Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2007
EF0 tornado, Maple Hill, Kansas, May 1, 2007
This EF0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Wabaunsee County on May 1, 2007, touching down at 3:07 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.
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.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
Unrated
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 record
- Rating
- EF0
- Date
- May 1, 2007
- Touchdown
- 3:07 PM CDT (20:07 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
- Path width
- 50 yards (46 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Wabaunsee County
- Touchdown point
- 39.080, -96.030
- Lift-off point
- 39.080, -96.030
- Record number
- 0705011407-01
What the Weather Service recorded
Heavy rain during the morning brought some flash flooding to parts of Pottawatomie county. Rock Creek in Louisville spilled out of its banks bringing some lowland flooding. Lowland and small stream flooding occurred over other parts of the county with a few rainfall amounts over 6 inches. By afternoon, several brief tornadoes and numerous funnel clouds were reported in a few other counties as unstable air gave rise to thunderstorms. The thunderstorms also gave locally heavy rain and some flash flooding as well.
Brief touchdown from a mini-supercell.
Brief touchdown from a mini-supercell.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 1, 3:45 AM CDT, 11 hours 22 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 1, 3:45 AM CDT, 11 hours 22 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 345 AM CDT TUE MAY 1 2007 .DISCUSSION... AN MCV CIRCULATION HAS MIGRATED INTO THE CWA AND WAS NEAR KMHK THIS MORNING WITH PRECIPITATION EXPANDING ALONG I-70 WEST THROUGH SALINA. THIS WILL LIKELY LAST THROUGH THE MORNING AND HAVE INCREASED POPS ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. FRONTAL BOUNDARY FROM NORTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH IT. UPPER LOW WAS SPINNING OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARD WITH TIME. PRECIPITATION FORECAST FOR TODAY IS A LITTLE TRICKY WITH RESPECT TO THE LOCATION OF HEAVY RAINFALL. UPPER LOW WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BY 00Z WEDNESDAY WITH DEFORMATION ZONE ACROSS SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 1 INCH TO AS HIGH AS 1.50 INCHES ACROSS SOUTHEAST KANSAS ARE FORECAST TODAY. A BAND OF HIGH THETA E WILL ARC FROM NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NORTHWEST INTO CENTRAL KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPS ON THE NORTH AND EAST SIDE OF THE CIRCULATION WILL BE SLOW MOVING AND LIKELY TO HAVE SOME ISOLATED AREAS OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. TONIGHT AREA OF PRECIPITATION WILL SHIFT SOUTHEAST AND BE MAINLY ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTH IN AREA OF 700 MB FRONTOGENESIS THIS EVENING THEN AS THE UPPER SYSTEM MOVES EAST OVERNIGHT FOCUS WILL BE MORE OVER MISSOURI AFTER 06Z. UPPER LOW REMAINS OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS ON WEDNESDAY WITH FRONT SOUTH IN OKLAHOMA. EXPECT TO SEE CONVECTION AROUND THE CIRCULATION WEDNESDAY ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. TROUGH OFF THE WEST COAST THIS MORNING MOVES INTO THE PLAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS CURRENT LOW FILLS OVER EASTERN KANSAS OR WESTERN MISSOURI. WILL SEE MORE SCATTERED CONVECTION ACROSS THE CWA ON THURSDAY AS THIS TROUGH MOVES THROUGH WITH BEST CHANCES ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA IN DEEPER MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR UP TO TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL THROUGH THE EVENT ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. PRECIPITATION WILL BE SPREAD OUT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS BUT THE SLOW MOVING STORMS COULD LEAD TO RISES ON AREA STREAMS AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. TEMPERATURES NEXT FEW DAYS WILL BE TRICKY WITH CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION AND HAVE ADJUSTED THEM DOWN. MADE LITTLE CHANGE TO THE WEEKEND AS UPPER LOW STAYS OUT WEST AND SHOULD KEEP PRECIPITATION MAINLY ACROSS THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS. BUT DID REMOVE POPS FOR SATURDAY AND LATER SHIFT MAY NEED TO CONSIDER REMOVING POPS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND EVEN SUNDAY AS 00Z ECMWF KEEPS UPPER SYSTEM OUT WEST THROUGH SUNDAY. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
Hazardous weather outlook, May 1, 5:14 AM CDT, 9 hours 53 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 514 AM CDT TUE MAY 1 2007 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-021015- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 514 AM CDT TUE MAY 1 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70 THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A SLOW MOVING WEATHER SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 THROUGH THURSDAY. RUNOFF FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE PONDING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS AND SIGNIFICANT WITHIN BANK RISES IN STREAMS AND CREEKS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER ONE INCH TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA.
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 1, 10:39 AM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 1, 10:57 AM CDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 1, 11:03 AM CDT, 4 hours 4 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 1, 1:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 1, 2:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
204 PM CDT TUE MAY 01 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0150 PM TORNADO 1 N ALMA 39.03N 96.29W
05/01/2007 WABAUNSEE KS FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 2 MILES SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 NEAR
ALMA.
&&
BYRNESpecial weather statement, May 1, 2:14 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 214 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2007 KSZ024-026-039-012000- JACKSON-JEFFERSON-SHAWNEE- 214 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2007 THROUGH 300 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE WEST AT 20 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN JEFFERSON... NORTHERN SHAWNEE AND SOUTHEAST JACKSON COUNTIES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL. FUNNEL CLOUDS MAY ALSO DEVELOP WITH THESE STORMS. SOME COMMUNITIES THAT COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE VALLEY FALLS...OZAWKIE...MERIDEN...HOYT AND SILVER LAKE. STAY ALERT TO THE WEATHER IN CASE A WARNING IS ISSUED. STARK
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.
Topeka, KS (KTOP), 12:00Z
8.1 hours before the tornado, 35 km from the path. May 1, 2007.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 36 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -148 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 11 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1175 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 8 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 21 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.2 K/km
The surface observations
Topeka (Foe) (FOE), 35 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:05 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.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2007 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 1, 2007
9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 1:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Wabaunsee, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 1 | 2:20 PM CDT | EF0 | Meade, KS | 0.2 | 30 | |||
| May 1 | 3:50 PM EDT | EF0 | Wood, OH | 0.3 | 30 | |||
| May 1 | 3:05 PM CDT | EF0 | McCulloch, TX | 3.3 | 30 | |||
| May 1 | 3:17 PM CDT | EF0 | Wabaunsee, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 1 | 3:35 PM CDT | EF0 | McCulloch, TX | 1.8 | 30 | |||
| May 1 | 6:05 PM EDT | EF1 | Crawford, PA | 2.0 | 30 | $500,000 | ||
| May 1 | 6:15 PM EDT | EF0 | Mercer, PA | 4.0 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| May 1 | 7:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Gillespie, TX | 0.2 | 20 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.