Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2019

Unrated tornado, Winona, Kansas, June 8, 2019

This Unrated tornado ran 0.8 miles across Logan County on June 8, 2019, touching down at 8:57 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.

  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 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. Unratedthis tornado

    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
Unrated
Date
June 8, 2019
Touchdown
8:57 PM CDT (01:57 UTC)
Lifted
9:01 PM CDT (02:01 UTC)
On the ground
4 minutes
Path length
0.8 miles (1.2 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Logan County
Touchdown point
39.140, -101.360
Lift-off point
39.132, -101.350
Record number
1906081957-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Thunderstorms produced a variety of severe weather across northwest Kansas.

Brief tornado northwest of Winona. This was actually an anticyclonic landspout tornado. Reported by several chasers and members of TORUS project.

Tornado associated with supercell. Photographed by many storm chasers as well as members of the TORUS project.

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

The warnings

33 minutes of warning. NWS GLD issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:24 UTC, 33 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:00 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 01:55 UTC and running to 06:01 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
19:53 UTC01:55 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchGLD
00:00 UTC00:17 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD
00:41 UTC01:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD
01:24 UTC02:00 UTCTornado WarningGLD
01:26 UTC02:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD
01:36 UTC06:29 UTCFlash Flood WarningGLD
01:55 UTC06:01 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchGLD
01:56 UTC02:30 UTCTornado WarningGLD
02:06 UTC02:45 UTCTornado WarningGLD
02:12 UTC03:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD
02:27 UTC02:49 UTCTornado WarningGLD
02:41 UTC03:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD
02:43 UTC03:17 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD
03:18 UTC04:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD
03:27 UTC03:44 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLD

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 01:00 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.

Denver, CO (KDEN), 00:00Z

2.0 hours before the tornado, 180 km from the path. June 9, 2019.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2019-06-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 710 joules per kilogram, CIN -81, lifted condensation level 1602 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2019-06-09The 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 145 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 63 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
710 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-81 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1602 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
422 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
7.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Denver, CO (KDEN), 12:00Z

10.0 hours after it, 180 km from the path. June 9, 2019.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2019-06-09Temperature 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 -84475, lifted condensation level 898 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2019-06-09The 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 -146 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 59 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84475 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
898 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-146 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
246 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Goodland (GLD), 39 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC20° 5 kt1008.1
00:05 UTC20° 7 kt
00:15 UTC50° 11 kt
00:20 UTC80° 11 kt
00:25 UTC30° 11 kt
00:30 UTC60° 11 kt
00:35 UTC320° 13 kt19
00:40 UTC 19 kt
00:45 UTC 21 kt
00:50 UTC40° 22 kt
00:53 UTC736150° 22 kt311008.5TS
00:55 UTC50° 22 kt
01:00 UTC70° 18 kt1008.8
01:01 UTC715670° 20 kt321008.8TS
01:05 UTC80° 1008.8
01:10 UTC80° 21 kt
01:15 UTC70° 20 kt1009.1
01:20 UTC 21 kt
01:25 UTC 23 kt
01:27 UTC665280° 24 kt471009.5VCTS
01:30 UTC 23 kt
01:35 UTC 18 kt23
01:45 UTC70° 17 kt22
01:50 UTC 14 kt21
01:53 UTC6659110° 18 kt251010.2VCTS
02:00 UTC 20 kt
02:09 UTC6964120° 21 kt331010.5
02:10 UTC 22 kt34
02:15 UTC 18 kt23
02:20 UTC 14 kt
02:25 UTC100° 10 kt
02:30 UTC360° 13 kt
02:35 UTC10° 10 kt
02:38 UTC696010° 12 kt211012.2VCTS
02:40 UTC10° 11 kt
02:45 UTC6961350° 14 kt191013.2-TSRA
02:50 UTC340° 13 kt19-RA
02:53 UTC6662360° 12 kt1013.5-TSRA
02:55 UTC350° 11 ktRA
03:00 UTC340° 14 ktRA
03:05 UTC340° 17 kt-RA
03:10 UTC350° 18 kt23-RA
03:15 UTC350° 13 kt-RA
03:20 UTC360° 11 kt
03:25 UTC40° 8 kt
03:30 UTC30° 11 kt
03:35 UTC10° 9 kt
03:36 UTC6461360° 9 kt1015.9VCTS
03:40 UTC340° 13 kt
03:45 UTC360° 13 kt
03:50 UTC64.462.620° 16 kt261015.2
03:53 UTC646230° 21 kt291014.6
03:55 UTC30° 17 kt23

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

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:55 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
23:02 UTCHAIL 21 N EdsonSherman, KS
23:30 UTCHAIL 1.5BrewsterThomas, KS
23:35 UTCHAIL 12 Nne GoodlandSherman, KS.
23:35 UTCHAIL 12 Nne GoodlandSherman, KS
23:37 UTCHAIL 1.53 N GoodlandSherman, KSTRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED HAIL SIZE OF 1.61 INCHES (41 MM).
01:00 UTCHAIL 2.53 W EdsonSherman, KSPUBLIC REPORTED VIA FACEBOOK GOLF BALL TO TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL AROUND 7 PM MDT AT THE OVERPASS NEAR MM 25 ALONG I-70.
01:10 UTCTSTM WND GST 602 Wsw EdsonSherman, KSMESONET REPORT OF 60 MPH WIND GUST.
01:10 UTCHAIL 2.52 S EdsonSherman, KSTHIS IS ON ROAD 29 SOUTH OF EDSON.
01:15 UTCTORNADO1 Nw EdsonSherman, KSPUBLIC REPORTED WIND DAMAGE IN EDSON LAST NIGHT WITH TREES AND POWER LINES DAMAGED. PUBLIC REPORTED POSSIBLY CAUSED BY TORNADO. PUBLIC REPORTED TIME AS IN THE EVENING OR THE NIGHT SO ESTIMATED TIME BASED ON RADAR.
01:30 UTCHAIL 1.752 Ssw GoodlandSherman, KS.
01:30 UTCHAIL 1.752 Ssw GoodlandSherman, KS
01:30 UTCHAIL 2BrewsterThomas, KSCORRECTS PREVIOUS HAIL REPORT FROM BREWSTER. REPORT FROM NEAR THE BREWSTER EXIT ON I70. CORRECTED THE PREVIOUS REPORT TO CORRECT THE TIME OF THE REPORT.
01:47 UTCHAIL 110 S BrewsterThomas, KS.
01:47 UTCHAIL 110 S BrewsterThomas, KS
01:51 UTCHAIL 2BrewsterThomas, KSREPORT FROM NEAR THE BREWSTER EXIT ON I70.
01:55 UTCHAIL 1.256 N WinonaThomas, KS.
01:55 UTCHAIL 1.256 N WinonaThomas, KS
02:00 UTCTORNADO1 Wnw WinonaLogan, KSDELAYED REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
02:02 UTCTORNADO8 Nw WinonaLogan, KS.
02:02 UTCTORNADO8 Nw WinonaLogan, KS
02:08 UTCTORNADO6 W WinonaLogan, KS.
02:08 UTCTORNADO6 W WinonaLogan, KS
02:19 UTCHAIL 1.5WinonaLogan, KS.
02:19 UTCHAIL 1.5WinonaLogan, KS
02:25 UTCTORNADO1 Sw WinonaLogan, KSSTORM CHASER POSTED A PICTURE ON TWITTER OF A POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR THE US40/CR220 INTERSECTION SW OF WINONA, KS AT 2125 CDT.
02:30 UTCHAIL 110 S BrewsterThomas, KSDELAYED REPORT VIA FACEBOOK.
02:30 UTCHAIL 1.7510 S BrewsterThomas, KSDELAYED REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
02:37 UTCFLASH FLOOD10 Nw WinonaThomas, KSINTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD D AND HWY 184 FLOODED.
02:39 UTCNON-TSTM WND DMG2 N Russell SpringsLogan, KSPOWER FLASHES REPORTED. UNKNOWN WHETHER FLASHES WERE DUE TO STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OR TORNADO.
02:45 UTCHAIL 1.510 S BrewsterThomas, KSDELAYED REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
02:46 UTCFLASH FLOOD1 Ese BrewsterThomas, KSWATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH WAS RUNNING ACROSS THE ROADS NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF CR 3 AND CR P JUST EAST OF BREWSTER.
02:50 UTCTORNADO6 N Russell SpringsLogan, KS.
02:50 UTCTORNADO6 N Russell SpringsLogan, KS
02:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGWinonaLogan, KSWINONA HAS LOST POWER. UNKNOWN WHETHER FROM STRAIGHTLINE WINDS OR TORNADO.
03:05 UTCTORNADO2 Ne Russell SpringsLogan, KS.
03:05 UTCTORNADO2 Ne Russell SpringsLogan, KS
03:45 UTCHAIL 1.5WinonaLogan, KS.
03:45 UTCHAIL 1.5WinonaLogan, KS

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2019 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 8, 2019

9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 81:58 PM MDTUnratedKit Carson, CO0.7100
June 85:08 PM EDTEF0Rutherford, NC0.130
June 83:12 PM MDTUnratedKit Carson, CO0.5100
June 84:35 PM CDTUnratedCheyenne, KS1.3100
June 84:45 PM CDTUnratedCheyenne, KS1.1100
June 86:19 PM MDTEF0Elbert, CO0.025
June 87:34 PM CDTEF2Polk, MN3.6400
June 89:10 PM CDTUnratedLogan, KS2.9100
June 810:05 PM CDTUnratedLogan, KS0.6100

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.