Tornadoes in Nebraska, May 22, 2004

Name: Tornadoes in Nebraska, May 22, 2004
Start: 2004-05-22T18:30
End: 2004-05-22T20:10
Location: Nebraska

May 22, 2004 · NWS OAX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

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.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 38
Property damage: $160 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OAX wrote it up.

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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 12:50 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 12:50 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
150 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

.DISCUSSION...
PRIMARY CONCERNS WILL DEAL WITH THE SHORT TERM AND NEXT ROUND OF SEVERE
WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

REMNANTS OF OUTFLOW BOUNDRY THAT WAS ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER
EARLIER THIS MORNING HAS PRETTY MUCH WASHED OUT WITH 18Z SURFACE
ANALYSIS SHOWING MAIN BOUNDRY FROM NORTHERN NEBRASKA INTO NORTHERN
IOWA. 18Z OAX UA DATA ALSO SHOWING THAT MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES HAVE
RECOVERED QUICKLY FROM EARLIER THIS MORNING SO LATEST SPC DISCUSSION
SEEMS REASONABLE WITH STORMS EXPECTED TO LIGHT UP AGAIN IN THE
VICINITY OF THE SURFACE BOUNDRY ACROSS NORTHEAST NEBRASKA THIS
AFTERNOON. STILL PLENTY OF MOISTURE IN PLACE WITH 12Z META SETTING
UP 850 THETA-E AXIS FROM SOUTHERN NEBRASKA INTO SOUTHERN IOWA DURING
THE LATE AFTERNOON. THE FLOOD WATCH ISSUED EARLER FOR ABOUT THE
NORTH HALF OF THE CWA STILL LOOKS GOOD AT THIS TIME AND NO
ADJUSTMENTS PLANNED.

OVERALL LITTLE CHANGE TO THE FORECAST WITH A BREAK IN THE ACTIVE
WEATHER FOR SUNDAY AND NEXT CHANCE OF STORMS COMING IN ON MONDAY WITH
NEXT FRONT AND UPPER WAVE.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...FLOOD WATCH 4 PM SAT TO 4 AM SUN FROM BUTLER SAUNDERS AND SARPY
COUNTIES NORTHWARD.
IA...FLOOD WATCH 4 PM SAT TO 4 AM SUN FROM POTTAWATTMIE COUNTY
NORTHWARD.

&&

NOTE...EFFECTIVE 1200 UTC JUNE 8TH THE AWIPS PRODUCT IDENTIFIER
/PID/ FOR THE AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION ISSUED BY OMAHA WFO WILL
CHANGE TO OMAAFDOAX.  THE WMO CODE WILL REMAIN FXUS63 KOAX.

FOBERT

Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 4:10 PM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
510 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

IAZ043-055-056-069-NEZ015-030>034-042>045-050>053-230500-
BOONE-BURT-BUTLER-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-DOUGLAS-HARRISON IA-MADISON-
MONONA IA-PLATTE-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-SARPY-SAUNDERS-SHELBY IA-STANTON-
THURSTON-WASHINGTON-
510 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST
CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE
ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE VERY LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND FLOODING. ISOLATED STRONG TORNADOES MAY
ALSO OCCUR. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS INDICATED THAT A MODERATE
RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE. STORMS SHOULD EVENTUALLY EVOLVE
INTO A LARGE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND LARGE
HAIL EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM
CDT.

VERY UNSTABLE AIR WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AS
LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHWEST KANSAS MOVES TO WEST CENTRAL IOWA
BY LATE TONIGHT. THE SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING THREAT
WILL LAST WELL INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY EVENING AS WELL AS LATE NEXT WEEK.  LATER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS WILL ADDRESS THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
WITH THESE STORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA UNTIL 11 PM CDT. STORM
SPOTTER WILL BE REQUIRED THIS EVENING.

IAZ079-080-090-091-NEZ065>068-078-088>093-230500-
CASS-FREMONT IA-GAGE-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LANCASTER-MILLS IA-
MONTGOMERY IA-NEMAHA-OTOE-PAGE IA-PAWNEE-RICHARDSON-SALINE-SEWARD-
510 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA
AND SOUTHWESTERN IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE
AREA THIS EVENING. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE VERY LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS. STRONG TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

VERY UNSTABLE AIR WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AS LOW
PRESSURE INTENSIFIES OVER NORTHWEST KANSAS AND MOVES TO WEST
CENTRAL IOWA BY LATE TONIGHT. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL
LAST INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY EVENING AS WELL AS LATE NEXT WEEK.  LATER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS WILL ADDRESS THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
WITH THESE STORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA UNTIL 11 PM CDT. STORM
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING.

NEZ011-012-016>018-230500-
ANTELOPE-CEDAR-KNOX-PIERCE-WAYNE-
510 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING ACROSS THE AREA.
THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND
FLOODING. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS INDICATED THAT A MODERATE
RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE. STORMS SHOULD EVENTUALLY EVOLVE
INTO A LARGE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND LARGE
HAIL EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 AM
CDT.

VERY UNSTABLE AIR WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AS LOW
PRESSURE INTENSIFIES OVER NORTHWEST KANSAS AND MOVES TO WEST
CENTRAL IOWA BY LATE TONIGHT. THE SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING THREAT
WILL LAST WELL INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY EVENING AS WELL AS LATE NEXT WEEK.  LATER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS WILL ADDRESS THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
WITH THESE STORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION LATER THIS EVENING.

FOBERT

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 22, 5:13 PM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
613 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0605 PM     HAIL             SCHUYLER                41.45N 97.06W
05/22/2004  1.75 INCH        COLFAX             NE   PUBLIC

&&

LANDSVORK

Local storm report, May 22, 5:35 PM CST, 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
635 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0625 PM     HAIL             6 NW NORTH BEND         41.53N 96.87W
05/22/2004  0.75 INCH        DODGE              NE   AMATEUR RADIO

0628 PM     HAIL             2 W FREMONT             41.44N 96.53W
05/22/2004  0.88 INCH        DODGE              NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

LANDSVORK

Local storm report, May 22, 5:51 PM CST, 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
651 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0642 PM     HAIL             1 W NORTH BEND          41.47N 96.80W
05/22/2004  1.75 INCH        DODGE              NE   AMATEUR RADIO

0643 PM     HAIL             6 NW NORTH BEND         41.53N 96.87W
05/22/2004  1.00 INCH        DODGE              NE   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

LANDSVORK

Local storm report, May 22, 5:56 PM CST, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
656 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0650 PM     HAIL             6 W NORTH BEND          41.47N 96.90W
05/22/2004  1.75 INCH        COLFAX             NE   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

LANDSVORK

Local storm report, May 22, 5:59 PM CST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
659 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0657 PM     HAIL             1 NE NORTH BEND         41.48N 96.77W
05/22/2004  2.75 INCH        DODGE              NE   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

LANDSVORK

Local storm report, May 22, 6:08 PM CST, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
708 PM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0701 PM     TSTM WND GST     FREMONT                 41.44N 96.49W
05/22/2004  60 MPH           DODGE              NE   AMATEUR RADIO

0701 PM     HAIL             WINSLOW                 41.61N 96.50W
05/22/2004  1.75 INCH        DODGE              NE   AMATEUR RADIO

0703 PM     HAIL             FREMONT                 41.44N 96.49W
05/22/2004  2.75 INCH        DODGE              NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0705 PM     HAIL             FREMONT                 41.44N 96.49W
05/22/2004  1.00 INCH        DODGE              NE   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

LANDSVORK

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Jefferson

When: May 22, 6:30 PM CST to 6:38 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 3 mi W of Daykin
Rating: F1
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $220,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.317, -97.333

See description below

Tornado, Saline

When: May 22, 6:38 PM CST to 7:10 PM CST
Where: Saline County, 7 mi SW of Western
Rating: F2
Path length: 20 mi
Path width: 1,200 yd
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $20 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.333, -97.283

See description below

Tornado, Gage

When: May 22, 7:10 PM CST to 7:30 PM CST
Where: Gage County, 3 mi W of Clatonia
Rating: F4
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 2,640 yd
Property damage: $20 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.467, -96.883

See description below.

Tornado, Lancaster

When: May 22, 7:30 PM CST to 8:05 PM CST
Where: Lancaster County, 1 mi S of Hallam
Rating: F4
Path length: 19.5 mi
Path width: 4,400 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 30 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $100 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.500, -96.783

See description below.

Tornado, Otoe

When: May 22, 8:05 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
Where: Otoe County, 5 mi SW of Palmyra
Rating: F1
Path length: 3.5 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $20 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.650, -96.450

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Lancaster	2004-05-22	73	Female	Permanent Home	Direct

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Nebraska, 2004 Warnings in Nebraska, May 2004

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5396241, 5396242, 5396243, 5396244, 5396245.