Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2026
EF1 tornado, Olivet, Kansas, April 17, 2026
This EF1 tornado ran 1.1 miles across Osage County on April 17, 2026, touching down at 4:07 PM CDT and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody.
Preliminary. This is NWS TOP's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Olivet Tornado. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.
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 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
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 survey
- Rating, as surveyed
- EF1, preliminary
- Date
- April 17, 2026
- Touchdown
- 4:07 PM CDT (21:07 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:09 PM CDT (21:09 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 1.1 miles (1.8 km)
- Path width
- 75 yards (69 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Osage County
- Touchdown point
- 38.479, -95.761
- Lift-off point
- 38.483, -95.741
- Highest wind the damage implies
- 105 mph
- Surveyed by
- NWS TOP
- The office's name for it
- Olivet Tornado
- Survey last edited
- April 18, 2026
- Record number
- None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.
What the survey found
Estimated start and end points based off radar and end of debris field
Written by NWS TOP in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.
The damage survey
16 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS TOP, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 105 mph.
- Lofted debris presumably from rv shed
- Debris presumably from rv shed southwest stuck into ground
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
Severe storms developed along and ahead of a cold front late in the afternoon on Friday April 17th. Storms organized into a short line that begin to prouce damaging downdraft winds. A small tornado also formed on the northern side of the short line and produced damage in the town of Olivet in Osage County. A damage survey was done the next day and it was found to be EF1 damage mainly to outbuildings along with tree limb damage.
NWS tornado damage survey revealed a short path small tornado produced damage in the town of Olivet. A few outbuidings were damaged or destroyed and several large trees were uprooted or had broken branches. The damage was determined to be EF1 with winds to around 100-105 mph.
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 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:53 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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Apr 17, 12:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Severe thunderstorms expected (50-90% chance) this afternoon into early this evening, mainly in east-central Kansas. Locally heavy rainfall also possible, mainly in far southeastern areas.
- Fire danger into elevated levels Saturday and Sunday along Highway 81 in north-central Kansas.
- Low temperatures close to freezing Saturday and Sunday mornings, with frost potential Sunday morning.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 17, 12:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Topeka KS 1242 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Severe thunderstorms expected (50-90% chance) this afternoon into early this evening, mainly in east-central Kansas. Locally heavy rainfall also possible, mainly in far southeastern areas. - Fire danger into elevated levels Saturday and Sunday along Highway 81 in north-central Kansas. - Low temperatures close to freezing Saturday and Sunday mornings, with frost potential Sunday morning. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1242 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 Volatile situation setting up over eastern and southern portions of the state this afternoon with upper low moving east along the central Canadian border with associated trough in at least one piece south-southwest into the Four Corners impinging on a moist and very unstable atmosphere over the Plains. Cold front had passed through north-central Kansas by noon, lagging a bit more to the southwest to a surface low over northeast Oklahoma. 16Z MLCAPE analysis already had values around 2500 J/kg with over 3000 J/kg quite possible by mid afternoon with effective shear of 40-50 knots. Low-level wind fields will likely keep some veering, however tornadic potential remains with any more isolated storms early then possibly in QLCS activity later in the event, so very large hail and potent straight-line winds will be the main concerns. Main area of concern looks to be east-central Kansas where instability will be the greatest and the front come in the latest. Severe thunderstorm activity should peak by late afternoon and exit the area by 8 PM, though some training could linger mainly along and southeast of I-35 as the effective front becomes more parallel to the upper flow and could lead to a few rounds of heavy rainfall into the late evening. Concerns late tonight into Sunday turn to more of a early to mid spring variety with fire weather and growing season impacts. Northwest winds keep some speed Saturday but back off Sunday when the driest air is in place. Fire weather partners indicate only limited grassland response in the far western counties that could still support some very active wildfires and, even going slightly windier for Saturday, still only brings fire danger indicies into the Very High category. These winds Saturday keep frost in check with much weaker winds Sunday morning supporting some frost. Most guidance keeps lows above freezing for even the coldest areas in north-central Kansas. Temperatures return to above normal levels early next week with the next chance for precipition late in the week. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1219 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 Thunderstorm potential is the main concern. Storms are highly likely to be east of MHK but could form around TOP and FOE through 22Z, but latest trends are for a faster end of storms so trimmed them a bit. North-northwest winds behind the front should diminish late. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 1242 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 Not much change to previous forecast. Saturday brings the stronger winds but RH only dropping to around 20 percent for a few hours. Sunday looks drier but much weaker winds. Saturday will likely be more concerning but confidence in Red Flag conditions remains too low for any headlines. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...Poage AVIATION...Poage FIRE WEATHER...Poage
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 17, 2:35 AM CDT, 13 hours 32 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Topeka KS 235 AM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-180745- Republic-Washington-Marshall-Nemaha-Brown-Cloud-Clay-Riley- Pottawatomie-Jackson-Jefferson-Ottawa-Dickinson-Geary-Morris- Wabaunsee-Shawnee-Douglas-Lyon-Osage-Franklin-Coffey-Anderson- 235 AM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Kansas, east central Kansas, north central Kansas and northeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Thunderstorms are expected to develop over northeast and east central Kansas this afternoon and continue into the evening. Large hail, damaging winds, and a tornado or two are possible with these storms. Areas along and east of a line from Abilene to Marysville have the better chances of seeing severe storms. Heavy rain could also lead to flash flooding for areas along and southeast of Interstate 35. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER MESSAGE Weather spotters are encouraged to relay reports of hail, damaging wind, tornadoes, and flooding. && More detailed information can be found at: www.weather.gov/media/top/DssPacket.pdf
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 2:06 PM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Topeka KS
206 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026
KSZ026-171915-
Jefferson-
206 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY
THROUGH 215 PM CDT...
At 206 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Winchester, moving northeast at 50 mph.
HAZARD...Half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Minor damage to vegetation is possible.
Locations impacted include...
Nortonville and Winchester.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT for northeastern
Kansas.
&&
LAT...LON 3924 9525 3936 9538 3942 9532 3942 9518
3929 9518
TIME...MOT...LOC 1906Z 223DEG 42KT 3937 9523
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH
GriesemerLocal storm report, Apr 17, 2:19 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
219 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0218 PM Hail Eskridge 38.86N 96.10W
04/17/2026 E0.88 Inch Wabaunsee KS Trained Spotter
&&
smbLocal storm report, Apr 17, 2:57 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
257 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0229 PM Hail 1 E Valley Falls 39.34N 95.44W
04/17/2026 M1.00 Inch Jefferson KS Trained Spotter
&&
smbThe 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), 12:00Z
9.1 hours before the tornado, 58 km from the path. April 17, 2026.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2338 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -172 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2427 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 934 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 42 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 379 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 354 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.8
- Supercell composite
- 16.5
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.7 K/km
The surface observations
Burlington (UKL), 20 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), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:04 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.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 17, 2026
89 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17 | 1:46 PM CDT | EF0 | Mower, MN | 2.8 | 110 | |||
| April 17 | 1:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Dodge, MN | 5.3 | 150 | |||
| April 17 | 2:15 PM CDT | Unrated | Jackson, IA | 1.0 | 0 | |||
| April 17 | 2:19 PM CDT | EF2 | Olmsted, MN | 9.7 | 250 | 2 | ||
| April 17 | 2:32 PM CDT | Unrated | Butler, IA | 1.6 | 10 | |||
| April 17 | 2:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Olmsted, MN | 12.4 | 200 | |||
| April 17 | 2:47 PM CDT | EF1 | Jo Daviess, IL | 3.7 | 100 | |||
| April 17 | 2:47 PM CDT | EF2 | Olmsted, MN | 7.7 | 200 | |||
| April 17 | 2:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Howard, IA | 4.2 | 60 | 1 | ||
| April 17 | 3:08 PM CDT | Unrated | Atchison, KS | 0.0 | 0 | |||
| April 17 | 3:26 PM CDT | EF3 | Buffalo, WI | 10.3 | 300 | |||
| April 17 | 3:36 PM CDT | EF2 | Stephenson, IL | 12.5 | 1,250 | |||
| April 17 | 4:09 PM CDT | EF1 | Trempealeau, WI | 5.6 | 90 | |||
| April 17 | 4:17 PM CDT | Unrated | Clayton, IA | 0.6 | 20 | |||
| April 17 | 4:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Trempealeau, WI | 4.6 | 130 | |||
| April 17 | 4:35 PM CDT | Unrated | Winnebago, IL | 0.7 | 50 | |||
| April 17 | 4:44 PM CDT | EF1 | Marathon, WI | 4.3 | 100 | |||
| April 17 | 4:46 PM CDT | EF3 | Marathon, WI | 13.5 | 600 | $8,000 | ||
| April 17 | 4:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, WI | 2.3 | 150 | |||
| April 17 | 4:57 PM CDT | EF1 | Winnebago, IL | 5.0 | 400 | |||
| April 17 | 5:02 PM CDT | EF1 | Washington, IA | 5.3 | 100 | |||
| April 17 | 5:19 PM CDT | EF1 | Cass, MO | 4.8 | 0 | |||
| April 17 | 6:02 PM CDT | EF1 | Rock, WI | 1.9 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 6:05 PM CDT | EF1 | Rock, WI | 2.1 | 100 | |||
| April 17 | 6:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Rock, WI | 4.4 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 6:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Walworth, WI | 3.0 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 6:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Mercer, IL | 0.9 | 50 | |||
| April 17 | 6:43 PM CDT | EF1 | Walworth, WI | 3.1 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Hancock, IL | 5.7 | 150 | |||
| April 17 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Kay, OK | 5.1 | 100 | |||
| April 17 | 7:03 PM CDT | EF1 | Winnebago, IL | 11.6 | 350 | |||
| April 17 | 7:03 PM CDT | EF1 | Kay, OK | 14.4 | 1,200 | |||
| April 17 | 7:04 PM CDT | EF1 | Henry, IL | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| April 17 | 7:11 PM CDT | EF1 | Kay, OK | 0.9 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 7:12 PM CDT | EF1 | Kay, OK | 0.3 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 7:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Hancock, IL | 6.0 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 7:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Knox, IL | 10.3 | 800 | |||
| April 17 | 7:19 PM CDT | EF1 | Benton, MO | 5.9 | 0 | |||
| April 17 | 7:22 PM CDT | EF0 | Walworth, WI | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| April 17 | 7:23 PM CDT | EF0 | Benton, MO | 0.4 | 200 | |||
| April 17 | 7:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Benton, MO | 1.6 | 150 | |||
| April 17 | 7:29 PM CDT | EF2 | McDonough, IL | 12.8 | 200 | $90 | ||
| April 17 | 7:32 PM CDT | EF0 | Racine, WI | 1.4 | 50 | |||
| April 17 | 7:40 PM CDT | EF2 | Fulton, IL | 18.1 | 500 | $500 | ||
| April 17 | 7:44 PM CDT | EF0 | Morgan, MO | 1.2 | 0 | |||
| April 17 | 7:46 PM CDT | EF1 | Morgan, MO | 7.2 | 300 | |||
| April 17 | 7:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Schuyler, IL | 36.7 | 1,200 | |||
| April 17 | 7:52 PM CDT | EF0 | Waukesha, WI | 0.6 | 70 | |||
| April 17 | 7:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Racine, WI | 3.7 | 50 | |||
| April 17 | 7:56 PM CDT | EF1 | Racine, WI | 5.2 | 75 | |||
| April 17 | 7:59 PM CDT | EF0 | Morgan, MO | 1.3 | 150 | |||
| April 17 | 8:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Cole, MO | 3.5 | 50 | |||
| April 17 | 8:11 PM CDT | EF1 | Mason, IL | 15.4 | 200 | |||
| April 17 | 8:14 PM CDT | EF1 | Bureau, IL | 17.6 | 300 | |||
| April 17 | 8:22 PM CDT | EF1 | Tazewell, IL | 6.3 | 100 | |||
| April 17 | 8:26 PM CDT | EF1 | Menard, IL | 5.9 | 300 | |||
| April 17 | 8:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Tazewell, IL | 2.3 | 500 | |||
| April 17 | 8:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Tazewell, IL | 2.3 | 70 | $50 | ||
| April 17 | 8:29 PM CDT | EF1 | Tazewell, IL | 4.6 | 1,100 | |||
| April 17 | 8:31 PM CDT | EF0 | Callaway, MO | 2.3 | 50 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.
Sources
NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.