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USA.com / Nebraska / Seward County / Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes

Seward County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes

 
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The chance of earthquake damage in Seward County is about the same as Nebraska average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Seward County is higher than Nebraska average and is much higher than the national average.

Topics:Earthquake IndexVolcano IndexTornado IndexOther Weather Extremes EventsVolcanos NearbyHistorical Earthquake EventsHistorical Tornado Events

Earthquake Index, #6

Seward County
0.18
Nebraska
0.04
U.S.
1.81

The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.

Volcano Index, #1

Seward County
0.0000
Nebraska
0.0000
U.S.
0.0023

The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.

Tornado Index, #13

Seward County
266.36
Nebraska
205.07
U.S.
136.45

The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.

Other Weather Extremes Events

A total of 14,932 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Seward County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:

TypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCount
Avalanche:0Blizzard:75Cold:150Dense Fog:10Drought:15
Dust Storm:2Flood:929Hail:7,727Heat:46Heavy Snow:91
High Surf:0Hurricane:0Ice Storm:56Landslide:0Strong Wind:165
Thunderstorm Winds:4,897Tropical Storm:0Wildfire:0Winter Storm:283Winter Weather:59
Other:427 

Volcanos Nearby

No volcano is found in or near Seward County.

Historical Earthquake Events

No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Seward County.

No historical earthquake events found in or near Seward County.

Historical Tornado Events

A total of 86 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Seward County.

Distance (miles)DateMagnitudeStart Lat/LogEnd Lat/LogLengthWidthFatalitiesInjuriesProperty DamageCrop DamageAffected County
1.11957-06-15240°47'N / 97°14'W40°56'N / 97°04'W13.20 Miles33 Yards0025K0Seward
1.51991-05-16240°48'N / 97°13'W40°58'N / 97°01'W11.00 Miles100 Yards00250K0Seward
5.01964-05-23240°50'N / 97°13'W40°46'N / 97°05'W7.90 Miles60 Yards00250K0Seward
5.92001-06-13440°51'N / 97°05'W40°57'N / 96°59'W8.00 Miles400 Yards021.0M0Seward
 Brief Description: A slow moving tornado tracked from south of Seward to just east of town with a total track length of 8 miles. The tornado was caught on film by several chasers. The tornado destroyed an entire farmstead and a propane and anhydrous ammonia tank farm and machine shed. Several vehicles were tumbled and tossed into a field across from the farm house. The tornado was at its maximum intensity at the farmstead it destroyed. Northeast of highway 34 the tornado struck several sheds and barns.
7.61953-05-09340°46'N / 97°09'W40°46'N / 97°03'W4.70 Miles880 Yards022.5M0Seward
8.51992-06-15340°44'N / 97°07'W40°46'N / 97°07'W2.00 Miles500 Yards002.5M0Seward
8.71957-04-25440°42'N / 97°14'W40°49'N / 96°54'W19.00 Miles333 Yards182.5M0Seward
9.41957-05-20240°41'N / 97°15'W40°50'N / 96°50'W23.90 Miles33 Yards0025K0Saline
9.91992-06-15340°46'N / 96°57'W40°58'N / 96°57'W14.00 Miles500 Yards0125.0M0Seward
10.11985-05-10240°53'N / 97°20'W0.50 Mile400 Yards042.5M0Seward
14.11957-06-21340°54'N / 97°28'W40°54'N / 97°21'W5.40 Miles33 Yards00250K0York
14.61959-08-30240°55'N / 96°52'W4.00 Miles33 Yards0025K0Lancaster
15.61990-03-13441°02'N / 97°22'W41°02'N / 97°20'W4.00 Miles440 Yards0025.0M0Seward
17.91956-06-06240°44'N / 96°53'W40°42'N / 96°51'W1.30 Miles33 Yards013K0Lancaster
18.52006-09-15241°06'N / 97°19'W41°07'N / 97°18'W1.00 Mile100 Yards0000Butler
 Brief Description: A tornado did extensive tree damage and some structual damage throughout the town of Surprise including destroying a mobile home and tearing the roof off of a bar. The tornado was embedded in a larger downburst area that did damage over a 28 square mile area surrounding Surprise according a NWS storm survey. The tornado was rated an F2 in Surprise, where it initially touched down, and then weakened and lifted a few minutes later 1 mile northeast of town.
18.61981-04-03240°52'N / 96°52'W40°53'N / 96°42'W8.30 Miles50 Yards00250K0Lancaster
18.71992-06-15340°29'N / 97°20'W40°44'N / 97°07'W19.00 Miles500 Yards002.5M0Saline
20.51990-03-13440°43'N / 97°42'W41°02'N / 97°22'W23.00 Miles440 Yards0225.0M0York
20.91957-04-25440°35'N / 97°34'W40°42'N / 97°14'W19.10 Miles33 Yards002.5M0Fillmore
21.41952-06-26240°38'N / 96°56'W40°35'N / 96°55'W2.70 Miles33 Yards000K0Saline
21.81978-05-30240°37'N / 97°27'W40°40'N / 97°24'W3.80 Miles30 Yards00250K0Fillmore
22.01968-07-30240°50'N / 97°35'W40°50'N / 97°32'W0025K0York
22.11975-06-15341°21'N / 97°57'W40°45'N / 97°02'W63.20 Miles200 Yards00250K0Nance
24.81984-06-12240°54'N / 96°50'W40°54'N / 96°30'W20.00 Miles150 Yards002.5M0Lancaster
24.81953-05-09340°18'N / 97°27'W40°46'N / 97°09'W35.70 Miles880 Yards002.5M0Fillmore
24.91954-07-30240°52'N / 97°37'W1.50 Miles880 Yards0025K0York
25.11990-03-13441°02'N / 97°20'W41°26'N / 97°02'W30.00 Miles440 Yards0025.0M0Butler
26.11998-05-15240°40'N / 97°34'W40°41'N / 97°34'W4.00 Miles100 Yards00750K150KFillmore
 Brief Description: Midday thunderstorms spawned a tornado south of York damaging a farmstead significantly. The tornado set down two miles north of Fairmont and was on the ground for seven miles before lifting just east of McCool Junction. The tornado nearly destroyed at least one farmstead and caused damage to power poles and lines and center pivot systems. A semi tractor trailer was overturned three miles southeast of York. The driver sustained minor injuries. The same storm also produced a brief tornado south of Benedict destroying two hog confinement facilities but no hogs were injured.
26.81964-05-05541°03'N / 97°34'W41°21'N / 97°16'W25.80 Miles880 Yards0025K0Polk
29.61966-05-22241°07'N / 96°48'W41°10'N / 96°36'W10.60 Miles33 Yards010K0Saunders
29.71964-05-05540°51'N / 97°50'W41°03'N / 97°34'W19.40 Miles880 Yards2302.5M0York
30.01968-07-30241°10'N / 97°39'W41°07'N / 97°32'W6.40 Miles200 Yards02250K0Polk
30.11970-06-10241°17'N / 96°57'W0025K0Butler
30.81992-06-15241°10'N / 97°35'W2.00 Miles150 Yards00250K0Polk
30.81970-07-14240°29'N / 96°53'W40°30'N / 96°47'W4.70 Miles33 Yards0025K0Gage
31.02004-05-22440°28'N / 96°53'W40°31'N / 96°46'W7.00 Miles2640 Yards0020.0M0Gage
 Brief Description: See description below. This long tracked tornado is often referred to as the Hallam tornado. It initially touched down 3 miles west of Daykin in northern Jefferson county. The tornado was rated an f0 or f1 in Jefferson county damaging farm outbuildings, grain bins and trees. From there the tornado crossed into Saline county southwest of Western and remained an f0 or f1 until it struck the southern portion of Wilber where it strengthened to f2. Roofs were blown off of homes just southeast of Wilber. The tornado traveled from Wilber into Gage county, crossing the county line west of Clatonia where it grew to its most intense stage, f4. The tornado remained nearly at this strength as it crossed into Lancaster county near Hallam with a damage path of around 2 1/2 miles. Many well-built homes were demolished from Clatonia to Hallam, along with grain bins, farm sheds, and outbuildings. Many trees were destroyed or uprooted. Although Hallam itself escaped the strongest winds from the storm, which occurred just south of town, 95 percent of the buildings in town were either destroyed or severely damaged. The lone fatality from the tornado occurred in Hallam. The storm also toppled several hopper cars from a freight train on the west edge of town. In total 55 railroad cars were derailed. From Hallam the tornado traveled east for several miles prior to turning northeast again just north of Cortland. The storm then tracked 2 miles north of Firth, severely damaging the Firth-Norris high school and a nearby middle school. School busses were tossed in this area. Several homes northeast of the schools were flattened as the tornado regained its f4 strength. The damage path continued northeast to Holland and then to 2 miles north of Panama where the tornado weakened to around an f2 and the damage path began to narrow. The track then curved more toward the north, passing just south of Bennet where a few homes sustained f3 damage. After passing south of Bennet, the storm moved back to the northeast and began to weaken to f0 or f1 strength as it crossed into Otoe county southwest of Palmyra. The tornado finally dissipated 1 miles west southwest of Palmyra. In total the tornado was on the ground for around 54 miles with a maximum intensity of f4. Besides the fatality, 38 people sustained injuries, 158 homes were leveled and 57 others were seriously damaged. The dollar amount of damage was estimated at 160 million, with 60 million of that agricultural including 100 cattle and 50 hogs lost. Some 150,000 acres of crop land sustained significant damage. The 5 counties were declared national disaster areas by Fema.
32.12004-05-22240°20'N / 97°17'W40°29'N / 96°54'W20.00 Miles1200 Yards0820.0M0Saline
 Brief Description: See description below This long tracked tornado is often referred to as the Hallam tornado. It initially touched down 3 miles west of Daykin in northern Jefferson county. The tornado was rated an f0 or f1 in Jefferson county damaging farm outbuildings, grain bins and trees. From there the tornado crossed into Saline county southwest of Western and remained an f0 or f1 until it struck the southern portion of Wilber where it strengthened to f2. Roofs were blown off of homes just southeast of Wilber. The tornado traveled from Wilber into Gage county, crossing the county line west of Clatonia where it grew to its most intense stage, f4. The tornado remained nearly at this strength as it crossed into Lancaster county near Hallam with a damage path of around 2 1/2 miles. Many well-built homes were demolished from Clatonia to Hallam, along with grain bins, farm sheds, and outbuildings. Many trees were destroyed or uprooted. Although Hallam itself escaped the strongest winds from the storm, which occurred just south of town, 95 percent of the buildings in town were either destroyed or severely damaged. The lone fatality from the tornado occurred in Hallam. The storm also toppled several hopper cars from a freight train on the west edge of town. In total 55 railroad cars were derailed. From Hallam the tornado traveled east for several miles prior to turning northeast again just north of Cortland. The storm then tracked 2 miles north of Firth, severely damaging the Firth-Norris high school and a nearby middle school. School busses were tossed in this area. Several homes northeast of the schools were flattened as the tornado regained its f4 strength. The damage path continued northeast to Holland and then to 2 miles north of Panama where the tornado weakened to around an f2 and the damage path began to narrow. The track then curved more toward the north, passing just south of Bennet where a few homes sustained f3 damage. After passing south of Bennet, the storm moved back to the northeast and began to weaken to f0 or f1 strength as it crossed into Otoe county southwest of Palmyra. The tornado finally dissipated 1 miles west southwest of Palmyra. In total the tornado was on the ground for around 54 miles with a maximum intensity of f4. Besides the fatality, 38 people sustained injuries, 158 homes were leveled and 57 others were seriously damaged. The dollar amount of damage was estimated at 160 million, with 60 million of that agricultural including 100 cattle and 50 hogs lost. Some 150,000 acres of crop land sustained significant damage. The 5 counties were declared national disaster areas by Fema.
33.01990-03-13340°21'N / 97°37'W40°37'N / 97°24'W23.00 Miles180 Yards002.5M0Fillmore
33.22004-05-22440°30'N / 96°47'W40°41'N / 96°28'W19.50 Miles4400 Yards130100.0M0Lancaster
 Brief Description: See description below. F73PH This long tracked tornado is often referred to as the Hallam tornado. It initially touched down 3 miles west of Daykin in northern Jefferson county. The tornado was rated an f0 or f1 in Jefferson county damaging farm outbuildings, grain bins and trees. From there the tornado crossed into Saline county southwest of Western and remained an f0 or f1 until it struck the southern portion of Wilber where it strengthened to f2. Roofs were blown off of homes just southeast of Wilber. The tornado traveled from Wilber into Gage county, crossing the county line west of Clatonia where it grew to its most intense stage, f4. The tornado remained nearly at this strength as it crossed into Lancaster county near Hallam with a damage path of around 2 1/2 miles. Many well-built homes were demolished from Clatonia to Hallam, along with grain bins, farm sheds, and outbuildings. Many trees were destroyed or uprooted. Although Hallam itself escaped the strongest winds from the storm, which occurred just south of town, 95 percent of the buildings in town were either destroyed or severely damaged. The lone fatality from the tornado occurred in Hallam. The storm also toppled several hopper cars from a freight train on the west edge of town. In total 55 railroad cars were derailed. From Hallam the tornado traveled east for several miles prior to turning northeast again just north of Cortland. The storm then tracked 2 miles north of Firth, severely damaging the Firth-Norris high school and a nearby middle school. School busses were tossed in this area. Several homes northeast of the schools were flattened as the tornado regained its f4 strength. The damage path continued northeast to Holland and then to 2 miles north of Panama where the tornado weakened to around an f2 and the damage path began to narrow. The track then curved more toward the north, passing just south of Bennet where a few homes sustained f3 damage. After passing south of Bennet, the storm moved back to the northeast and began to weaken to f0 or f1 strength as it crossed into Otoe county southwest of Palmyra. The tornado finally dissipated 1 miles west southwest of Palmyra. In total the tornado was on the ground for around 54 miles with a maximum intensity of f4. Besides the fatality, 38 people sustained injuries, 158 homes were leveled and 57 others were seriously damaged. The dollar amount of damage was estimated at 160 million, with 60 million of that agricultural including 100 cattle and 50 hogs lost. Some 150,000 acres of crop land sustained significant damage. The 5 counties were declared national disaster areas by Fema.
33.61965-05-08340°10'N / 97°34'W40°43'N / 97°19'W40.10 Miles33 Yards000K0Thayer
33.71964-06-08240°24'N / 96°55'W40°30'N / 96°43'W12.30 Miles33 Yards0025K0Saline
34.11982-06-14240°24'N / 96°57'W0.20 Mile50 Yards00250K0Saline
34.12009-03-23240°37'N / 96°35'W40°38'N / 96°34'W2.00 Miles50 Yards000K0KLancaster
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the second of 5 cyclic tornadoes that a low-topped supercell thunderstorm produced at it tracked southeast through east of the Lincoln area. This tornado touched down around 2 miles east of Hickman and damaged a house in the area, destroyed some farm outbuildings, took the roof off of a barn and also caused tree damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An intense upper level low pressure system tracked from eastern Colorado into southeast South Dakota from March 23rd into March 24th. This caused a surface low pressure system to move from western Nebraska into southeast South Dakota during that time. As the low tracked northeast, a dry-line moved into eastern Nebraska during the afternoon of March 23rd. With surface temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and dewpoint temperatures in the 50s, ample instability was in place to allow a line of severe thunderstorms to develop as the dry-line punched eastward. Several fast moving low-topped supercell thunderstorms were embedded in the line, and one cell produced cyclic tornadoes from southeast of Lincoln into western Iowa. The storms in the line were moving north northeast at 50 to 60 mph. In addition to the severe weather, strong southerly gradient winds prevailed ahead of the low pressure. In some cases the winds gusted between 50 and 65 mph for several hours across parts of eastern Nebraska.
35.11967-06-09240°25'N / 96°54'W40°28'N / 96°40'W12.60 Miles33 Yards02250K0Gage
35.11952-08-13341°21'N / 97°10'W41°15'N / 96°23'W41.10 Miles1300 Yards010K0Butler
35.31956-04-28340°15'N / 97°23'W40°29'N / 96°42'W39.30 Miles33 Yards01250K0Jefferson
35.51990-03-13440°38'N / 97°50'W40°43'N / 97°42'W15.00 Miles440 Yards0025.0M0Fillmore
35.71957-05-20240°04'N / 97°30'W40°42'N / 96°20'W75.30 Miles33 Yards00250K0Thayer
35.81967-06-09240°18'N / 97°34'W40°25'N / 96°54'W35.90 Miles33 Yards00250K0Thayer
36.01953-06-07241°21'N / 97°04'W41°25'N / 96°57'W6.90 Miles33 Yards02250K0Butler
36.21957-04-25440°49'N / 96°54'W41°11'N / 96°02'W51.70 Miles333 Yards002.5M0Lancaster
36.21956-06-06240°33'N / 97°40'W40°22'N / 97°28'W16.20 Miles33 Yards03250K0Fillmore
36.91962-07-21341°06'N / 97°47'W41°24'N / 97°30'W25.20 Miles880 Yards01250K0Polk
37.01959-05-20241°14'N / 96°37'W12.00 Miles33 Yards0025K0Saunders
37.11964-05-06241°19'N / 96°48'W41°21'N / 96°45'W2.30 Miles33 Yards0025K0Saunders
37.42001-10-09341°05'N / 97°50'W41°15'N / 97°39'W16.00 Miles1500 Yards001.8M800KPolk
 Brief Description: A strong tornado entered Polk County from Hamilton County. A powerful upper level low pressure system plowing into an unstable airmass triggered widespread severe weather across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening hours. As many as nine tornadoes were confirmed and many reports of hail were received. The tornado damage was confined to an area located north and east of Grand Island, which included Merrick, Nance, Polk, Greeley, and Hamilton counties. The tornadoes got going west of Marquette. One twister set down in Hamilton county and crossed the Platte River southeast of Chapman. Damage to outbuildings was of most significance. Other tornadoes were reported in the Marquette area, with one tornado on the ground for 12 miles from south of Marquette to southeast of Hordville. This tornado was rated an F1 and produced minor structural damage to buildings and grain bins at several farms. Power lines were lost and several trees were blown over. Numerous center pivot irrigation systems were damaged. Just before 6 pm CDT, the most damaging tornado of the day developed near the Polk and Hamilton county line, and proceeded northeast across western Polk county, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Storm chaser reports indicated this tornado frequently became multi-vortex in nature and produced a wide swath of damage. Three miles north of Polk, a home was completely ripped from its foundation and blown into some nearby trees. The tornado was rated an F3 at this point. Along its 18 mile path, the tornado damaged over 20 center pivots, and nearly every farmstead in the path of the tornado sustained damage to the home, outbuildings, machinery or grain bins. This tornado lifted southwest of Silver Creek. Just prior to the F3 tornado in Polk county, an F2 tornado was ripping up a farmstead in northern Merrick county. This tornado was responsible for tearing the roof from a home, destroying two large metal outbuildings and damage to a half-dozen vehicles. The tornado moved north and destroyed a barn on the Nance and Merrick county line, but narrowly missed the home. Window and siding damage was noted at the home. Later that evening, one final tornado was reported. This tornado moved from south of Silver Creek to northeast of Silver Creek just before sunset. The tornado clipped the southeast side of town, resulting in damage to the post office, several cars, trees, and 13 residences in town. Fortunately, most of the damage was minor.
37.61957-04-25340°22'N / 97°57'W40°39'N / 97°24'W34.70 Miles220 Yards00250K0Clay
37.61974-04-20340°19'N / 97°44'W40°36'N / 97°29'W23.40 Miles33 Yards0025K0Nuckolls
38.52004-05-22240°15'N / 97°30'W40°28'N / 97°21'W8.00 Miles800 Yards002.5M500KThayer
 Brief Description: A tornado traveled 8 miles and damaged 6 farmsteads. One house was hit by the tornado. Damage was so severe; the owners burnt the 120 year old house. A machine shed was destroyed toward the end of the tornadoes path. Three semi-trucks were stacked on top of each other at one site. Several center pivot systems were destroyed. One of the worst severe weather outbreaks in recent years struck south-central Nebraska the afternoon and evening of May 22. No less than 17 different tornadoes rolled across south-central Nebraska. Dozens of homes were damaged and a few completely destroyed. Over 250 center irrigation pivots were damaged or destroyed in south-central Nebraska alone. Large hail and strong straight-line winds of up to 80 mph also wreaked havoc on the region. Several million dollars in property damage was reported. Hundreds of power poles were snapped resulting in dozens of miles of downed electrical line.
39.71992-06-15240°54'N / 97°54'W0.10 Mile30 Yards002.5M0Hamilton
39.71952-08-13441°13'N / 96°35'W41°01'N / 96°19'W19.40 Miles110 Yards020250K0Saunders
39.91990-03-13441°26'N / 97°02'W41°27'N / 97°00'W4.00 Miles440 Yards0025.0M0Colfax
40.31952-08-13341°28'N / 97°17'W41°26'N / 97°13'W3.30 Miles1300 Yards000K0Colfax
42.11988-05-07241°07'N / 96°28'W41°07'N / 96°20'W7.00 Miles73 Yards002.5M0Saunders
42.72008-05-29240°51'N / 98°02'W40°52'N / 97°53'W8.00 Miles1000 Yards0020K100KHamilton
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado started southwest of Aurora and moved southeast. The parent supercell had produced a rear flank downdraft (RFD) that was traveling down Interstate 80. As the tornado interacted with this RFD about a mile north of the Interstate, it rapidly increased in size and strength and started to move eastward. At this point the tornado damaged several homes and brought down a self standing cell tower. One home along Highway 14 sustained considerable damage. The tornado then moved to the northeast and dissipated just southwest of the village of Hampton. To the west of Hampton, several empty rail cars were blown off the tracks by what appeared to be inflow winds into the tornado. A major high voltage power line was brought down by the tornado as well as many power lines and poles in the rural areas. Also many center pivot irrigation systems were blown over along the tornadoes path. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant severe weather outbreak occurred during the late afternoon and evening of May 29th. Several tornadoes were reported from near Elwood to north of York. Two tornadoes caused damage in the city of Kearney and one occurred just to the south of town. Another tornado damaged homes and power poles near Aurora. Another tornado started in north-central Kansas and entered south-central Nebraska near Hubbell. Very strong winds moved down a portion of Interstate 80 and pushed cars and trucks off of the roadway near Aurora. Other areas of south-central Nebraska received heavy rains and hail. Hail to the size of baseballs was reported near Arapahoe in Furnas County. These storms also produce a lot of rainfall over areas that had fairly wet ground. Several areas of flooding were noted in the Platte and Republican River valleys.
44.01991-04-26240°26'N / 96°30'W40°31'N / 96°28'W4.00 Miles150 Yards00250K0Gage
44.01991-04-26340°36'N / 96°24'W40°47'N / 96°16'W14.00 Miles350 Yards022.5M0Otoe
44.81996-05-08240°17'N / 96°49'W40°18'N / 96°42'W9.50 Miles880 Yards01512.0M0Gage
 Brief Description: The beginning of the tornado started 4 1/2 miles west northwest of downtown Beatrice, just north of the Homestead National Monument. The storm damaged trees just north of state highway 4 when it struck several homes, primarily lifting the roofs off of them. The tornado was rated F1 at that point. Around 1/2 mile to the east, the tornado struck a subdivision. The damage was more severe, with collapsed outer walls and roofs off homes. The tornado damage was rated as a strong F2 in this area. The tornado, continuing to move in an east southeast direction, nearly paralleling highway 4, struck a church. Part of the roof was lost off the church. After striking the church, the tornado hit several more homes and barns before entering the heart of the city. The damage path width of the tornado was 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide, with damaging thunderstorms winds out to 11/2 mile. The main tornado path remained 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide north of U.S. highway 136, with much of the damage south of highway 136 due to thunderstorm downburst winds. The tornado strength weakened when entering the city, with an F-scale strength between F0-F1. Although much of the damage in the central city area was due to falling trees and large tree limbs, other damage noted was roofing torn off of several buildings and a collapsed 200 foot communication tower. After the storm exited the city, it regained strength. The tornado also began curving to the northeast. The storm maintained about F1 strength from about 1 mile east of downtown Beatrice to the storm's dissipation, approximately 3 miles northeast of the city. The strong F2 tornado's path was 9.5 miles long.
44.81982-05-26241°00'N / 97°59'W0.80 Mile30 Yards00250K0Hamilton
44.91998-06-23241°29'N / 97°18'W41°33'N / 97°13'W6.00 Miles1760 Yards0174.0M500KPlatte
 Brief Description: Two farm houses destroyed. Six farm houses severely damaged. One house blown off foundation. Bar destroyed. Center pivots overturned. Severe crop damage.
45.51953-05-09340°15'N / 97°34'W40°18'N / 97°27'W6.50 Miles880 Yards5802.5M0Thayer
45.51990-03-13340°19'N / 97°40'W40°21'N / 97°37'W2.00 Miles180 Yards002.5M0Thayer
45.81965-07-01340°43'N / 96°25'W40°39'N / 96°11'W12.80 Miles33 Yards01250K0Otoe
46.11952-08-13441°01'N / 96°19'W40°56'N / 96°13'W7.30 Miles33 Yards00250K0Cass
46.32008-05-29240°20'N / 96°42'W40°21'N / 96°30'W11.00 Miles440 Yards00750K0KGage
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A bow echo that moved across the Beatrice area spun up an EF2 tornado just north of town while south through east of town a narrow path of straight line wind damage occurred. The tornado touched down around 2 miles east of Highway 77 near Hackberry Road where it severely damaged two houses. Farm outbuildings were also severely damaged or destroyed. The tornado was rated an EF2 at that location. From there the tornado damaged a church on Elm Road with trees also snapped or uprooted in both areas as well. The tornado continued east northeast causing substantial tree and outbuilding damage to 10 more farmsteads, along with some house damage. Most of the damage occurred along Hackberry Road with the damage path around 1/4 mile wide. As the tornado worked its way east northeast toward Johnson county...the damage gradually weakened and the path narrowed. The tornado was estimated to have lifted a little northeast of Filley. Emergency management estimated that the tornado and the wind damage south through east of town caused at least a million dollars worth of damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front lifted north across the region during the afternoon and evening of May 29th followed by a weak cool front passage later that night. As the warm front passed, temperatures warmed into the lower to mid 80s and dewpoint temperatures climbed into the 65 to 70 degree range. The whole system was aided by an intense upper level low pressure area that moved from the eastern Rockies into the northern plains. The combination of the high instability in place, the 2 fronts and the upper level disturbance created conditions that were favorable not only for severe thunderstorms, a few of which were supercells that produced tornadoes, but also areas of very heavy rainfall that produced flash flooding that night and river and stream flooding that lasted a day or two later.
46.81967-06-13241°59'N / 97°23'W41°05'N / 97°17'W62.30 Miles33 Yards00250K0Stanton
47.11967-06-13240°48'N / 98°10'W41°00'N / 97°55'W18.80 Miles33 Yards000K0Hamilton
47.81986-04-26240°10'N / 97°34'W40°18'N / 97°25'W10.00 Miles40 Yards00250K0Thayer
48.21967-06-09240°35'N / 96°23'W40°39'N / 96°11'W11.30 Miles33 Yards0025K0Otoe
48.32006-04-15240°08'N / 96°47'W40°27'N / 96°28'W29.00 Miles880 Yards004.5M0Gage
 Brief Description: This tornado formed about 6 miles west of Wymore at 433 pm CDT (1533 CST), tracked northeast to around 4 miles east of Beatrice where it caused f2 damage, then tracked just south of Adams and crossed into Johnson county 2 miles southeast of Adams around 515 pm CDT. In Johnson county the tornado tracked another 5 miles before dissipating or lifting 3 miles north of Sterling. This tornado formed from a supercell which then became rain-wrapped and took on a heavy rain (hp) supercell characteristics. In Gage county, the average width of the damage path of the tornado was around 150 yards, but it did reach around 1/2 mile in a 3 mile stretch from 4 miles east of Beatrice to 6 miles east northeast of Beatrice. The total path length in Gage and Johnson counties was 34 miles. Seventy-three homes were affected by the tornado, one house was basically destroyed and two others received major damage. One farmstead had 10 trees uprooted. The tornado also destroyed two large chicken houses that when full could house up to 86,000 broilers. In Gage county the damage was estimated at $4.5 million.
48.61964-05-05540°36'N / 98°16'W40°51'N / 97°50'W28.40 Miles880 Yards0025K0Clay
48.91965-05-08241°25'N / 97°21'W41°44'N / 97°09'W24.00 Miles33 Yards000K0Platte
49.01995-05-08240°27'N / 96°23'W40°31'N / 96°20'W1.50 Miles400 Yards00450K0Nemaha
 Brief Description: A tornado touched down four miles west and one-half mile south of Auburn and did extensive damage to a house, farm, its outbuildings, and power lines along the path of the tornado. A second farmsite was damage three and one-half miles west of Auburn.
49.41984-06-12340°16'N / 97°48'W40°18'N / 97°33'W13.00 Miles200 Yards052.5M0Thayer
49.61973-09-25340°00'N / 96°47'W40°31'N / 96°31'W38.20 Miles100 Yards082.5M0Gage
49.91987-08-17240°09'N / 97°10'W0.20 Mile50 Yards00250K0Jefferson


* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.


 
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