Radar just hours before.
Here is a picture of the wind vortices about two hours before the whole thing broke open. This shows you were the highest winds were, and the "hole" it left as the wind doubled back to complete a smaller loop inside of the larger state-wide loop of rotating wind.
Then because of this loop of high winds (mixed with the collision of warm/cool air that has been hanging around the region this week), the air was very unstable. As seen below.
Now this next picture is of the local radar on my phone right as the tornado begins to develop. Can you spot the tornado? Need a hint? Locate the "hook" on the southwest edge of the storm line. (most tornadoes occur on the southwestern side of thunderstorms) It's right above the "H" in High Ridge.
Right about now, the sky was very dark where I was (near the Hwy 61 sign on the map) and the light rain had turned to an all out downpour. Within about 2 minutes, the rain changed directions. It started coming from the east instead of the south like it had been, and then another minute later it switched to be coming from the north. The system was rotating over us, causing the wind and rain to change directions. Now in this picture, you can see where the "hook" of the developing tornado isolate itself from the main rain ban right above the "a" in Eureka. This is the tornadic cell. I got confirmation on a sighting, but never confirmed a touchdown from the NWS even though the news had varied reports.
It quickly broke up and moved on. As seen here.
I then drove through the heavy rain all the way up to north county where I had to be at work an hour after the tornado developed. Bummer, I know. I wanted to follow the system as it headed east or at least try to make it to see the Potosi storm cell before it broke up. Although, I did manage to see a beautiful rainbow.
