden, 70 miles south of Springfield. In addition to the threat of high winds and tornadoes, much of southwest Missouri is also under a flash flood warning with rainfall amounts — through Thursday — ranging from 2-1/2 inches to 5 inches. In a Facebook post, the National Weather Service in Springfield noted that exactly nine years ago, a supercell thunderstorm produced five tornadoes on April 30, 2010. The hit the area included Ozark and Howell counties. In Branson, employees at Silver Dollar City took shelter briefly Tuesday afternoon. Lisa Rau, director of publicity for the attraction and Herschend Family Entertainment Corp., said there was no damage reported. Rau said a "very small crowd" took shelter at the Showboat Branson Belle through the 4 p.m. show. She said the attraction remained "tightly docked" Tuesday. "It is 2.5 million pounds equipped with hurricane-force protected windows. All our emergency procedures call for keeping people in the ship if necessary." Area school districts canceled evening events, including athletic practices and games. Springfield Public Schools posted a list of six school buildings with storm shelters, which are available outside of school hours for residents in the community that live within what is referred to as the “Tornado Protection Zone." The residents in the zones have been notified. The shelters are not designed to be used by those beyond the zone. According to the Greene County Office of Emergency Management, residents planning to use a storm shelter need to arrive in a timely manner. The locations of the shelters include: Fremont Elementary School, 2814 N. Fremont Ave. Hillcrest High School, 3319 N. Grant Ave. Jeffries Elementary School, 4051 S. Scenic Ave. Kickapoo High School, 3710 S. Jefferson Ave. Sherwood Elementary School, 2524 S. Golden Ave. Westport K-8 School, 415 S. Golden Ave. When a tornado warning is issued — and the tornado sirens activated — by the county’s Emergency Management director or Greene County’s 911 director, the shelter will be opened. The doors to the shelter will close 10 minutes after a warning is issued or sooner if tornadic activity is observed in the vicinity.