Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2008

EF0 tornado, Voda, Kansas, June 5, 2008

This EF0 tornado ran 1.7 miles across Trego County on June 5, 2008, touching down at 3:40 PM CDT and reaching 75 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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    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. 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
June 5, 2008
Touchdown
3:40 PM CDT (20:40 UTC)
Lifted
3:42 PM CDT (20:42 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
1.7 miles (2.7 km)
Path width
75 yards (69 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Trego County
Touchdown point
39.031, -100.020
Lift-off point
39.049, -99.998
Record number
0806051440-02

What the Weather Service recorded

An upper level disturbance moving northeast helped enhance convergence along a dry line to produce severe thunderstorms. Hail, high wind and a few tornadoes were observed.

This tornado was moving at 60 mph but did not encounter anything to damage.

This tornado was moving at 60 mph and was occurring in the general vicinity as that of a second tornado. The first tornado was dissipating as this one was forming.

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

The warnings

17 minutes of warning. NWS DDC issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:23 UTC, 17 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:00 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 18:29 UTC and running to 21:21 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
14:00 UTC13:48 UTCWind AdvisoryDDC
14:00 UTC22:35 UTCHigh Wind WarningDDC
18:29 UTC21:21 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchDDC
20:23 UTC21:00 UTCTornado WarningDDC
00:41 UTC00:53 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDC

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 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:18 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.

Dodge City, (KDDC), 12:00Z

8.7 hours before the tornado, 142 km from the path. June 5, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2008-06-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1268 joules per kilogram, CIN -318, lifted condensation level 1569 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2008-06-05The 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 367 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 51 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
1268 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-318 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1792 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1569 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
367 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
402 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Dodge City, (KDDC), 00:00Z

3.3 hours after it, 142 km from the path. June 6, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2008-06-06Temperature 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 -86331, lifted condensation level 5151 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 2008-06-06The 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 -237 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 78 knots.1939587897117136156175194214233Sfc1 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
-86331 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
5151 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
78 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-237 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-139 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
9.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Hill_city (HLC), 40 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
18:53 UTC8459240° 17 kt22991.5
19:53 UTC8560240° 13 kt20991.5
20:53 UTC7959280° 15 kt20991.5VCTS
20:57 UTC78.860.8280° 13 kt20991.5VCTS HZ
21:07 UTC73.462.6250° 16 kt993.9TSRA
21:30 UTC7762.6270° 14 kt31993.6
21:53 UTC7458290° 23 kt33993.9

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

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:42 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
20:13 UTCTORNADO22 Sw QuinterGove, KS
20:13 UTCTORNADO6 N ShieldsGove, KS
20:14 UTCTORNADO10 S GoveGove, KSBRIEF TORNADO
20:36 UTCHAIL 14 Sse CollyerTrego, KS
20:37 UTCTSTM WND DMGNw CollyerTrego, KSVINYL SIDING RIPPED OFF THE SIDE OF HIS HOME. ALL WINDOWS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE HOUSE BROKEN.
20:37 UTCHAIL 2CollyerTrego, KSA SPOTTER REPORTED AT LEAST 2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL BREAKING WINDOWS IN COLLYER.
20:40 UTCTORNADOVodaTrego, KSTWO TORNADOES WERE REPORTED BY A STORM SPOTTER NEAR VODA.
20:45 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 N WakeeneyTrego, KSSEVERAL POWER POLES WERE BLOWN DOWN. ELEPHANTS WITH A CIRCUS WERE SPOOKED BY THE THUNDERSTORM AND WERE RUNNING LOOSE IN WAKEENEY.
21:13 UTCHAIL 12 Ne DamarRooks, KSHEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WIND.
21:15 UTCHAIL 1.75DamarRooks, KSGOLFBALL SIZE HAIL BROKE TWO WINDOWS ON THEIR PROPERTY
21:17 UTCHAIL 1.753 N DamarRooks, KS

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 5, 2008

40 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 512:15 PM MDTEF0Prowers, CO6.5150$5,000
June 52:30 PM CDTEF0Logan, KS1.025
June 52:41 PM CDTEF0Logan, KS1.025
June 52:59 PM CDTEF1Pratt, KS1.1100$65,000
June 53:13 PM CDTEF0Gove, KS1.025
June 53:39 PM CDTEF0Trego, KS1.075
June 53:40 PM CDTEF2Rock, NE29.950$200,000
June 54:19 PM CDTEF1Clay, KS14.3100
June 54:20 PM CDTEF0Clay, KS4.650
June 54:33 PM CDTEF1Clay, KS10.125
June 55:00 PM CDTEF1Charles Mix, SD9.9100$100,000
June 55:08 PM CDTEF0Washington, KS0.125
June 55:41 PM CDTEF0Marshall, KS0.150
June 56:20 PM CDTEF1Nemaha, NE2.6100
June 56:23 PM CDTEF1Nemaha, NE6.5220
June 56:35 PM CDTEF1Nemaha, NE0.7100
June 56:55 PM CDTEF0Atchison, MO0.125
June 57:02 PM CDTEF0Fremont, IA0.550
June 57:11 PM CDTEF0Fremont, IA1.350
June 57:23 PM CDTEF0Atchison, MO0.125
June 57:24 PM CDTEF0Page, IA1.280
June 57:27 PM CDTEF0Brown, KS0.125
June 57:33 PM CDTEF0Richardson, NE1.3100
June 57:39 PM CDTEF2Richardson, NE to MO18.4880$250,000
June 57:55 PM CDTEF0Holt, MO4.425$2,000
June 57:59 PM CDTEF0Atchison, MO10.5100$210,000
June 58:12 PM CDTEF0Cass, IA1.550
June 58:15 PM CDTEF0Minnehaha, SD1.550
June 58:42 PM CDTEF2Minnehaha, SD2.6100
June 59:00 PM CDTEF1Moody, SD0.850$10,000
June 59:24 PM CDTEF1Union, IA3.0150$25,000
June 510:57 PM CDTEF0Linn, KS1.025$50,000
June 511:15 PM CDTEF0Bates, MO0.350$25,000
June 511:35 PM CDTEF0Okmulgee, OK4.4100$15,000
June 511:49 PM CDTEF1Clarke, IA7.6125
June 512:10 AM CDTEF1Warren, IA18.3150$180,000
June 512:23 AM CDTEF0Lafayette, MO0.325$500
June 512:36 AM CDTEF1Jasper, IA9.8125$75,000
June 512:45 AM CDTEF1Jasper, IA14.31502$250,000
June 512:49 AM CDTEF0Jasper, IA10.975$25,000

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.