A passing upper level disturbance interacted with a moist and unstable environment which produced numerous severe thunderstorms with large hail, funnel clouds and a few tornadoes.
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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.
The episode as NWS CYS wrote it up.
A passing upper level disturbance interacted with a moist and unstable environment which produced numerous severe thunderstorms with large hail, funnel clouds and a few tornadoes.
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 Cheyenne, WY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 27, 10:25 AM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 1125 AM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 524 AM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 LOW CLOUDS AND FOG ARE OVERSPREADING THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AND EAST CENTRAL WYOMING EARLY THIS MORNING AS THE LOW PRESSURE TROUGH PERSISTS OVER THE ROCKIES AND MAINTAINS EASTERLY SFC FLOW. A LINE OF LIGHT SHOWERS WITH A COUPLE EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS HAS BEEN MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS CHEYENNE COUNTY OVERNIGHT...WHICH HAS KEPT THE LOW CLOUDS OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE SO FAR. LIKELY WILL SEE THE SHOWER ACTIVITY CONTINUE THROUGH SUNRISE WHICH WILL REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG FROM MAKING IT INTO CHEYENNE AND KIMBALL COUNTIES. SHORTWAVE FEATURE MOVING ACROSS IDAHO AND INTO WESTERN WYOMING THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO TREK ACROSS WYOMING TODAY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A MOISTURE PLUME ORIGINATING FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN PACIFIC AHEAD OF THIS WAVE...WITH A 90KT JET MOVING ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THIS JET WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE FORECAST AREA TODAY ALONG WITH THE MID LEVEL ENERGY. INCREASING PACIFIC MOISTURE WILL COMBINE WITH THIS BROAD SCALE LIFT TO INITIATE ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THE DRYLINE BOUNDARY WILL PUSH EAST THIS MORNING AS THE UPPER WAVE MOVES ACROSS WYOMING WITH THE STRONGEST CONVERGENCE ZONE TO BE SITUATED OVER THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE DURING PRIME HEATING. THEREFORE...EXPECTING THE BEST COVERAGE OF TSTORMS ACROSS THE FAR NORTHEASTERN ZONES ONCE AGAIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH MID 50 DEW POINTS AHEAD OF THE SFC TROUGH. INCREASING MID LEVEL WINDS WITH THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BRING UP 0 TO 6 KM BULK SHEAR VALUES TO AROUND 40 KT...SO THERE IS A POSSIBILITY ONCE AGAIN FOR SOME STORMS TO BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE. FORECAST SOUNDS ALLUDE TO HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREAT IN THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE COUNTIES...WITH STRONG DOWNBURST WINDS POSSIBLE FURTHER SOUTH. WITH THE INCREASING MID LEVEL WINDS...MOISTURE...AND UPPER LEVEL ENERGY OVERHEAD... EXPECT A CHANCE FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL ALONG AND WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE STARTING LATE THIS MORNING WITH A FEW ROLLING OFF THE MOUNTAINS INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. STRONG INVERTED-V PROFILE WITH LCL AROUND 600 MB SUGGESTS GUSTY DOWNBURST WINDS WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY THE STORMS. THE WAVE WILL QUICKLY MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST TONIGHT WITH THE STRONGER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXPECTED TO DIG INTO THE GREAT BASIN DURING THIS TIME AS WELL. INCREASING PRESSURE FALLS OVER THE ROCKIES TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WILL INDUCE STRONGER SOUTHEAST UPSLOPE FLOW ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS ALONG WITH INCREASING MOISTURE ADVECTION. DEW POINTS LOOK PRETTY MEAGER...MEANING LCL HEIGHTS SHOULD STAY FAIRLY HIGH. HOWEVER SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL ALLOW THE ATMOSPHERE TO DESTABILIZE WITH FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING STEEP LAPSE RATES WITH MINIMAL CAP BY THE AFTERNOON ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA. WILL AGAIN HAVE A CHANCE FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR TUESDAY AS A RESULT WITH A BETTER POTENTIAL FOR A FEW TO BECOME SEVERE ESPECIALLY TUESDAY EVENING OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS WHERE MOISTURE IS DEEPEST. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF NEARLY ONE INCH OVER THE PANHANDLE WILL RESULT IN HEAVY RAIN PRODUCERS OUT THAT WAY AS WELL. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 524 AM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 UPPER TROUGH AXIS WILL BE SITUATED ALONG THE SPINE OF THE ROCKIES WEDNESDAY. WINDS ALOFT BECOMING MORE ZONAL AFTER ITS PASSAGE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF PRODUCE A DECENT COVERAGE OF QPF WITH THIS TROUGH. TEMPERATURES MAY BE COLD ENOUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING FOR SNOW DOWN TO AROUND 9000 FEET ALONG WEST AND NORTHWEST FACING SLOPES OF THE SNOWY/SIERRA MADRES. ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE LIGHT. ON THURSDAY...MODELS SHOW ADEQUATE MID/UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE OVER THE REGION. SOME UPSLOPE FLOW AND MARGINAL INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH SUPPORTS SCATTERED CONVECTION. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WILL BE COOLER WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOW THE STUBBORN UPPER TROUGH WITH COOL/MOIST AIRMASS LINGERING. A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL USHER IN COOLER TEMPERATURES FRIDAY WITH GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS. INSTABILITY WILL BE MARGINAL FOR CONVECTION WITH COOL AIR ALOFT. DRIER AIR BEGINS TO INFILTRATE THE REGION THIS WEEKEND. INCREASING HEIGHTS ALOFT WITH BUILDING RIDGE...RISING 700MB TEMPERATURES AND LOW LEVEL SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL RESULT IN WARMER TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND. ISOLATED AFTERNOON CONVECTION WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY OVER EASTERN WYOMING AND NORTHERN PANHANDLE. REMAINDER OF WEEKEND WILL BE DRY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 1125 AM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 SCTD MVFR CIGS OVER PARTS OF THE PANHANDLE LATE THIS MORNING SHOULD BREAK UP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING OVER SE WY WITH SOMEWHAT MORE COVERAGE OVER THE PANHANDLE. ACTIVITY WILL DISSIPATE THIS EVENING. SOME RETURN OF MAINLY MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT OVER THE PANHANDLE BUT SHOULD NOT BE AS EXTENSIVE. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 524 AM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 THE DRYLINE BOUNDARY WILL PUSH FURTHER EAST TODAY WITH DRIER AIR AND SOME GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS SPREADING FURTHER EAST ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION BUT WITH GREEN FUELS ACROSS THE AREA...FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL REMAIN LOW. A STRONGER PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL PUSH ACROSS THE REGION STARTING ON TUESDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY...LIKELY BRINGING WETTING RAINS AND COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...RJM LONG TERM...JAMSKI AVIATION...RE FIRE WEATHER...RJM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 201 PM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 WYZ101>119-282015- CONVERSE COUNTY LOWER ELEVATIONS-NIOBRARA COUNTY- NORTH LARAMIE RANGE-FERRIS/SEMINOE/SHIRLEY MOUNTAINS- SHIRLEY BASIN-CENTRAL LARAMIE RANGE AND SOUTHWEST PLATTE COUNTY- EAST PLATTE COUNTY-GOSHEN COUNTY-CENTRAL CARBON COUNTY- NORTH SNOWY RANGE FOOTHILLS-SOUTHWEST CARBON COUNTY- SIERRA MADRE RANGE-UPPER NORTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN-SNOWY RANGE- LARAMIE VALLEY-SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE-SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE FOOTHILLS- CENTRAL LARAMIE COUNTY-EAST LARAMIE COUNTY- 201 PM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHEAST WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTY WINDS AROUND 40 MPH POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK. A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS OF WYOMING...OTHERWISE THE PROBABILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE NEZ002-003-019>021-054-055-095-096-282015- DAWES-BOX BUTTE-SCOTTS BLUFF-BANNER-MORRILL-KIMBALL-CHEYENNE- NORTH SIOUX-SOUTH SIOUX- 201 PM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE INTO LATE THIS EVENING. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK. SOME STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF THE PANHANDLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NEEDED TONIGHT FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHEYENNE TT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY 200 PM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 NEZ020-054-272100- BANNER NE-KIMBALL NE- 200 PM MDT MON MAY 27 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN KIMBALL AND EASTERN BANNER COUNTIES UNTIL 300 PM MDT... AT 157 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES SOUTH OF HARRISBURG...OR 14 MILES NORTH OF KIMBALL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF NORTHERN KIMBALL AND SOUTHERN BANNER COUNTIES. && LAT...LON 4168 10350 4142 10338 4128 10372 4159 10388 TIME...MOT...LOC 2001Z 258DEG 12KT 4144 10368 TJT
The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 91 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:06 UTC.
4 tornado, 4 hail, 2 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A weak tornado touched down in open country northwest of Kimball. The tornado moved northeast and was in contact with ground for 10 minutes before it lifted just west of State Highway 71 north of Kimball. No damage was reported.
A funnel cloud was observed six miles south of Harrisburg.
The supercell thunderstorm that spawned the tornado northwest of Kimball produced another weak tornado northeast of Kimball. This weak tornado was on the ground for three minutes before it lifted. No damage was reported.
Quarter size hail was reported at Lodgepole.
Quarter size hail was reported at Sidney.
A weak tornado was on the ground for five minutes before it lifted. The observer was looking west from State Highway 71. No damage was reported.
A public report of a brief funnel cloud was relayed by KNEB Scottsbluff.
A weak tornado touched down in open country south of State Highway 71 and lasted five minutes before it lifted. No damage was reported.
Grass was covered with marble to quarter size hail.
Penny to quarter size hail was reported eight miles southeast of Crawford.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2013Warnings in Nebraska, May 2013
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: 444253, 444249, 444254, 444244, 444245, 444252, 444246, 444251, 444248, 444250.