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More Information About Cameron Tornado

T.J. Carson
Cameron resident Wayne Sage works on drying the inside of his home, after a tornado ripped off a part of the roof to his home of 43 years.

The National Weather Service believes the tornado that struck Cameron July 16 was EF-2 storm with wind speeds of around 125 miles per hour.

Donna Dubberke, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, said the agency looked at what was damaged during the storm. She said that includes buildings, tree, and power lines.

“The most compelling evidence there (in Cameron) is there were several homes, not many, but several homes that did have the roofs almost completely removed, and that, depending on the construction, is consistent with winds in the 110 to 130 mph range,” Dubberke said.

Dubberke said it's believed the tornado left a damage track of around a half-mile wide, but added aerial photography will be used to verify that. She said the tornado was on the ground for around 20 minutes in an 8.5 mile journey that started just southeast of Monmouth, went through Cameron, and ended about two miles east of Cameron.

Dubberke said the National Weather Service was also able to predict the tornado's presence it touched the ground.

“What the forecasters are looking for is the rotation that’s in the middle of the storm that develops before the tornado is in a super cell. And we are looking at that rotation to see if it gets stronger, if the rotation gets tighter or narrower,” Dubberke said.

Dubberke said a tornado warning was issued for Warren County once those signs were identified in the super cell.

Cameron residents continue to clean up from the storm, and they were able to find a bright spot over the weekend: the town’s newest under-10 softball team, the Cameron Crossfire, won a state tournament in Alexis.

“People would stop and they’d say, 'Go get them, you guys gotta do this!'" said coach Cheri Gipson.  "And so I felt like the whole town was kinda behind us, and was excited for the girls, and excited for the fact that our little town was able to play for a state championship."

Gipson said the girls on the team understood what it would mean to the town if they won the championship. She said that spoke to the level of maturity the team member possess.

Tri States Public Radio's Johnny Cather contributed to this story.