Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2007
EF0 tornado, Zeandale, Kansas, May 5, 2007
This EF0 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Riley County on May 5, 2007, touching down at 10:34 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 5, 2007
- Touchdown
- 10:34 PM CDT (03:34 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.3 miles (0.4 km)
- Path width
- 50 yards (46 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Riley County
- Touchdown point
- 39.170, -96.390
- Lift-off point
- 39.170, -96.390
- Record number
- 0705052134-01
What the Weather Service recorded
An upper level low pressure system remained relatively stationary over the Central Plains Saturday through Monday, May 5th through May 7th. Severe weather swept across Northeast Kansas during the late evening hours the 5th, and the early morning of the 6th. Hail, strong winds, and tornadoes were all observed over the course of the evening. An F2 tornado that ripped across Ottawa County killed one woman, and injured one other when their mobile home was demolished. At least three other people were confirmed to have been injured during the tornado. NWS Storm Surveys the following day confirmed that damage was created by both tornadoes and strong winds across portions of northeast Kansas, but 6 tornadoes were confirmed. Cloud county qualified for FEMA funds.
Touchdown approximately 6 miles north of Exit 323 on I-70.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
8 minutes of warning. NWS TOP issued a tornado warning for this county at 03:26 UTC, 8 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:47 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 02:08 UTC and running to 09:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:00 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | TOP |
| 19:44 UTC | 02:08 UTC | Tornado Watch | TOP |
| 02:08 UTC | 09:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | TOP |
| 02:43 UTC | 03:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP |
| 03:26 UTC | 03:47 UTC | Tornado Warning | TOP |
| 05:35 UTC | 06:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP |
| 06:47 UTC | 10:45 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | TOP |
| 06:48 UTC | 10:45 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | TOP |
| 08:52 UTC | 12:45 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | TOP |
| 10:00 UTC | 12:00 UTC | Flash Flood Watch | TOP |
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 Slight Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:59 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.
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), 00:00Z
3.6 hours before the tornado, 67 km from the path. May 6, 2007.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1963 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -29 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2402 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1234 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 217 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 294 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.1
- Supercell composite
- 10.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.0 K/km
The surface observations
Manhattan (MHK), 25 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:52 UTC | 76 | 67 | 150° 16 kt | 24 | 1005.1 | |
| 02:31 UTC | 75.2 | 66.2 | 150° 10 kt | 20 | 1005.8 | VCTS |
| 02:52 UTC | 73 | 69 | 150° 17 kt | 22 | 1006.1 | -TSRA BR |
| 03:01 UTC | 73.4 | 69.8 | 130° 9 kt | 1005.4 | +TSRA BR | |
| 03:14 UTC | 73.4 | 69.8 | 140° 12 kt | 17 | 1005.8 | -TSRA |
| 03:41 UTC | 73.4 | 68 | 150° 15 kt | 20 | 1005.4 | TS |
| 03:52 UTC | 73 | 69 | 150° 13 kt | 20 | 1005.4 | VCTS -RA |
| 04:26 UTC | 73.4 | 69.8 | 150° 14 kt | 23 | 1005.4 | VCTS -RA |
| 04:50 UTC | 73.4 | 69.8 | 150° 15 kt | 22 | 1004.1 | |
| 04:52 UTC | 74 | 69 | 150° 14 kt | 22 | 1004.1 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 03:32 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02:59 UTC | HAIL 1 | 3 Se Randolph | Riley, KS | |
| 03:08 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Randolph | Riley, KS | |
| 03:34 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Se St. George | Riley, KS | PUBLIC REPORTED TORNADO 6 MILES NORTH OF 323 EXIT ON I70 |
| 04:04 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Sse St. George | Riley, KS | TELEPHONE POLES REPORTED DOWN AT THE INTERSECTION OF TALLGRASS ROAD AND TABOR VALLEY ROAD 3 MILES NORTH OF I70. |
| 06:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 8 N Randolph | Riley, KS | OBSERVER REPORTED A BARN WAS COMPLETELY BLOWN DOWN ACROSS THE STREET FROM HIM. THERE WERE DOORS BLOWN OFF OF ANOTHER OUTBUILDING AND STORM WINDOWS WERE BLOWN OUT OF THE OBSERVERS HOUSE. OBSERVER ALSO REPORTED A TREE DOWN |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
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 5, 2007
96 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5 | 1:21 AM CDT | EF1 | Barton, KS | 5.5 | 100 | $2.0 million | ||
| May 5 | 1:28 AM CDT | EF1 | Barton, KS | 6.2 | 125 | $57,000 | ||
| May 5 | 1:46 AM CDT | EF1 | Barton, KS | 5.2 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| May 5 | 2:06 AM CDT | EF0 | Ellsworth, KS | 0.5 | 40 | $13,000 | ||
| May 5 | 12:23 PM CDT | EF1 | Custer, NE | 20.6 | 150 | $150,000 | ||
| May 5 | 11:57 AM MDT | EF0 | Logan, CO | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 1:03 PM CDT | EF1 | Custer, NE | 40.7 | 220 | $40,000 | ||
| May 5 | 2:05 PM CDT | EF1 | Brown, NE | 14.3 | 220 | $40,000 | ||
| May 5 | 3:48 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, NE | 11.4 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| May 5 | 3:57 PM CDT | EF1 | Keya Paha, NE | 16.7 | 100 | 1 | $100,000 | |
| May 5 | 4:31 PM CDT | EF1 | Miner, SD | 0.1 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| May 5 | 4:33 PM CDT | EF2 | Bon Homme, SD | 3.5 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| May 5 | 4:35 PM CDT | EF2 | Miner, SD | 1.0 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| May 5 | 4:43 PM CDT | EF2 | Bon Homme, SD | 4.0 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| May 5 | 4:48 PM CDT | EF0 | Pratt, KS | 1.4 | 30 | |||
| May 5 | 4:58 PM CDT | EF1 | Saline, NE | 18.3 | 400 | |||
| May 5 | 4:59 PM CDT | EF1 | Pratt, KS | 11.1 | 150 | |||
| May 5 | 5:00 PM CDT | EF0 | Hutchinson, SD | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 5:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Hutchinson, SD | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 5:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, NE | 1.5 | 200 | |||
| May 5 | 5:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Hutchinson, SD | 5.0 | 100 | |||
| May 5 | 5:17 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, NE | 3.0 | 100 | |||
| May 5 | 5:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Hanson, SD | 1.9 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| May 5 | 5:24 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, NE | 5.3 | 150 | |||
| May 5 | 5:28 PM CDT | EF1 | Knox, NE | 8.9 | 440 | |||
| May 5 | 5:36 PM CDT | EF0 | Stafford, KS | 4.5 | 100 | |||
| May 5 | 5:41 PM CDT | EF1 | Hanson, SD | 0.5 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| May 5 | 5:43 PM CDT | EF2 | Knox, NE | 5.5 | 500 | 3 | $1.0 million | |
| May 5 | 5:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, NE | 3.5 | 100 | |||
| May 5 | 5:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Davison, SD | 3.5 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 5:52 PM CDT | EF0 | Yankton, SD | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 5:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Yankton, SD | 1.0 | 100 | 1 | $100,000 | |
| May 5 | 5:59 PM CDT | EF2 | Osborne, KS | 7.5 | 75 | 11 | $150,000 | |
| May 5 | 6:00 PM CDT | EF0 | Edwards, KS | 2.4 | 75 | |||
| May 5 | 6:05 PM CDT | EF3 | Aurora, SD | 4.0 | 200 | $300,000 | ||
| May 5 | 6:09 PM CDT | EF0 | Rice, KS | 0.3 | 40 | |||
| May 5 | 6:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Sanborn, SD | 0.5 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| May 5 | 6:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Rice, KS | 1.5 | 40 | |||
| May 5 | 6:17 PM CDT | EF2 | Yankton, SD | 0.5 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| May 5 | 6:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Gregory, SD | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 6:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Gregory, SD | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 6:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Comanche, KS | 1.9 | 30 | |||
| May 5 | 6:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Charles Mix, SD | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 6:40 PM CDT | EF1 | Brule, SD | 0.5 | 100 | |||
| May 5 | 6:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Barton, KS | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 6:54 PM CDT | EF0 | Barton, KS | 0.2 | 40 | |||
| May 5 | 7:01 PM CDT | EF2 | Edwards, KS | 2.7 | 75 | |||
| May 5 | 7:02 PM CDT | EF0 | Kiowa, KS | 7.8 | 75 | |||
| May 5 | 7:09 PM CDT | EF0 | Mills, IA | 4.0 | 80 | |||
| May 5 | 7:20 PM CDT | EF0 | Collingsworth, TX | 2.8 | 100 | |||
| May 5 | 7:22 PM CDT | EF2 | Kiowa, KS | 26.9 | 880 | |||
| May 5 | 7:23 PM CDT | EF2 | Hanson, SD | 10.5 | 400 | $60,000 | ||
| May 5 | 7:26 PM CDT | EF0 | Kiowa, KS | 1.3 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 7:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Collingsworth, TX | 7.0 | 200 | |||
| May 5 | 7:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Barton, KS | 4.0 | 100 | $60,000 | ||
| May 5 | 7:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Roger Mills, OK | 0.8 | 100 | |||
| May 5 | 7:47 PM CDT | EF1 | Miner, SD | 0.2 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| May 5 | 7:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Miner, SD | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 7:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Edwards, KS | 1.5 | 50 | |||
| May 5 | 7:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Fremont, IA | 11.3 | 200 |
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.