Tornadoes · United States · Iowa · 2026

Unrated tornado, Royal to Dickens, Iowa, May 17, 2026

From Royal to Dickens, this Unrated tornado ran 0.9 miles across Clay County on May 17, 2026, touching down at 8:48 PM CDT and reaching 20 yards wide. It killed nobody.

Preliminary. This is NWS FSD's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unratedthis tornado

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The survey

Rating, as surveyed
Unrated, preliminary
Date
May 17, 2026
Touchdown
8:48 PM CDT (01:48 UTC)
Lifted
8:49 PM CDT (01:49 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.9 miles (1.4 km)
Path width
20 yards (18 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Clay County
Touchdown point
43.033, -95.259
Lift-off point
43.037, -95.242
Surveyed by
NWS FSD
Survey last edited
July 31, 2026
Record number
None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.

What the survey found

Brief tornado in an open field reported by public. No known damage. Location is an approximation based on video evidence.

Written by NWS FSD in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.

What the Weather Service recorded

An approaching mid-level disturbance broke a weak cap and allowed storms to erupt during the afternoon along a slow moving frontal boundary. These storms rapidly organized into short bowing segments and then became highly linear across northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota during the evening. Initial supercell storms produced large hail with as much as 2000-3000 J/kg MLCAPE, but DCAPE of around 750-1000 J/kg allowed for the development of organized cold pools and an increasing wind threat. Several brief and highly visible tornadic spin-ups developed along the line of storms by late afternoon and evening across far eastern South Dakota, northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.||In addition, repeated thunderstorms brought as much as 2-4 inches of rain in a short period of time to portions of Plymouth and southern Sioux County in northwest Iowa. This same area had also received locally heavy rainfall during the previous days, resulting in spotty flooding of already saturated locations.

Video documented a brief tornado in an open field around 5 miles west-southwest of Royal. The tornado was estimated to touch down around one-half mile east of 100th Avenue along 420th Street. The tornado tracked east-northeast for less than two minutes across open fields before lifting around one-quarter mile north of 420th Street one-half mile west of 120th Avenue. There were no damage indicators present to derive a rating. The average path width was estimated at 20 yards based on video evidence.

A very brief tornado was observed in an open field around 3 miles southeast of Royal. The tornado was estimated to touch down around one-half mile southwest of the intersection of 420th Street and 170th Avenue. The tornado tracked east-northeast across open fields for around one minute before lifting south of 420th Street. There were no damage indicators present to derive a rating. The average path width was estimated at 20 yards based on video evidence.

Copernicus Sentinel satellite imagery indicated a brief tornado touched down just northeast of Gillett Grove northeast of the intersection of 430th Street and 280th Avenue. The tornado tracked northeast across open fields for a couple minutes before taking a slight turn to the north-northeast for around 3 miles before it lifted near the intersection of 390th Street and 300th Avenue. There were no damage indicators present to derive a rating. The average path width was estimated at 50 yards.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

22 minutes of warning. NWS FSD issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:26 UTC, 22 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 01:54 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:42 UTC and running to 03:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
18:42 UTC03:00 UTCTornado WatchFSD
01:21 UTC02:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSD
01:26 UTC01:54 UTCTornado WarningFSD
01:48 UTC02:15 UTCTornado WarningFSD
01:54 UTC02:11 UTCTornado WarningFSD

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 01:07 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 17, 6:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • There is high confidence that severe thunderstorms will develop this afternoon and evening, producing large hail, destructive straight-line winds, and a few tornadoes. An Enhanced Risk (level 3 of 5) of severe storms is in place.
  • A transitioning storm mode will shift hazards from large hail and tornadoes initially, to widespread wind damage as an intense line of storms tracks east of Interstate 29 this evening.
  • A lower risk of severe weather exists late Monday afternoon and evening, mainly over northwest IA, before quieter weather moves in for the mid-week period.
Area forecast discussion, May 17, 6:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
Issued by National Weather Service Rapid City SD
653 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- There is high confidence that severe thunderstorms will
  develop this afternoon and evening, producing large hail,
  destructive straight-line winds, and a few tornadoes. An
  Enhanced Risk (level 3 of 5) of severe storms is in place.

- A transitioning storm mode will shift hazards from large hail
  and tornadoes initially, to widespread wind damage as an
  intense line of storms tracks east of Interstate 29 this
  evening.

- A lower risk of severe weather exists late Monday afternoon
  and evening, mainly over northwest IA, before quieter weather
  moves in for the mid-week period.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 120 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

The short-term convective outlook presents a highly volatile
spring severe weather setup. Latest surface analysis shows a
complex pattern, anchored by a strong 994 mb low over northwest
KS. An inverted trough extended north of the low through
central SD, while a well-defined warm front stretched northeast
of the low into east central NE. A weaker low was also noted in
north central NE. Visible satellite imagery revealed stable
wave clouds advancing northeast over far northeast NE and
extreme SE SD, ahead of the advancing warm front. Regional
radar imagery showed a complex of strong to severe storms over
north central NE. This storm complex is forecast by short range
guidance to continue tracking east this afternoon, intensifying
as interacts with the richer low- level moisture pool near and
south of the warm front.

Moderate to strong instability will be in place over the
southern to eastern CWA by late afternoon with MLCAPE nearing
3000 J/kg. In addition, deep layer shear will increase to around
50 kt, coincident with a mid level speed max ejecting from the
deep upper trough to our west. As the system evolves over the
next several hours, it appears the ingredients for a significant
severe weather event will be most favored over the southern to
eastern CWA. Ahead of the main convective line, some CAMs show
supercell development along the northward advancing warm front.
These storms would present a risk of very large hail (2"+) and
tornadoes. Given the amount of low level SRH/curved hodographs
present, a couple strong tornadoes are possible. The convective
cluster currently entering our far southwest CWA should
strengthen as it shifts east, with an initial hail and tornado
threat transitioning to a damaging straight line wind threat
(70+ MPH) as it grows upscale into a squall line/QLCS. Some
line-embedded QLCS tornadoes are possible, especially for any
line segments that become oriented north/south or
northwest/southeast, given southwesterly 0-3 km shear vectors.
Timing from latest high-res guidance suggests this activity
exits to the east of our CWA late this evening.

Precipitation amounts will vary significantly based on convective
tracks, though NBM guidance and HREF probability match mean
fields project a widespread 0.50 to 1.50 inches of rainfall,
particularly across northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota. On
Monday, the cold front finally pushes into the area. Instability
and shear are forecast to be much lower than today, however,
there will be a conditional risk of severe storms over the
eastern CWA during the late afternoon to evening, if the airmass
can destabilize sufficiently ahead of the front. SPC's Day 2
outlook indicates as Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5), for our MN
and IA counties.

Behind the departing upper wave, quasi-zonal flow sets up for
Tuesday and Wednesday, yielding quiet conditions and seasonally
cool high temperatures moderating from the upper 50s Tuesday to
mid-upper 60s Wednesday.

The next upper wave moves in for the Thursday to Friday period,
however Gulf moisture remains cutoff ahead of this system.
Evaluating the ECMWF Extreme Forecast Index (EFI) reveals no
significant climatological anomalies for precipitation or wind
across the upper Midwest during this period, reinforcing the
the idea of a low-impact system for our area. The current
forecast sticks closely to the NBM consensus, maintaining broad
20-30 percent probabilities for light rain for late Thursday
into Saturday.

By late this week and especially this weekend, temperatures
will embark on a steady upward trajectory, as the mid level flow
backs west, then southwest. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
6-10 day outlook favors above-normal temperatures across the
Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, which supports blended
guidance high temperatures reaching well into the 80s on
Sunday.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY/...
Issued at 650 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

Showers and storms will continue to move eastward into MN through
the evening hours, the forecast area should be largely clear of
shower/storm activity after ~05z. Intermittent MVFR/IFR conditions
in heavy rainfall as well as hail and strong winds will accompany
the strongest storms. Widespread MVFR/IFR cigs will set in overnight
and persist through much of Monday.

&&

.FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...None.
MN...None.
IA...None.
NE...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...ILX/25
AVIATION...Wong
Hazardous weather outlook, May 17, 1:29 PM CDT, 7 hours 19 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
Issued by National Weather Service Lincoln IL
129 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-
098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-181830-
Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-Sioux-O'Brien-Clay-Plymouth-Cherokee-
Buena Vista-Woodbury-Ida-Lincoln-Murray-Cottonwood-Nobles-Jackson-
Pipestone-Rock-Dixon-Dakota-Beadle-Kingsbury-Brookings-Gregory-
Jerauld-Sanborn-Miner-Lake-Moody-Brule-Aurora-Davison-Hanson-McCook-
Minnehaha-Charles Mix-Douglas-Hutchinson-Turner-Bon Homme-Yankton-
Union-
129 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northwest Iowa, west central
Iowa, southwest Minnesota, northeast Nebraska, central South
Dakota, east central South Dakota, south central South Dakota and
southeast South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

A significant severe weather event is possible this afternoon and
evening. Very large hail, damaging wind gusts, and tornadoes are all
possible. If you have outdoor plans know where your nearest shelter
is located. Please ensure you have multiple ways to receive warnings.
Have a plan to take shelter and act immediately if your area comes
under a severe weather warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Strong to severe storms are possible again Monday afternoon and
evening, particularly over northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will likely be needed this afternoon and evening.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 17, 8:19 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
819 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

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

0756 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 NE Moville            42.52N 96.03W
05/17/2026  M75 MPH          Woodbury           IA   Public

            Via personal weather station. Exact time
            estimated via radar.

&&

ak
Local storm report, May 17, 8:20 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
820 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

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

0750 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Moville                 42.49N 96.06W
05/17/2026  M77 MPH          Woodbury           IA   Public

            Via personal weather station. Exact time
            estimated via radar.

&&

ak
Local storm report, May 17, 8:24 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
824 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

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

0757 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 SW Pierson            42.53N 95.88W
05/17/2026  M74 MPH          Woodbury           IA   Public

            Via personal weather station. Exact time
            estimated via radar.

&&

ak
Local storm report, May 17, 8:38 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
838 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

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

0831 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     Meriden                 42.80N 95.63W
05/17/2026  M60 MPH          Cherokee           IA   Public

            Via personal weather station.

&&

ak
Local storm report, May 17, 8:40 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
840 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

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

0822 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 NNW Ida Grove         42.35N 95.48W
05/17/2026  M59 MPH          Ida                IA   Mesonet

            Mesonet station RIGI4 Ida Grove.

&&

ak
Local storm report, May 17, 8:43 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
843 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

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

0829 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     6 N Cleghorn            42.89N 95.70W
05/17/2026  M62 MPH          Cherokee           IA   Public

            Via personal weather station. Exact time
            estimated via radar.

&&

ak

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Omaha, NE (KOAX), 00:00Z

1.8 hours before the tornado, 212 km from the path. May 18, 2026.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2026-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2478 joules per kilogram, CIN -15, lifted condensation level 1258 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 2026-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 34 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2478 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3721 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1258 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
298 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.0
Supercell composite
17.9
0-3 km lapse rate
7.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Omaha, NE (KOAX), 12:00Z

10.2 hours after it, 212 km from the path. May 18, 2026.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2026-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -93793, lifted condensation level 871 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2026-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 271 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 49 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-93793 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
871 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
220 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
2.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
23:36 UTCHAIL 0.75SibleyOsceola, IAReport from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). Time estimated via radar.
23:36 UTCHAIL 0.75SibleyOsceola, IAReport from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). Time estimated via radar.
01:09 UTCHAIL 1.753 S SanbornO'Brien, IAReport from mPING: Golf Ball (1.75 in.).
01:09 UTCHAIL 1.753 S SanbornO'Brien, IAReport from mPING: Golf Ball (1.75 in.).
01:12 UTCTORNADO7 S MarcusCherokee, IAVideo of brief gustnado. Location estimated.
01:15 UTCTORNADO3 W CherokeeCherokee, IAA couple of videos via social media of brief gustnado. Location estimated.
01:26 UTCTORNADO3 Ne MeridenCherokee, IAStorm chasers reported a brief tornado on the ground 2 to 3 minutes. Time and location confirmed with radar.
01:26 UTCTORNADO3 Ne MeridenCherokee, IAStorm chasers reported a brief tornado on the ground 2 to 3 minutes. Time and location confirmed with radar.
01:29 UTCTSTM WND GST 621 S CherokeeCherokee, IAAWOS station KCKP Cherokee Municipal Airport.
01:29 UTCTSTM WND GST 621 S CherokeeCherokee, IAAWOS station KCKP Cherokee Municipal Airport.
01:29 UTCTSTM WND GST 626 N CleghornCherokee, IAVia personal weather station. Exact time estimated via radar.
01:29 UTCTSTM WND GST 626 N CleghornCherokee, IAVia personal weather station. Exact time estimated via radar.
01:31 UTCTSTM WND GST 60MeridenCherokee, IAVia personal weather station.
01:31 UTCTSTM WND GST 60MeridenCherokee, IAVia personal weather station.
01:31 UTCTORNADO5 Wsw RoyalClay, IASocial media video relayed by emergency manager of brief tornado. Location estimated.
01:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 593 Wsw LakesideBuena Vista, IAAWOS station KSLB Storm Lake Airport.
01:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 593 Wsw LakesideBuena Vista, IAAWOS station KSLB Storm Lake Airport.
01:48 UTCTSTM WND GST 724 S Albert CityBuena Vista, IAVia personal weather station.
01:48 UTCTSTM WND GST 724 S Albert CityBuena Vista, IAVia personal weather station.
01:49 UTCTSTM WND DMGGreenvilleClay, IADamage to the Greenville grain elevator. Branches and power lines also downed. Time estimated from radar.
01:49 UTCTSTM WND DMGGreenvilleClay, IADamage to the Greenville grain elevator. Branches and power lines also downed. Time estimated from radar.
01:51 UTCTSTM WND GST 711 Ssw Albert CityBuena Vista, IAVia personal weather station.
01:51 UTCTSTM WND GST 711 Ssw Albert CityBuena Vista, IAVia personal weather station.
02:05 UTCTORNADO2 Sse HavelockPocahontas, IABetween Pocahontas and Havelock.
02:08 UTCTORNADO2 Nw TerrilDickinson, IAViewed on social media.
02:08 UTCTORNADO2 Nw TerrilDickinson, IAViewed on social media.
02:12 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 W West BendPalo Alto, IADaily CoCoRaHS observer notes from IA-PA-5 stated there was damage to a machine shed 1 mile ESE of their location, which is the location of this report. Time estimated from radar.
02:12 UTCTSTM WND GST 581 S Arnolds ParkDickinson, IAVia personal weather station.
02:12 UTCTSTM WND GST 581 S Arnolds ParkDickinson, IAVia personal weather station.
02:14 UTCTORNADOGraettingerPalo Alto, IAReports of power pole and tree damage in town. Time estimated by radar.
02:23 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N EsthervilleEmmet, IA2-3 inch diameter limbs down. Time estimated via radar.
02:41 UTCTSTM WND GST 822 Wnw GruverEmmet, IAASOS station KEST Estherville Airport.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in IowaEvery tornado in Iowa since 1950Warnings in force in Iowa nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 17, 2026

47 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 173:17 PM EDTEF0Lee, FL0.125
May 173:25 PM EDTEF0Lee, FL2.1150
May 173:35 PM EDTEF0Lee, FL0.550
May 174:05 PM CDTUnratedTurner, SD0.70
May 175:04 PM CDTEF3Howard, NE6.1350
May 175:23 PM CDTEF0Merrick, NE1.330
May 175:58 PM CDTUnratedNobles, MN1.325
May 176:15 PM CDTUnratedNobles, MN0.620
May 176:42 PM CDTEF1Thayer, NE4.3200$10
May 177:11 PM CDTEF0Ida, IA0.560
May 177:12 PM CDTUnratedMartin, MN0.30
May 177:19 PM CDTEF1Thurston, NE1.9300
May 177:31 PM CDTEF0Woodbury, IA2.575
May 177:37 PM CDTEF1Woodbury, IA3.9100
May 177:55 PM CDTEF1Saunders, NE0.840
May 178:07 PM CDTUnratedPlymouth, IA0.70
May 178:10 PM CDTUnratedCherokee, IA0.40
May 178:11 PM CDTUnratedCherokee, IA0.90
May 178:15 PM CDTUnratedCherokee, IA0.80
May 178:25 PM CDTUnratedCherokee, IA0.90
May 178:31 PM CDTUnratedClay, IA1.20
May 178:42 PM CDTUnratedBuena Vista, IA2.275
May 178:45 PM CDTEF1Cass, NE0.8100
May 178:53 PM CDTUnratedClay, IA4.075
May 179:01 PM CDTEF1Calhoun, IA4.250
May 179:03 PM CDTEF1Palo Alto, IA3.525
May 179:05 PM CDTEF1Pocahontas, IA1.125
May 179:06 PM CDTEF0Clay, IA1.230
May 179:08 PM CDTUnratedDickinson, IA0.625
May 179:10 PM CDTEF1Palo Alto, IA3.70
May 179:10 PM CDTUnratedDickinson, IA1.545
May 179:10 PM CDTEF1Calhoun, IA0.230
May 179:12 PM CDTUnratedEmmet, IA1.330
May 179:17 PM CDTEF0Palo Alto, IA0.825
May 179:19 PM CDTEF0Palo Alto, IA2.725
May 179:20 PM CDTEF0Palo Alto, IA1.120
May 179:24 PM CDTEF0Webster, IA4.750
May 179:29 PM CDTEF1Kossuth, IA0.730
May 179:29 PM CDTEF1Emmet, IA1.125
May 179:41 PM CDTEF1Kossuth, IA10.20
May 1710:07 PM CDTEF1Cerro Gordo, IA0.240
May 1710:10 PM CDTEF1Worth, IA9.10
May 1710:13 PM CDTEF1Cerro Gordo, IA7.040
May 1710:14 PM CDTEF1Freeborn, MN1.20
May 1710:15 PM CDTUnratedCerro Gordo, IA2.40
May 1710:18 PM CDTUnratedCerro Gordo, IA2.60
May 1710:27 PM CDTEF1Freeborn, MN0.40

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.

Sources

NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.