Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2023

EF0 tornado, Cedar Pt to Saffordville, Kansas, April 19, 2023

From Cedar Pt to Saffordville, this EF0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Chase County on April 19, 2023, touching down at 8:17 PM CDT and reaching 25 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
April 19, 2023
Touchdown
8:17 PM CDT (01:17 UTC)
Lifted
8:18 PM CDT (01:18 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Path width
25 yards (23 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Chase County
Touchdown point
38.338, -96.680
Lift-off point
38.338, -96.677
Record number
2304191917-01

The damage survey

68 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS ICT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 125 mph.

  • Track 100yds wide in this area. Trees in picture 400yds from road. Several snapped half way up the tree. Track start
  • 1-2 foot diameter tree branch snapped
  • Outbulding thrown 250 yds. Additional outbuildings collapsed on site. Track start. 4 inch measured hail also reported at this location.
  • Location of semi blown over. Width 100yds. 1 Injury. Several others small road signs taken out.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

A lone supercell thunderstorm moved from south central Kansas into central Kansas during the afternoon and evening of April 19th, 2023. The cyclic storm produced very large hail up to 4 inches in diameter and numerous tornadoes across Chase county, Kansas. Eight tornadoes formed from the supercell with the strongest producing EF2 damage.

This is the first tornado which a storm survey revealed that an outbuilding was thrown 250 yards. Additional outbuildings were collapsed on site. The roof of a silo was removed from the top, and walls at the base were pushed in. This was rated an EF1 tornado.

The second tornado of the event was found following assessment of drone footage courtesy of Chase County Sheriff. This brief tornado damaged two farm outbuildings with parts of the roof torn off and was rated an EF0.

This is the third tornado which initially caused the loss of roof material on an outbuilding. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 50, and a semi was blown over resulting in one injury. Several small road signs were taken out. A one to two foot diameter tree was snapped before the tornado lifted. This tornado was rated an EF0.

The was the fifth tornado of the event. It tracked just north of Chase County Lake and damage was limited to trees and small outbuildings.

The sixth tornado produced by the supercell tracked across the town of Cottonwood Falls producing EF1 damage, mainly to trees and minor damage to roof structures.

This was the seventh tornado of the event. Damage was limited to trees and siding of homes.

This was the eighth tornado documented by the NWS Wichita damage Survey Team. This tornado mainly produced EF0 damage to mainly trees. There was one minor injury close to the initial touchdown along Highway 50, when a car was thrown 30 yards off the highway. The person was treated and released.

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

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 Apr 19, 6:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 6:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wichita KS
621 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

.SHORT TERM...(This evening through Saturday night)
Issued at 319 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

Water vapor imagery shows an upper low situated over eastern MT
with a trough and associated vort lobe extending down into the
Central/Southern Rockies. At the surface, cold front extends from
Eastern Nebraska to near Great Bend and finally into far
Southwest KS. Meanwhile, dryline extends from south of KHUT down
into Western OK.

Complex setup for this evening as the upper low remains almost
stationary but an upper jet and piece of energy move out of the
Central Rockies and into KS/OK. Confidence remain high that the
dryline/cold front will retreat west as surface low intensifies
over southwest KS late this afternoon and early evening. Main
question still remains if storms can develop early this evening
along the dryline/cold front as it retreats. Currently think the
most likely area for development will be over northeast KS which
will be closer to good upper diffluence due to being closer to
the right entrance region of an upper jet over the
central/northern Plains. Another area to keep an eye on would be
further south over OK where deeper moisture and slightly better
convergence will be situated as winds back this evening. There's
no question that if a storm can develop early this evening, all
modes of severe weather would be possible, with tor potential
increasing as low level jet continues to increase this evening.

Confidence is much higher with storm development tonight as the
cold front surges south and intersects the dryline over northeast
KS and tries to unzip to the southwest. The tough question will
be how far south and southwest do storms make it overnight. Trends
lately have been to limit the southward extent which seems to be
the theme so far this spring. Large hail and downburst winds will
be common with any storms that unzip down the line tonight.

Did go ahead and expand the wind advisory for tonight as the
dryline/cold front look to lift a bit further north and to also
account for strong north winds getting into central KS behind the
front.

Cold front and associated storms will be making their way through
Southeast KS Thu morning with cooler air spilling into the
remainder of the area. By Thu evening, the upper low will be
moving into the Upper Mississippi Valley with one last vort max
moving across the Southern Plains. This will bring west winds and
good downslope conditions Fri that will allow us to reach our full
heating potential as we climb into the mid and upper 60s. Still
looks to be some frost potential Fri morning across central KS we
we fall into the lower 30s and winds go light.

.LONG TERM...(Saturday through Wednesday)
Issued at 319 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

Still good model agreement in a secondary surge of cold air
starting Sat morning across the forecast area as the upper low
moves off into the Great Lakes region. Still looks like freezing
temps will be a good bet for both Sat and Sun morning, especially
across central KS. So would not be surprised if freeze warnings
are eventually needed in these locations. Confidence remain high
that below normal temps will remain in place for both Sun and Mon
with highs each day around 10 degrees below seasonal normals.

Both ECMWF and GFS are hinting at some rainfall potential for Mon
night into Tue as shortwave energy digs across the Great Basin
resulting in increasing moisture transport across the Plains.
There are some fairly significant differences between the GFS and
ECMWF on the track of the shortwave so confidence remains fairly
low at this time.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Thursday evening)
Issued at 622 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

Strong to severe convection possible along a cold front tonight as
it moves across central Kansas and into southeast Kansas toward
dawn. Strong south winds and low level wind shear away from the
convection with strong northwest winds behind the frontal passage
later tonight into early Thursday. Patchy MVFR cigs possible,
especially in and near convection tonight and lower vsbys in rain.

KED

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 319 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

Very high fire danger will be in place Thu across parts of south
central and central KS.

Winds are expected to flip around to the northwest on Thursday
behind the cold front but will remain quite gusty. We are looking
for sustained speeds in the 15 to 25 mph range with gusts to
30-35 mph. Afternoon RH's are anticipated to be around 15% west of
I-135 Thursday to around 30% over southeast KS. Outdoor burning
is not recommended on Thu afternoon.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Wichita-KICT    54  71  42  65 /  30   0  10  10
Hutchinson      50  69  40  64 /  30   0  10   0
Newton          53  71  41  64 /  40   0  10  10
ElDorado        55  71  43  64 /  40  10  10  10
Winfield-KWLD   56  72  44  67 /  30  10  10  10
Russell         45  66  34  62 /  30   0  10   0
Great Bend      45  67  36  63 /  30   0  10   0
Salina          49  68  36  64 /  50   0  10   0
McPherson       50  69  39  62 /  40   0  10   0
Coffeyville     60  72  45  67 /  30  40  10  10
Chanute         59  71  45  65 /  40  40  10  10
Iola            59  71  45  64 /  50  40  10  10
Parsons-KPPF    60  72  45  66 /  30  40  10  10

&&

.ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Advisory until 7 AM CDT Thursday for KSZ032-033-047>053-
067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100.

&&

SHORT TERM...RBL
LONG TERM...RBL
AVIATION...KED
FIRE WEATHER...RBL
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 19, 5:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Wichita KS
544 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-201015-
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-
544 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas,
South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

Very high grassland fire danger is expected to continue into the
evening hours across south central and southeast Kansas due to
strong south winds.

Storms are expected to develop through 9 pm for areas north of
Highway 400 with hail to golf ball size, 70 mph and a tornado
possible. Storms will then be possible later tonight as the cold
front moves into the area. Large hail and damaging winds will be the
main threat with these storms.

Strong south winds will remain in place this evening across most of
the area and and flip around to the north late tonight. See latest
wind advisory for additional details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

A few thunderstorms may linger through Thursday morning across
southeast Kansas. The risk for severe storms appears low.

Very high fire danger is possible Thursday and Friday afternoons
across parts of central and south central Kansas.

Freezing temperatures are possible early Saturday morning across
central Kansas and portions of southeast and central Kansas early
Sunday morning.

Periodic storm chances exist Monday and Tuesday next week. Strong
to severe storms are not expected with this activity.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may needed across the area this evening into the
overnight hours.

&&

For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at:
https://weather.gov/crh/ghwo?sid=ict

Ketcham

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 19, 7:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
714 PM CDT WED APR 19 2023

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

0712 PM     HAIL             PEABODY                 38.17N 97.11W
04/19/2023  E2.50 INCH       MARION             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&
Local storm report, Apr 19, 7:17 PM CDT, 1 hour before
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Local storm report, Apr 19, 7:19 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 19, 7:24 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 19, 8:08 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
808 PM CDT WED APR 19 2023

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

0807 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     6 NE CEDAR POINT        38.33N 96.75W
04/19/2023                   CHASE              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 8:09 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
809 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

KSZ093-094-098-200145-
Cowley KS-Chautauqua KS-Elk KS-
809 PM CDT Wed Apr 19 2023

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Elk,
southeastern Cowley and northern Chautauqua Counties through 845 PM
CDT...

At 809 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Dexter, or 9 miles west of Cedar Vale, moving northeast at 50 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Cedar Vale, Moline, Dexter and Grenola.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3715 9681 3750 9641 3725 9602 3700 9671
      3700 9674
TIME...MOT...LOC 0109Z 227DEG 45KT 3713 9667

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

METZGER

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.

Topeka, KS (KTOP), 00:00Z

1.3 hours before the tornado, 116 km from the path. April 20, 2023.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2023-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1951 joules per kilogram, CIN -10, lifted condensation level 1353 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2023-04-20The 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 132 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 31 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
1951 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1850 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1353 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
309 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
10.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Emporia (EMP), 43 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 Topeka radar (KTWX), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:15 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 2023 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 19, 2023

30 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 197:03 PM CDTEF0Oklahoma, OK2.6250$155,000
April 197:10 PM CDTUnratedPottawattamie, IA0.510
April 197:20 PM CDTEF1Grady, OK2.9200$30,000
April 197:30 PM CDTEF3Cole tornado, OK10.91,20012$4.0 million
April 197:38 PM CDTEF1McClain, OK1.2250$5,000
April 197:47 PM CDTEF1McClain, OK2.2400$30,000
April 197:55 PM CDTEF1McClain, OK7.5700$26,000
April 197:56 PM CDTEF1McClain, OK0.850$4,000
April 197:56 PM CDTUnratedCrawford, IA1.950
April 198:09 PM CDTEF1Chase, KS0.175
April 198:16 PM CDTUnratedFremont, IA0.110
April 198:18 PM CDTEF0Chase, KS2.11001
April 198:22 PM CDTEF2Chase, KS11.6880
April 198:23 PM CDTEF0Fremont, IA0.510
April 198:31 PM CDTEF1Chase, KS1.3200
April 198:32 PM CDTEF1Cleveland, OK2.1150$10,000
April 198:35 PM CDTEF1Chase, KS1.050$5,000
April 198:36 PM CDTEF2Cleveland, OK5.4700$500,000
April 198:38 PM CDTEF0Chase, KS2.6175
April 198:41 PM CDTEF1Cleveland, OK1.650$50,000
April 198:45 PM CDTEF0Chase, KS3.21501$20,000
April 198:47 PM CDTEF2Cleveland, OK4.22,200$775,000
April 198:55 PM CDTEF2Chase, KS5.2300
April 199:04 PM CDTEF3Shawnee tornado, OK0.6250$50,000
April 199:07 PM CDTEF0Cleveland, OK0.360$5,000
April 199:13 PM CDTEF2Pottawatomie, OK6.3700$105,000
April 199:18 PM CDTEF0Cleveland, OK1.075$10,000
April 199:21 PM CDTEF1Pottawatomie, OK1.9400$50,000
April 199:39 PM CDTEF2Pottawatomie, OK15.02,300$4.0 million
April 1910:39 PM CDTEF1Pottawatomie, OK0.850

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.