Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2001
F1 tornado, Hubbell, Nebraska, June 13, 2001
This F1 tornado ran 3.0 miles across Thayer County on June 13, 2001, touching down at 9:05 PM CDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $500,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 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.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 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
- F1
- Date
- June 13, 2001
- Touchdown
- 9:05 PM CDT (02:05 UTC)
- Path length
- 3.0 miles (4.8 km)
- Path width
- 150 yards (137 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $500,000
- County
- Thayer County
- Touchdown point
- 40.020, -97.420
- Lift-off point
- 40.000, -97.470
- Record number
- 1064
What the Weather Service recorded
A wild night of weather struck south-central Nebraska with high winds, hail and tornadoes. Of the five tornadoes confirmed, the most damaging one occurred southeast of Hubbell. One farmstead sustained around one-half million dollars in damage, including losing several outbuildings, grain bins, and an exterior wall on the home. The other tornadoes were quite brief, but one did manage to produce minor damage on a farm in eastern Furnas county.Another area of widespread destruction occurred with straight-line winds in extreme southern Clay and northern Nuckolls counties. Winds estimated at 90 mph tore through grain bins, outbuildings, and trees. Major damage was had at a turkey farm near Lawrence. The damage extended east along State Highway 4 across northern Nuckolls county to the tune of over one million dollars. There were dozens of other reports of large hail across south-central Nebraska, which caused significant crop damage in some locations.
Brief tornado in Thayer county reported by the public
Brief tornado in Thayer county.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
26 minutes of warning. NWS GID issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:39 UTC, 26 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:15 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:23 UTC | 01:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID |
| 00:37 UTC | 01:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | GID |
| 00:59 UTC | 01:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID |
| 01:39 UTC | 02:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | GID |
| 02:11 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | GID |
| 02:58 UTC | 03:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID |
| 03:04 UTC | 03:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | GID |
| 03:43 UTC | 04:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID |
| 03:45 UTC | 04:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | GID |
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. The outlook in force was issued at 01:05 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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jun 13, 3:40 PM CDT, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 13, 3:40 PM CDT, 5 hours 25 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 340 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001 FRONT APPEARS TO HAVE FINALLY STALLED ACROSS CENTRAL CWFA... BASICALLY ALONG A LINE FROM PALMER...TO KGRI...JUNIATA...AND THEN TO BLOOMINGTON. THE CONCERN IS CONVECTION TONIGHT...WHERE AND WHEN. FRONT WILL HOLD STEADY TONIGHT...AND BE FOCUS FOR CONVECTION. BELIEVE AREAS JUST TO NORTHEAST OF CWFA MAY SEE THINGS FIRE FIRST. BACK BUILDING POSSIBLE...WITH CAPPING LIMITING SOUTHERN CWFA DEVELOP. ONCE SURFACE LOW STARTS CHURNING IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS AREA IN RESPONSE TO UPPER WAVE MOVING...AND LOW LEVEL STRONG LOW LEVEL JET KICKS IN...MUCH OF CWFA WILL ERUPT INTO WIDESPREAD STORMS FOR THE OVERNIGHT. SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE...BUT TORNADO THREAT SEEMS TO BE DURING THE EVENING HOURS...IF STORMS GET GOING THEN. RECENT HOT AND DRY TREND PRECLUDES ANY ISSUANCE OF FFA FOR REGION. LATEST MESOETA NOW MOVES UPPER LOW JUST A TOUCH FURTHER NORTH ON THURSDAY...BUT AT ABOUT THE SAME SPEED. SOUTHERN CWFA WILL BE IN DRY SLOT...AND COULD WARM NICELY WITH STRONG WEST FLOW. WILL DROP OZF TEMPS JUST A BIT BUT AT LEAST AT GUIDANCE LEVELS THERE. NORTHERN AREAS IN CLOUDS BEFORE BREAKING OUT...AND COOLER TEMPERATURE ZONE. 60S LIKELY NORTHWEST ZONES. STILL A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS/STORMS AND BELIEVE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE JUST TO OUR NORTHEAST. WILL BE MAKING MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO OZF POPS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. WARM...WEST FLOW FRIDAY SHOULD LEAD TO MILD TEMPERATURES UNDER SUNSHINE. .GID...NONE. MORITZ
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 4:55 PM CDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-140100- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK - SOUTH CNTRL NE/NORTH CNTRL KS - UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 455 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001 ...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS STILL LIKELY THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA... THE AREA REMAINS UNDER A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT. BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT TWO DIFFERENT WEATHER SYSTEMS THAT MAY GIVE US SEVERE WEATHER. THE FIRST AREA LOOKS HAVE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING EAST OF HIGHWAY 281. THIS AREA HAS DEW POINTS NEAR 70 DEGREES AND TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S. WITH SUNSET A FEW MORE HOURS AWAY...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MAY OCCUR IN THIS AREA. THE PRIMARY THREAT THIS EVENING WILL BE PRIMARILY LARGE HAIL...BUT TORNADOS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. THE NEXT AREA IS ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT HAS BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS THE REGION. LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THE FRONT WAS FROM NEAR FULLERTON TO GRAND ISLAND NEBRASKA TO PHILLIPSBURG KANSAS. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS GAINING STRENGTH IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO AND WILL SLOWLY WORK ITS WAY INTO THE REGION TONIGHT. AS IT DOES...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT. AGAIN THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE FROM LARGE HAIL...BUT STRONG WINDS AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO MAY STILL OCCUR. THE BEST TIME FOR THE SEVERE WEATHER IN THIS AREA WILL BE FROM 8 PM UNTIL 2 AM. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SPOTTER GROUPS ARE URGED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY TO ACTIVATE IF STORMS DEVELOP NEAR YOUR AREA. KISNER
Special weather statement, Jun 13, 4:55 PM CDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-140100- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK - SOUTH CNTRL NE/NORTH CNTRL KS - UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE CORRECTION TO 2ND PARA 455 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001 ...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS STILL LIKELY THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA... THE AREA REMAINS UNDER A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT. BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT TWO DIFFERENT WEATHER SYSTEMS THAT MAY GIVE US SEVERE WEATHER. THE FIRST AREA LOOKS TO HAVE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING EAST OF HIGHWAY 281. THIS AREA HAS DEW POINTS NEAR 70 DEGREES AND TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S. WITH SUNSET A FEW MORE HOURS AWAY...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MAY OCCUR IN THIS AREA. THE PRIMARY THREAT THIS EVENING WILL BE PRIMARILY LARGE HAIL...BUT TORNADOS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. THE NEXT AREA IS ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT HAS BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS THE REGION. LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THE FRONT WAS FROM NEAR FULLERTON TO GRAND ISLAND NEBRASKA TO PHILLIPSBURG KANSAS. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS GAINING STRENGTH IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO AND WILL SLOWLY WORK ITS WAY INTO THE REGION TONIGHT. AS IT DOES...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT. AGAIN THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE FROM LARGE HAIL...BUT STRONG WINDS AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO MAY STILL OCCUR. THE BEST TIME FOR THE SEVERE WEATHER IN THIS AREA WILL BE FROM 8 PM UNTIL 2 AM. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SPOTTER GROUPS ARE URGED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY TO ACTIVATE IF STORMS DEVELOP NEAR YOUR AREA. KISNER
Local storm report, Jun 13, 6:56 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
656 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
2
.A WISC1 010613 DH2348/XRIRG 11
.A WISC1 010613 DH2348/USIRG 9
.A WISC1 010613 DH2348/UDIRG 33
.A WISC1 010613 DH2348/URIRG 35
.A SLFC1 010613 DH2348/PCIRG .00
.A SLFC1 010613 DH2348/TAIRG 82
.A SLFC1 010613 DH2348/XRIRG 23
.A SLFC1 010613 DH2348/USIRG 2
.A SLFC1 010613 DH2348/UDIRG 12
.A MSSC1 010613 DH2300/HGIRG 9.65
.A MSSC1 010613 DH2300/TAIRG 60
.A SPWC1 010613 DH2348/PCIRG 25.48
.A SMSC1 010613 DH2348/PCIRG 55.76
.A SMSC1 010613 DH2348/TAIRG 86
.A SMSC1 010613 DH2348/XRIRG 19
.A SMSC1 010613 DH2348/USIRG 1
.A SMSC1 010613 DH2348/UDIRG 243
.A SMSC1 010613 DH2348/URIRG 298
.A SDRC1 010613 DH2349/PCIRG 10.46
.A SDRC1 010613 DH2349/TAIRG 75
.A SDRC1 010613 DH2349/XRIRG 21
.A SDRC1 010613 DH2349/USIRG 8
.A SDRC1 010613 DH2349/UDIRG 51
.A SDRC1 010613 DH2349/URIRG 102
.A PUCC1 010613 DH2349/HGIRG 8.12
.A BSFC1 010613 DH2300/HGIRG .00
.A BSFC1 010613 DH2300/TAIRG 56
.A WITC1 010613 DH2349/PCIRG 25.83
.A WITC1 010613 DH2349/TAIRG 83
.A WITC1 010613 DH2349/XRIRG 18
.A WITC1 010613 DH2349/USIRG 7
.A WITC1 010613 DH2349/UDIRG 341
.A WITC1 010613 DH2349/URIRG 307
.A KNLC1 010613 DH2350/HGIRG 18.63
.E DLTC1 010613 DH2300/HGIRG/DIN15/4.50/4.50/4.50/4.50
.E DLTC1 010613 DH2315/TAIRG/DIN30/ 83/ 84
.A LSNC1 010613 DH2350/PCIRG 24.12
.A LSNC1 010613 DH2350/TAIRG 77
.A LSNC1 010613 DH2350/XRIRG 21
.A LSNC1 010613 DH2350/USIRG 4
.A LSNC1 010613 DH2350/UDIRG 303
.A LSNC1 010613 DH2350/URIRG 290
.E DCMC1 010613 DH2100/HGIRG/DIN15/66.92/66.92/66.92/66.92/66.91/66.91
.E1 66.91/66.91/66.90/66.90/66.90/66.90
.A FLVC1 010613 DH2351/HGIRG 51.01
.A TCKC1 010613 DH2351/PCIRG 18.75
.A TCKC1 010613 DH2351/TAIRG 88
.A TCKC1 010613 DH2351/XRIRG 10
.A TCKC1 010613 DH2351/USIRG 9
.A TCKC1 010613 DH2351/UDIRG 357
.A TCKC1 010613 DH2351/URIRG 343
.E CSYC1 010613 DH2100/HGIRG/DIN15/11.27/11.27/11.27/11.27/11.26/11.26
.E1 11.26/11.26/11.26/11.25/11.25/11.25
.A NYRC1 010613 DH2352/HGIRG 4.14
.A NYRC1 010613 DH2352/PCIRG .00
.A MFAC1 010613 DH2352/HGIRG 12.52Local storm report, Jun 13, 7:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
714 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
~
0706 PM EXETER NE .75 INCH HAIL
06/13/01 FILLMORE REPORTED BY FILLMORE
COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICELocal storm report, Jun 13, 8:33 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
833 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0620 PM 1 SE FAIRMONT NE 1 INCH HAIL
06/13/01 FILLMORE COOP OBSERVER
0735 PM 1 E DESHLER NE .75 INCH HAIL
06/13/01 THAYER LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
a0805 PM 2 SW OHIOWA NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
06/13/01 FILLMORE CO EMERGENCY MANAGER
33The 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.
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 00:00Z
2.1 hours before the tornado, 172 km from the path. June 14, 2001.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 4371 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 5078 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1290 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 151 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 175 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.5
- Supercell composite
- 17.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.7 K/km
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 12:00Z
9.9 hours after it, 172 km from the path. June 14, 2001.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 301 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -278 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 55 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1071 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 137 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 166 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.2 K/km
The surface observations
Concordia (CNK), 54 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:26 UTC | 87.8 | 69.8 | 160° 11 kt | 998 | TS | |
| 00:55 UTC | 87 | 70 | 160° 14 kt | 998 | ||
| 01:10 UTC | 86 | 69.8 | 150° 14 kt | 998 | TS | |
| 01:55 UTC | 85 | 73 | 170° 19 kt | 29 | 997.3 | TS |
| 02:32 UTC | 84.2 | 73.4 | 170° 19 kt | 25 | 997.6 | |
| 02:55 UTC | 83 | 73 | 170° 19 kt | 25 | 998 | |
| 03:55 UTC | 82 | 74 | 150° 17 kt | 22 | 998.6 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2001 tornado in NebraskaEvery tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in Nebraska nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of June 13, 2001
39 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 13 | 9:07 AM CDT | F0 | Jefferson Parish, LA | 0.1 | 25 | $10,000 | ||
| June 13 | 2:22 PM EDT | F0 | Richland, SC | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| June 13 | 4:50 PM CDT | F0 | Jones, MS | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| June 13 | 5:11 PM CDT | F0 | Hamlin, SD | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| June 13 | 5:40 PM CDT | F0 | Grant, MN | 0.5 | 25 | |||
| June 13 | 6:12 PM CDT | F0 | Big Stone, MN | 0.5 | 25 | |||
| June 13 | 6:51 PM CDT | F0 | Cuming, NE | 0.5 | 30 | |||
| June 13 | 6:53 PM CDT | F3 | Todd, MN | 12.0 | 100 | 3 | $5.0 million | |
| June 13 | 6:59 PM CDT | F0 | Grant, MN | 0.5 | 25 | |||
| June 13 | 7:00 PM CDT | F0 | Douglas, MN | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| June 13 | 7:12 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, MN | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 13 | 7:12 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, MN | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 13 | 7:18 PM CDT | F1 | Lincoln, MN | 0.5 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| June 13 | 7:44 PM CDT | F0 | Todd, MN | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| June 13 | 7:45 PM CDT | F4 | Ruby–Seward tornado, NE | 8.0 | 400 | 2 | $1.0 million | |
| June 13 | 8:00 PM CDT | F2 | Morrison, MN | 4.0 | 50 | $200,000 | ||
| June 13 | 8:10 PM CDT | F2 | Crow Wing, MN | 5.0 | 880 | |||
| June 13 | 8:20 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, MN | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 13 | 8:32 PM CDT | F0 | Todd, MN | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| June 13 | 8:42 PM CDT | F0 | Lancaster, NE | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| June 13 | 8:46 PM CDT | F1 | Lincoln, MN | 2.0 | 100 | $2,000 | ||
| June 13 | 8:46 PM CDT | F1 | Republic, KS | 8.0 | 300 | $120,000 | ||
| June 13 | 8:52 PM CDT | F0 | Osceola, IA | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 13 | 8:55 PM CDT | F0 | Saunders, NE | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| June 13 | 8:58 PM CDT | F0 | Republic, KS | 5.0 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| June 13 | 8:58 PM CDT | F0 | Hodgeman, KS | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| June 13 | 9:00 PM CDT | F0 | Hodgeman, KS | 2.0 | 50 | |||
| June 13 | 9:12 PM CDT | F0 | Hodgeman, KS | 7.0 | 250 | |||
| June 13 | 9:20 PM CDT | F1 | O'Brien, IA | 7.0 | 200 | $200,000 | ||
| June 13 | 9:20 PM CDT | F0 | Monona, IA | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| June 13 | 9:25 PM CDT | F0 | Furnas, NE | 0.5 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| June 13 | 9:25 PM CDT | F0 | Thayer, NE | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| June 13 | 9:28 PM CDT | F0 | Pawnee, KS | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| June 13 | 9:31 PM CDT | F0 | Fillmore, NE | 0.2 | 20 | |||
| June 13 | 9:45 PM CDT | F0 | Rush, KS | 9.0 | 150 | |||
| June 13 | 10:00 PM CDT | F0 | Hodgeman, KS | 2.5 | 150 | |||
| June 13 | 10:10 PM CDT | F0 | Ida, IA | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 13 | 10:18 PM CDT | F0 | Cherokee, IA | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 13 | 10:45 PM CDT | F0 | Thayer, NE | 3.0 | 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.