Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2013

EF0 tornado, Brownell, Kansas, May 18, 2013

Name: EF0 tornado, Brownell, Kansas, May 18, 2013
Start: 2013-05-18T23:03:00.000Z
End: 2013-05-18T23:05:00.000Z
Location: Brownell, Kansas

This EF0 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Ness County on May 18, 2013, touching down at 6:03 PM CDT and reaching 100 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 18, 2013
Touchdown: 6:03 PM CDT (23:03 UTC)
Lifted: 6:05 PM CDT (23:05 UTC)
On the ground: 2 minutes
Path length: 0.3 miles (0.5 km)
Path width: 100 yards (91 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Ness County
Touchdown point: 38.677, -99.745
Lift-off point: 38.679, -99.740
Record number: 1305181703-01

What the Weather Service recorded

High instability was in place as an upper level wind maxima moved out of the base of a deep upper trough in the west.

A brief multi-vortex tornado lasted just a couple of minutes.

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

The warnings

25 minutes of warning. NWS DDC issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:38 UTC, 25 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:15 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:45 UTC and running to 02:35 UTC.

Issued (UTC)	Expired	Product	Office
19:45 UTC	02:35 UTC	Tornado Watch	DDC
21:08 UTC	22:00 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC
22:01 UTC	22:45 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC
22:38 UTC	23:15 UTC	Tornado Warning	DDC
22:58 UTC	04:27 UTC	Flash Flood Warning	DDC
23:01 UTC	23:30 UTC	Tornado Warning	DDC

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 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 19:39 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 18, 3:24 PM CDT, 2 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 3:24 PM CDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
324 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

...UPDATED FOR THE LONG TERM DISCUSSION...

.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY)
ISSUED AT 253 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CURRENTLY ACROSS THE ROCKIES WILL
CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE EAST AND STRENGTHEN INTO AN UPPER LEVEL LOW
ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS TOMORROW. AN UPPER LEVEL JET CURRENTLY
EXTENDS SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS NEVADA INTO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION AND
IS EXPECTED TO ADVECT INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS TOMORROW. STRONG
SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS ARE DEPICTED IN THE MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
WITH A STRONG WARM TONGUE AROUND 800 MB. TOWARDS THE SURFACE, AN
AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL INTENSIFY ACROSS THE KS/CO BORDER THIS
AFTERNOON WITH A DRYLINE EXTENDING FROM SCOTT CITY TO LIBERAL.
TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL SOAR INTO THE LOWER 90S BEHIND THIS
FRONT WITH UPPER 80S TO AROUND 90 DEGREES EAST OF THIS DRYLINE. VERY
MOIST AIR HAS ADVECTED INTO KANSAS AHEAD OF THIS DRYLINE WITH
DEWPOINTS IN THE 60S. WITH WARM TEMPERATURES AND AMPLE MOISTURE AT
THE SURFACE, CAPE VALUES OF OVER 4000 J/KG WILL BE FOUND ACROSS MUCH
OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW STORMS TO FORM FIRST JUST
AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE LATE THIS AFTERNOON THEN SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE
REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. STORMS THEN MOVE INTO
WICHITA'S FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME
SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL UP TO BASEBALL SIZE AND WIND GUSTS ABOVE 60
MPH BEING THE MAIN CONCERN. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED
OUT, MAINLY LATER THIS EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS WHEN THE LOW LEVEL JET KICKS IN. CLOUDY SKIES CONTINUE
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT WITH A SURFACE COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH A
MAJORITY OF WESTERN KANSAS BY SUNRISE. AS FOR TEMPERATURES, LOWS
TONIGHT ARE FORECASTED TO BE IN THE 60S.

THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA
TOMORROW MORNING SHIFTING WINDS TO THE NORTHWEST. CLOUDY SKIES WILL
BE OBSERVED ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS IN THE MORNING WITH SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE DUE TO AMPLE MID LEVEL
MOISTURE AND STEEP LAPSE RATES. SKIES CLEAR FROM WEST TO EAST IN THE
AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA. A FEW STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS IN THE
MID AFTERNOON BUT MOST LIKELY MOST OF THE CONVECTION WILL BE ACROSS
WICHITA'S FORECAST AREA. COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL BE OBSERVED ACROSS
WESTERN KANSAS TOMORROW WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 70S ACROSS
WEST CENTRAL KANSAS TO LOWER 80S ACROSS THE KS/OK BORDER AND SOUTH
CENTRAL KANSAS.

.LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)
ISSUED AT 319 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

AS THE EXTENDED FORECAST STARTS OUT ON SUNDAY NIGHT, A DRY LINE WILL
BE WEAKENING ACROSS OUT FAR EASTERN CWA, AND THERE WILL BE 20
PERCENT POPS GOING FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FAR EASTERN TIER OF
COUNTIES AND THE NORTHEAST ZONES NEAR HAYS.  THE UPPER SUPPORT FOR
ANY CONVECTION WILL QUICKLY SUBSIDE AND CHANCES FOR STORMS WILL
CEASE BY 03Z MONDAY MORNING.  ON MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING,
ANOTHER 20 TO 30 PERCENT POP FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME FROM THE
WEST TO THE EAST ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS, AS AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVES
INTO EASTERN KANSAS.  LATE MONDAY NIGHT, A COLD FRONT WILL SLIP
SOUTH INTO CENTRAL KANSAS, AND A SHOWER OR STORM COULD EASILY GET
TRIGGERED NORTH OF I-70 DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENING.  ONLY
20 PERCENT CHANCES WILL BE THERE FOR MONDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING
INTO TUESDAY.  THE NEXT PRECIPITATION CHANCE WILL COME ALONG
THURSDAY.  THAT UPPER WAVE IS FAIRLY STRONG AND BIG IN NATURE, SO
THURSDAY WILL HAVE 30 TO 40 PERCENT PRECIP CHANCES AND THOSE WILL
EXTEND CLEAR INTO SATURDAY. HARD TO SAY THIS EARLY IF ANY SEVERE
WEATHER WILL BE REALIZED, BUT THAT CAN BE MONITORED MORE CLOSELY
AS THE THURSDAY TO SATURDAY TIME PERIOD GETS CLOSER.

TEMPERATURES WILL GO THROUGH A COOL DOWN FROM SUNDAY INTO FRIDAY.
HIGHS WILL AVERAGE IN THE MID 70S TO LOWER TO MIDDLE 80S THROUGH THE
SUNDAY INTO FRIDAY PERIOD. THE COOLEST DAY WILL PROBABLY BE
WEDNESDAY, AFTER THE COLD FRONT HAS PASSED. THEN ON SATURDAY, A
STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL DEVELOP AND HIGHS WILL CLIMB INTO THE
UPPER 70S TO UPPER 80S. LOW TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE EXTENDED WILL
BE SEASONAL, RANGING FROM THE MIDDLE 50S TO LOWER 60S.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1232 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

VFR CONDITIONS WILL BE OBSERVED THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE EXCEPTION
OF THE HAYS AREA OVER THE NEXT HOUR DUE TO LEFT OVER CLOUDS AOA030 FROM
LAST NIGHT. THESE CLOUDS SHOULD MOVE OUT OF THE AREA BY 19Z
LEAVING VFR CONDITIONS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE TAF
SITES LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING AS A STRONG UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THESE STORMS ARE
ANTICIPATED TO FORM ALONG A DRYLINE ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS FIRST
THEN SPREAD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF WESTERN KANSAS AS THE EVENING
PROGRESSES. I HAVE KEPT A VCSH IN THE TAFS FOR NOW BUT MAY NEED TO
BE UPDATED LATER ON WHEN STORMS START TO DEVELOP. THESE STORMS
MOVE INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS BY MIDNIGHT WITH MOSTLY
CLEAR SKIES OBSERVED. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE FROM THE SOUTH
SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT GUSTING TO
AROUND 25 KNOTS AT TIMES. HIGHER GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE UNDER AND
AROUND THUNDERSTORMS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DDC  61  80  53  79 /  30  50  20  30
GCK  60  79  52  77 /  10  50  20  20
EHA  60  80  52  74 /  10  20  20  20
LBL  60  82  52  77 /  10  40  10  30
HYS  63  80  54  77 /  70  50  30  30
P28  65  85  58  82 /  70  30  20  30

&&

.DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING FOR
KSZ061-062-074-075-084-085.

&&

SHORT TERM...HOVORKA_42
LONG TERM...BURKE
AVIATION...HOVORKA_42

Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 1:29 PM CDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
129 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-191830-
TREGO-ELLIS-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-RUSH-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN-
PAWNEE-STAFFORD-STANTON-GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA-
PRATT-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK-COMANCHE-BARBER-
129 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013 /1229 PM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013/

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL AND
PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD
OF AN ADVANCING DRYLINE. TENNIS TO BASEBALL SIZE HAIL WILL BE
POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS ALONG WITH DAMAGING WINDS. THE
THREAT FOR TORNADOES INCREASES TOWARD SUNSET AS LOW LEVEL SHEAR
INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY. AN ISOLATED LONG-LIVED TORNADO WILL BE
POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST SUPERCELL STORM DURING THE MID TO LATE
EVENING HOURS.

A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST
KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST
FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS
CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS, GENERALLY EAST OF
A WAKEENEY TO MEADE LINE. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS UP TO 60
MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS WELL,
BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS UNLIKELY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVIATION IS EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS
EVENING. MAINLY EAST OF A SCOTT CITY TO LIBERAL LINE.

&&

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 18, 4:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
433 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

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

0426 PM     HAIL             3 W UTICA               38.64N 100.23W
05/18/2013  E2.00 INCH       NESS               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            THE CALLER REPORTED HAIL AS BIGGER THAN GOLFBALL.

&&

BURKE

Local storm report, May 18, 4:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
435 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

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

0425 PM     HAIL             UTICA                   38.64N 100.17W
05/18/2013  E1.00 INCH       NESS               KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

WHOVORKA

Local storm report, May 18, 4:58 PM CDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
458 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

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

0445 PM     HAIL             RANSOM                  38.64N 99.93W
05/18/2013  E1.75 INCH       NESS               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

BURKE

Local storm report, May 18, 5:09 PM CDT, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
509 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

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

0505 PM     HAIL             5 ENE ARNOLD            38.66N 99.96W
05/18/2013  E1.75 INCH       NESS               KS   PUBLIC

&&

WHOVORKA

Local storm report, May 18, 5:35 PM CDT, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
535 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

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

0530 PM     HAIL             8 S TREGO CENTER        38.77N 99.89W
05/18/2013  E1.00 INCH       TREGO              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

WHOVORKA

Local storm report, May 18, 6:03 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
603 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

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

0600 PM     HAIL             3 W BROWNELL            38.64N 99.80W
05/18/2013  E1.75 INCH       NESS               KS   PUBLIC

&&

WHOVORKA

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

11.1 hours before the tornado, 102 km from the path. May 18, 2013.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

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: 2095 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -361 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 3166 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 812 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 256 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 291 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 4.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Dodge City, (KDDC), 00:00Z

0.9 hours after it, 102 km from the path. May 19, 2013.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 160 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -9 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 149 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 4488 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 10.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Hays_muni (HYS), 45 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
21:15 UTC	87.8	68	120° 21 kt	27	1004.1
21:35 UTC	84.2	66.2	110° 21 kt	26	1003.7
21:55 UTC	82.4	66.2	120° 17 kt	25	1003.7	VCTS
22:15 UTC	82.4	62.6	140° 18 kt	23	1003.7
22:35 UTC	80.6	64.4	130° 17 kt	22	1003	VCTS
22:55 UTC	80.6	64.4	100° 13 kt		1003.4	TS
23:15 UTC	78.8	64.4	100° 16 kt		1003	TS
23:35 UTC	78.8	64.4	100° 18 kt	22	1002.4	TS
23:55 UTC	75.2	59	310° 14 kt	27	1004.7	VCTS
00:15 UTC	64.4	55.4	360° 21 kt		1003.4	TS
00:35 UTC	62.6	55.4	60° 11 kt	22	1003.4	VCTS
00:55 UTC	64.4	59	50° 7 kt		1002	VCTS

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

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:04 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
21:00 UTC	HAIL 1.75	7 W Wakeeney	Trego, KS
21:13 UTC	HAIL 1.75	4 Sw Utica	Ness, KS
21:25 UTC	HAIL 1	Utica	Ness, KS
21:26 UTC	HAIL 2	3 W Utica	Ness, KS	THE CALLER REPORTED HAIL AS BIGGER THAN GOLFBALL.
21:45 UTC	HAIL 1.75	Ransom	Ness, KS
22:05 UTC	HAIL 1.75	5 Ene Arnold	Ness, KS
22:30 UTC	HAIL 1	8 S Trego Center	Trego, KS
22:45 UTC	HAIL 2	S Ransom	Ness, KS	THE HAIL WAS MEASURED 30 MINUTES AFTER IT FELL.
22:50 UTC	HAIL 2	3 Se Ransom	Ness, KS
23:00 UTC	HAIL 1.75	3 W Brownell	Ness, KS
23:03 UTC	TORNADO	3 N Brownell	Ness, KS	A BRIEF MULTI-VORTEX TORNADO WAS OBSERVERED. THE TORNADO LASTED 1 TO 2 MINUTES.
23:03 UTC	TORNADO	5 S Ellis	Ellis, KS
23:10 UTC	HAIL 1.75	6 S Ogallah	Trego, KS
23:40 UTC	TORNADO	10 Se Ellis	Ellis, KS	TORNADO WAS OBSERVED GOING UP AND DOWN, SHORT TIME ON THE SURFACE. NO DAMAGE REPORTED AS OF YET.
00:10 UTC	HAIL 1	Catherine	Ellis, KS
00:12 UTC	HAIL 1.25	Catherine	Ellis, KS
00:31 UTC	TORNADO	6 N Sanford	Pawnee, KS	THIS TORNADO WAS REPORTED AS A LARGE STOVEPIPE TORNADO.
00:48 UTC	TSTM WND DMG	2 W Rozel	Pawnee, KS	TORNADO DAMAGE. ONE HOUSE NEARLY DESTROYED, ROOF AND WALLS GONE. THE 2 RESIDENTS WERE O.K. THE LOCATION IS 2 MILES WEST OF ROZEL ON HIGHWAY 156.
00:48 UTC	TORNADO	2 W Rozel	Pawnee, KS	TORNADO DAMAGE. ONE HOUSE NEARLY DESTROYED, ROOF AND WALLS GONE. THE 2 RESIDENTS WERE O.K. THE LOCATION IS 2 MILES WEST OF ROZEL ON HIGHWAY 156.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2013 tornado in Kansas Every tornado in Kansas since 1950 Warnings in force in Kansas now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 18, 2013

9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 18	5:27 PM CDT	EF0	Trego, KS	2.9	100
May 18	4:58 PM MDT	EF0	Morrill, NE	1.0	50
May 18	6:09 PM CDT	EF1	Ellis, KS	1.7	50
May 18	6:37 PM CDT	EF0	Ellis, KS	0.6	50
May 18	7:18 PM CDT	EF4	Rozel tornado, KS	7.0	1,100	$140,000
May 18	7:49 PM CDT	EF1	Pawnee, KS	4.0	100
May 18	8:10 PM CDT	EF0	Pawnee, KS	2.1	100
May 18	10:35 PM CDT	EF1	Clay, KS	7.0	75
May 18	11:00 PM CDT	EF0	Washington, KS	0.3	50

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.