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.
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
- 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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</html>Local storm report, Apr 19, 7:19 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
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</html>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
METZGERThe 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.
- 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
The surface observations
Emporia (EMP), 43 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (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.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 19 | 7:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Oklahoma, OK | 2.6 | 250 | $155,000 | ||
| April 19 | 7:10 PM CDT | Unrated | Pottawattamie, IA | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| April 19 | 7:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Grady, OK | 2.9 | 200 | $30,000 | ||
| April 19 | 7:30 PM CDT | EF3 | Cole tornado, OK | 10.9 | 1,200 | 1 | 2 | $4.0 million |
| April 19 | 7:38 PM CDT | EF1 | McClain, OK | 1.2 | 250 | $5,000 | ||
| April 19 | 7:47 PM CDT | EF1 | McClain, OK | 2.2 | 400 | $30,000 | ||
| April 19 | 7:55 PM CDT | EF1 | McClain, OK | 7.5 | 700 | $26,000 | ||
| April 19 | 7:56 PM CDT | EF1 | McClain, OK | 0.8 | 50 | $4,000 | ||
| April 19 | 7:56 PM CDT | Unrated | Crawford, IA | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| April 19 | 8:09 PM CDT | EF1 | Chase, KS | 0.1 | 75 | |||
| April 19 | 8:16 PM CDT | Unrated | Fremont, IA | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 19 | 8:18 PM CDT | EF0 | Chase, KS | 2.1 | 100 | 1 | ||
| April 19 | 8:22 PM CDT | EF2 | Chase, KS | 11.6 | 880 | |||
| April 19 | 8:23 PM CDT | EF0 | Fremont, IA | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| April 19 | 8:31 PM CDT | EF1 | Chase, KS | 1.3 | 200 | |||
| April 19 | 8:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Cleveland, OK | 2.1 | 150 | $10,000 | ||
| April 19 | 8:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Chase, KS | 1.0 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| April 19 | 8:36 PM CDT | EF2 | Cleveland, OK | 5.4 | 700 | $500,000 | ||
| April 19 | 8:38 PM CDT | EF0 | Chase, KS | 2.6 | 175 | |||
| April 19 | 8:41 PM CDT | EF1 | Cleveland, OK | 1.6 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| April 19 | 8:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Chase, KS | 3.2 | 150 | 1 | $20,000 | |
| April 19 | 8:47 PM CDT | EF2 | Cleveland, OK | 4.2 | 2,200 | $775,000 | ||
| April 19 | 8:55 PM CDT | EF2 | Chase, KS | 5.2 | 300 | |||
| April 19 | 9:04 PM CDT | EF3 | Shawnee tornado, OK | 0.6 | 250 | $50,000 | ||
| April 19 | 9:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Cleveland, OK | 0.3 | 60 | $5,000 | ||
| April 19 | 9:13 PM CDT | EF2 | Pottawatomie, OK | 6.3 | 700 | $105,000 | ||
| April 19 | 9:18 PM CDT | EF0 | Cleveland, OK | 1.0 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| April 19 | 9:21 PM CDT | EF1 | Pottawatomie, OK | 1.9 | 400 | $50,000 | ||
| April 19 | 9:39 PM CDT | EF2 | Pottawatomie, OK | 15.0 | 2,300 | $4.0 million | ||
| April 19 | 10:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Pottawatomie, OK | 0.8 | 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.