Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2008

EF0 tornado, Whiteside, Kansas, May 23, 2008

This EF0 tornado ran 0.5 miles across Reno County on May 23, 2008, touching down at 12:11 AM 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.

  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
May 23, 2008
Touchdown
12:11 AM CDT (05:11 UTC)
Lifted
12:12 AM CDT (05:12 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Reno County
Touchdown point
37.970, -98.020
Lift-off point
37.977, -98.018
Record number
0805232311-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Strong to severe thunderstorms affected portions of mainly central and south-central Kansas from the late evening hours of the 23rd into the early morning hours of the 24th. A strong and deep upper level disturbance and associated sharp dryline sparked supercell thunderstorms during the afternoon hours of the 23rd across western portions of Kansas and Oklahoma. These supercell thunderstorms moved east to northeast into portions of central and south-central Kansas during the evening hours, producing tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds and large hail. Ahead of these supercells, very strong south to southeast winds up to 60 mph developed for a time across central Kansas. By late evening, a squall line overtook the supercell thunderstorms over south-central Kansas, producing localized damaging straight-line winds into the early morning hours of the 24th.

The tornado touched down briefly in an open field.

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 Moderate Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 00:55 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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 23, 11:57 PM CDT, 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 23, 11:57 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 23, 9:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
925 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008

KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-242145-
RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-SALINE-RICE-MCPHERSON-MARION-CHASE-
RENO-HARVEY-BUTLER-GREENWOOD-WOODSON-ALLEN-KINGMAN-SEDGWICK-HARPER-
SUMNER-COWLEY-ELK-WILSON-NEOSHO-CHAUTAUQUA-MONTGOMERY-LABETTE-
925 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

ISOLATED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS WILL BE MOVING INTO AREAS MAINLY WEST
OF THE INTERSTATE 135 AND INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR IN CENTRAL AND
SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING AT LEAST GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND EVEN A
STRONG TORNADO.

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL MIDNIGHT. SEE THE LATEST HIGH WIND WARNING FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS IN WESTERN KANSAS WILL ALSO BE
MOVING INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS OVERNIGHT. EVEN
THOUGH THE TORNADO THREAT SHOULD WANE AFTER MIDNIGHT...THE LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND THREAT WILL LIKELY CONTINUE AS FAR EAST AS
THE FLINT HILLS...WITH EVEN A STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE OVER
FAR SOUTHEAST KANSAS. HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL
ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THE ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN LOOKS TO CONTINUE FROM SATURDAY
THROUGH TUESDAY...AS RICH GULF MOISTURE REMAINS OVER THE AREA.
ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS OVER THIS TIME PERIOD WILL HAVE A CHANCE
TO BECOME SEVERE. THE GREATEST THREAT ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WILL
BE CONFINED GENERALLY TO CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS...WHILE
THE THREAT FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT SOUTH
ACROSS THE AREA. ADDITIONALLY...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND
LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL BE A THREAT SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

WITH THE ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH THIS HOLIDAY
WEEKEND...IT IS ADVISED TO CHECK ADDITIONAL OUTLOOKS AS WE
CONTINUE TO REFINE THE SEVERE99 WEATHER THREAT AREAS. ALSO...STAY
TUNED FOR ANY WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT
HOURS BOTH TONIGHT AND SATURDAY ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS.

&&

FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR
WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP

COX

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 23, 11:35 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 23, 11:39 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 23, 11:47 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 23, 11:59 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 24, 12:01 AM CDT, 10 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 24, 12:07 AM CDT, 4 minutes before
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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.

Lamont, OK (KLMN), 00:00Z

5.2 hours before the tornado, 158 km from the path. May 24, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lamont, OK at 00:00Z on 2008-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 3014 joules per kilogram, CIN -102, lifted condensation level 768 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, Lamont, OK at 00:00Z on 2008-05-24The 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 115 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 45 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
3014 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-102 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3827 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
768 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
189 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
9.2
0-3 km lapse rate
5.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lamont, OK (KLMN), 12:00Z

6.8 hours after it, 158 km from the path. May 24, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 2008-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1787 joules per kilogram, CIN -91, lifted condensation level 587 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, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 2008-05-24The 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 225 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 52 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
1787 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Surface CAPE
183 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
587 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
225 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
270 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
10.5
0-3 km lapse rate
3.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Hutchinson (HUT), 17 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 Wichita radar (KICT), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 05:10 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 2008 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 23, 2008

78 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 234:02 PM CDTEF0Gove, KS0.525
May 233:13 PM MDTEF1Laramie, WY2.7100
May 234:20 PM CDTEF0Gove, KS4.5400
May 233:26 PM MDTEF0Platte, WY20.550
May 234:29 PM CDTEF0Finney, KS1.575
May 233:33 PM MDTEF0Weld, CO0.125
May 234:34 PM CDTEF1Gove, KS5.0200$50,000
May 234:35 PM CDTEF2Gove, KS14.01,760$1.8 million
May 235:01 PM CDTEF1Lane, KS8.11,220
May 234:09 PM MDTEF0Laramie, WY2.375
May 235:10 PM CDTEF1Graham, KS14.0400$15,000
May 235:13 PM CDTEF1Lane, KS1.0150$65,000
May 235:15 PM CDTEF0Lane, KS3.275
May 235:22 PM CDTEF0Lane, KS1.750
May 235:24 PM CDTEF0Gray, KS0.7100
May 235:35 PM CDTEF1Lane, KS4.4150
May 235:35 PM CDTEF0Gove, KS5.0100
May 235:45 PM CDTEF0Lane, KS1.350
May 236:10 PM CDTEF4Quinter tornado, KS11.41,3202$2.5 million
May 236:25 PM CDTEF0Hodgeman, KS5.775
May 235:26 PM MDTEF1Goshen, WY24.475$10,000
May 235:33 PM MDTEF0Cheyenne, CO0.525
May 236:37 PM CDTEF0Clark, KS2.1100
May 236:52 PM CDTEF0Ness, KS1.660
May 236:52 PM CDTEF0Sheridan, KS4.0750
May 236:58 PM CDTEF0Ness, KS3.6100
May 236:00 PM MDTEF1Weld, CO0.150
May 237:01 PM CDTEF0Clark, KS2.5100
May 237:05 PM CDTEF0Wichita, KS0.525
May 237:07 PM CDTEF2Ness, KS11.81,410
May 236:10 PM MDTEF0Kimball, NE2.950
May 237:15 PM CDTEF0Sheridan, KS6.1350
May 237:25 PM CDTEF2Ness, KS1.175
May 237:25 PM CDTEF3Clark, KS20.93,170
May 237:29 PM CDTEF3Ness, KS9.0715
May 237:42 PM CDTEF1Clark, KS7.1600
May 237:43 PM CDTEF1Clark, KS1.1100
May 237:49 PM CDTEF1Trego, KS8.1900
May 237:58 PM CDTEF2Trego, KS9.01,760
May 238:03 PM CDTEF3Harper, OK5.01,100
May 238:11 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS1.275
May 238:17 PM CDTEF2Trego, KS8.2250
May 238:17 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS1.2175
May 238:28 PM CDTEF1Ellis, KS2.21501
May 238:34 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS0.520
May 238:35 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS1.675
May 238:40 PM CDTEF0Ellis, KS5.6150
May 238:44 PM CDTEF1Trego, KS5.5200
May 238:56 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS1.050
May 238:58 PM CDTEF0Harper, OK to KS9.1125$10,000
May 238:59 PM CDTEF3Comanche, OK to KS11.0980$20,000
May 239:07 PM CDTEF1Trego, KS6.4300
May 239:08 PM CDTEF1Ellis, KS4.3450$60,000
May 239:08 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS6.4125
May 239:16 PM CDTEF0Ellis, KS0.850
May 239:16 PM CDTEF3Edwards, KS18.21,9351
May 239:22 PM CDTEF0Barber, KS4.6150
May 239:26 PM CDTEF0Clark, KS4.5100
May 239:26 PM CDTEF1Ford, KS6.1150$145,000
May 239:30 PM CDTEF1Comanche, KS6.0300

All 79 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.