Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2007

EF1 tornado, Dillwyn to Seward, Kansas, May 5, 2007

From Dillwyn to Seward, this EF1 tornado ran 16.9 miles across Stafford and Barton counties on May 5, 2007, touching down at 8:30 PM CDT and reaching 200 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $25,000 of property damage.

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 mphthis tornado

    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. 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
EF1
Date
May 5, 2007
Touchdown
8:30 PM CDT (01:30 UTC)
Lifted
9:07 PM CDT (02:07 UTC)
On the ground
37 minutes
Path length
16.9 miles (27.2 km)
Path width
200 yards (183 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
Counties
Stafford and Barton counties
Touchdown point
38.040, -98.789
Lift-off point
38.299, -98.733
Record number
0705051930-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Unbelievably, an outbreak of tornadoes, some very large in size, raked the earth in basically the same area as the day before when Greensburg was nearly completely leveled. Although some of the tornadoes were large and apparently very strong, there was no loss of life on this day. A National Weather Service assessment team was in an area about 30 minutes before a tornado moved through. They also saw one tornado during the storm survey of damage that was produced the day before.

A powerful but slow moving storm system caused several severe thunderstorm outbreaks from very late in the day on May 4th through late in the day on May 6th. This storm system was responsible for 20 tornadoes, 17 tornadoes were reported in parts of Central Kansas while 3 additional weak tornadoes occurred in South Central Kansas on the 6th as well as numerous reports of severe hail and winds. In Barton County alone, 500 power poles including several large transmission lines were knocked down causing at least 4.5 million dollars in damage. Since several tornadoes occurred over nearly the same areas it is not clear how many poles were knocked down from each tornado.

This short lived tornado did not strike anything to cause damage.

This wedge tornado was occurring simultaneously to another large but smaller tornado (within several miles). Damage was done to houses, trees and pivot irrigation sprinklers.|

This large tornado was occurring simultaneously with a larger tornado to the west. It did EF1 damage to trees and pivot irrigation sprinklers.

This tornado caused EF1 damage to trees, pivot irrigation sprinklers and several homes. It moved into Barton county at 2003 CST.

The tornado caused minor roof damage to one residence but tore the roof of of the garage and an out buiding. Several other out buildings sustained minor to moderate damage.

The tornado caused some tree damage and damaged several center pivot irrigation devices. The tornado also damaged a gasoline pipeline terminal and specialized trailer company near the intersection of U.S. 56 and K-156.

This weak tornado did not cause any damage.

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

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a High Risk, with a 0.30 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. 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.

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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 5, 1:39 PM CDT, 6 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 1:39 PM CDT, 6 hours 51 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
139 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

.DISCUSSION...

DAYS 1-2...

A VERY BUSY DAY WITH SEVERE WEATHER ALREADY ONGOING, SO DISCUSSION
WILL BE BRIEF TODAY.

SURFACE ANALYSIS AT 17Z SHOWS WHAT IS NOW A WELL DEFINED DRYLINE
THAT STRETCHES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH BETWEEN GARDEN CITY AND DODGE
CITY. EARLIER THIS MORNING THERE WERE 2 DRYLINES BUT THEY HAVE NOW
MERGED. STORMS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING IN A WEAKLY CAPPED VERY
UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT OVER SOUTHWEST KANSAS. THE HAVILAND PROFILER
SHOWS 70 KTS OF FLOW AT 500MB OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST AND A 40KT
WIND OUT OF THE SOUTH AT 850MB. THE 12Z SOUNDING WAS A CLASSIC
LOADED GUN SOUNDING WITH A DEEP LAYER OF MOISTURE AND VERY STEEP
LAPSE RATES JUST ABOVE A WEAK CAP. TEMPERATURES IN THE 700-500MB
LAYER SHOULD CONTINUE TO COOL AS THE UPPER TROUGH GRADUALLY SHIFTS
EAST AND THIS IS ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO A REMOVAL OF THE CAP SO
EARLY IN THE DAY. SEVERAL PIECES OF ENERGY ARE ROTATING AROUND THE
BASE OF THE LONGWAVE TROUGH. THE FIRST PIECE IS EJECTING RAPIDLY
NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA WITH ANOTHER TRAILING PIECE OF
ENERGY MOVING EAST ACROSS NORTHERN NEW MEXICO. THE SHORT TERM
MODELS AGREE THAT THE DRYLINE SHOULD RETREAT BACK TO THE WEST
LATER ON THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. STORMS COULD FIRE
ALONG THIS DRYLINE AT ANY TIME, ESPECIALLY AS THE SECOND PIECE OF
ENERGY EJECTS OUT INTO THE HIGH PLAINS. DID NOT MAKE MUCH
ADJUSTMENT TO POPS BUT DID BACK THE HIGHER POPS WEST SOME.

THE SURFACE COLD FRONT SHOULD BEGIN TO MAKE SOME EASTWARD PROGRESS
INTO WESTERN KANSAS ON SUNDAY AS THAT SECOND JET STREAK/VORT MAX EJECTS
NORTHEAST ACROSS THE PLAINS TONIGHT. ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS IS
LIKELY FOR SOUTHWEST KANSAS NEAR AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT WHICH WILL
LIE ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CWA. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES
IS NOT AS CERTAIN AS IN EARLIER DAYS AS UNCERTAINTIES EXIST
REGARDING CONVECTIVE MODE (POSSIBLY MORE LINEAR) AND AIRMASS
INSTABILITY WITH CONVECTIVE DEBRIS TENDING TO KEEP THINGS COOLER.
HOWEVER, WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION SEVERE IN THE GRIDS.

THE FRONT FINALLY SLIDES TO THE SOUTH AND EAST ON MONDAY WITH THE
BEST CHCS FOR STORMS FINALLY BEING OUT OF MY CWA. HOWEVER, AS THE
MAIN TROUGH LIFTS OUT TOWARD MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY, THIS SHOULD
ENHANCE LIFT NORTH OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND GENERATE PRECIP
WITH THE BEST CHCS BEING OVER MY SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES. THE UKMET
IS THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE WITH THE PRECIP UNTIL ABOUT MONDAY NIGHT
SO I KEPT POPS A BIT LOWER FOR MONDAY AS COOLER MORE STABLE AIR
MAKES ITS WAY INTO WESTERN KANSAS.

LACY

DAYS 3-7...

NO CHANGES MADE TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST.  POPULATED DAYS 7-8 WITH
HPC GUIDANCE.  TOO MUCH GOING ON WITH THE PRESENT WEATHER TO DEVOTE
MUCH EFFORT INTO THE EXTENDED.

BURKE

&&

.AVIATION...

ICT DOING AVIATION BACK UP FOR DDC.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DDC  63  72  55  71 /  70  60  50  30
GCK  57  68  51  70 /  50  50  40  20
EHA  53  65  50  68 /  20  40  30  20
LBL  58  69  51  70 /  40  50  40  30
HYS  65  73  56  73 /  70  70  60  20
P28  68  77  60  74 /  70  70  60  40

&&

.DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR KSZ030-031-043>046-
062>066-075>081-085>090.

&&

FN27/12/99
Hazardous weather outlook, May 5, 3:20 PM CDT, 5 hours 10 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
320 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

KSZ030-031-043>046-063>066-076>081-086>090-052200-
BARBER-CLARK-COMANCHE-EDWARDS-ELLIS-FINNEY-FORD-GRAY-HASKELL-
HODGEMAN-KIOWA-LANE-MEADE-NESS-PAWNEE-PRATT-RUSH-SCOTT-SEWARD-
STAFFORD-TREGO-
320 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
KANSAS...SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL
KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT...

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT...

A DRYLINE IS NEARLY STATIONARY ALONG A LINE FROM TREGO CENTER TO
DODGE CITY TO AROUND 8 MILES WEST OF ENGLEWOOD THIS AFTERNOON.
STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED AND WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD
OF THIS BOUNDARY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. LARGE HAIL,
DAMAGING WINDS, AND ISOLATED STRONG TORNADOES WILL BE THE PRIMARY
HAZARDS.

THE DRYLINE IS FORECAST TO RETREAT WESTWARD THIS EVENING AND WILL
EXTEND ALONG A LINE FROM SCOTT CITY TO GARDEN CITY TO LIBERAL THIS
EVENING. THE THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS, AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES WILL EXPAND WEST TO INCLUDE THE GARDEN CITY, SCOTT CITY,
AND LIBERAL AREAS THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

ANOTHER RISK OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS PROBABLE AGAIN
SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT ADVANCES INTO WESTERN
KANSAS. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS ARE LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS, AND A
FEW ISOLATED TORNADOES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR SEVERE
WEATHER SPOTTING AND REPORTS ALONG AND EAST OF A SCOTT CITY TO
GARDEN CITY TO LIBERAL LINE.

&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC

KSZ062-075-085-052200-
GRANT-KEARNY-STEVENS-
320 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
KANSAS...SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL
KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT...

THE DRYLINE SHOULD FOR THE MOST PART STAY EAST OF GRANT, KEARNY, AND
STEVENS COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT SHOULD THEREFORE BE EAST OF THIS AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A COLD FRONT ON SUNDAY
WHICH SHOULD MOVE EAST OF GRANT, KEARNY, AND STEVENS COUNTIES BY
AFTERNOON. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED ALONG AND WEST OF A LAKIN TO
HUGOTON LINE.

&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC

KSZ061-074-084-052200-
HAMILTON-MORTON-STANTON-
320 PM CDT (220 PM MDT) SAT MAY 5 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
KANSAS...SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL
KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP SUNDAY MORNING ALONG A
COLD FRONT AS IT ADVANCES EAST INTO WESTERN KANSAS. BY AFTERNOON,
THE FRONT SHOULD BE EAST OF HAMILTON, MORTON, AND STANTON COUNTIES.
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
ACROSS HAMILTON, MORTON, AND STANTON COUNTIES.

&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC

LACY

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 5, 8:03 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 5, 8:10 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
810 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

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

0739 PM     TORNADO          HOPEWELL                37.80N 98.98W
05/05/2007                   PRATT              KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            DAMAGE REPORTED FROM PRATT COUNTY EM JUST EAST OF
            HOPEWELL. DAMAGE EXTENT UNCLEAR

&&

UMSCHEID
Local storm report, May 5, 8:11 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
811 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

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

0802 PM     TORNADO          2 SE MACKSVILLE         37.94N 98.94W
05/05/2007                   STAFFORD           KS   STORM CHASER

            ESTIMATED LOCATION.

&&

GERARD
Local storm report, May 5, 8:15 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
815 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

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

0742 PM     TORNADO          1 N HOPEWELL            37.81N 98.98W
05/05/2007                   STAFFORD           KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE AND ROOF BLOWN OFF A HOUSE. ROADS
            NEARLY IMPASSABLE DUE TO TREE DAMAGE. TIME ESTIMATE OF
            TORNADO PASSAGE.

&&

UMSCHEID
Local storm report, May 5, 8:19 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
819 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

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

0815 PM     TORNADO          6 N DILLWYN             38.06N 98.87W
05/05/2007                   STAFFORD           KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TWO TORNADOES ON GROUND AT THE SAME TIME. LARGE WEDGE
            TORNADO 6 MILES NORTH OF DILLWYN...ANOTHER MULTI VORTEX
            TORNADO WAS SPOTTED ABOUT HALF MILE EAST OF THE WEDGE
            TORNADO. INDICATIONS FROM STAFFORD COUNTY EM ARE THAT THE
            WEDGE TORNADO MISSED MACKSVILLE JUST TO THE
            EAST...HOWEVER THIS TORNADO CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO
            AT LEAST ONE RESIDENCE

&&

UMSCHEID

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.

Dodge City, (KDDC), 00:00Z

1.5 hours before the tornado, 109 km from the path. May 6, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2007-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 981 joules per kilogram, CIN -2, lifted condensation level 1826 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2007-05-06The 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 -2 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 65 knots.1939587897Sfc1 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
981 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2270 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1826 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
198 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7
0-3 km lapse rate
8.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Dodge City, (KDDC), 12:00Z

10.5 hours after it, 109 km from the path. May 6, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2007-05-06Temperature 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 -20301, lifted condensation level 2141 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2007-05-06The 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 -103 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 69 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
-20301 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2141 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
156 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Great_bend (GBD), 21 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:29 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 5, 2007

96 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 51:21 AM CDTEF1Barton, KS5.5100$2.0 million
May 51:28 AM CDTEF1Barton, KS6.2125$57,000
May 51:46 AM CDTEF1Barton, KS5.2100$40,000
May 52:06 AM CDTEF0Ellsworth, KS0.540$13,000
May 512:23 PM CDTEF1Custer, NE20.6150$150,000
May 511:57 AM MDTEF0Logan, CO0.150
May 51:03 PM CDTEF1Custer, NE40.7220$40,000
May 52:05 PM CDTEF1Brown, NE14.3220$40,000
May 53:48 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE11.4100$10,000
May 53:57 PM CDTEF1Keya Paha, NE16.71001$100,000
May 54:31 PM CDTEF1Miner, SD0.150$2,000
May 54:33 PM CDTEF2Bon Homme, SD3.5100$50,000
May 54:35 PM CDTEF2Miner, SD1.0100$20,000
May 54:43 PM CDTEF2Bon Homme, SD4.0100$100,000
May 54:48 PM CDTEF0Pratt, KS1.430
May 54:58 PM CDTEF1Saline, NE18.3400
May 54:59 PM CDTEF1Pratt, KS11.1150
May 55:00 PM CDTEF0Hutchinson, SD0.250
May 55:10 PM CDTEF0Hutchinson, SD0.150
May 55:15 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE1.5200
May 55:16 PM CDTEF1Hutchinson, SD5.0100
May 55:17 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE3.0100
May 55:20 PM CDTEF1Hanson, SD1.9100$10,000
May 55:24 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE5.3150
May 55:28 PM CDTEF1Knox, NE8.9440
May 55:36 PM CDTEF0Stafford, KS4.5100
May 55:41 PM CDTEF1Hanson, SD0.5100$10,000
May 55:43 PM CDTEF2Knox, NE5.55003$1.0 million
May 55:45 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE3.5100
May 55:50 PM CDTEF0Davison, SD3.550
May 55:52 PM CDTEF0Yankton, SD0.150
May 55:52 PM CDTEF1Yankton, SD1.01001$100,000
May 55:59 PM CDTEF2Osborne, KS7.57511$150,000
May 56:00 PM CDTEF0Edwards, KS2.475
May 56:05 PM CDTEF3Aurora, SD4.0200$300,000
May 56:09 PM CDTEF0Rice, KS0.340
May 56:15 PM CDTEF1Sanborn, SD0.5100$20,000
May 56:15 PM CDTEF0Rice, KS1.540
May 56:17 PM CDTEF2Yankton, SD0.5100$100,000
May 56:30 PM CDTEF0Gregory, SD0.150
May 56:30 PM CDTEF0Gregory, SD0.150
May 56:33 PM CDTEF0Comanche, KS1.930
May 56:35 PM CDTEF0Charles Mix, SD0.150
May 56:40 PM CDTEF1Brule, SD0.5100
May 56:45 PM CDTEF0Barton, KS0.150
May 56:54 PM CDTEF0Barton, KS0.240
May 57:01 PM CDTEF2Edwards, KS2.775
May 57:02 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS7.875
May 57:09 PM CDTEF0Mills, IA4.080
May 57:20 PM CDTEF0Collingsworth, TX2.8100
May 57:22 PM CDTEF2Kiowa, KS26.9880
May 57:23 PM CDTEF2Hanson, SD10.5400$60,000
May 57:26 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS1.350
May 57:27 PM CDTEF1Collingsworth, TX7.0200
May 57:32 PM CDTEF1Barton, KS4.0100$60,000
May 57:40 PM CDTEF0Roger Mills, OK0.8100
May 57:47 PM CDTEF1Miner, SD0.2100$10,000
May 57:47 PM CDTEF0Miner, SD0.150
May 57:50 PM CDTEF1Edwards, KS1.550
May 57:50 PM CDTEF1Fremont, IA11.3200

All 97 of them

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.