Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2001
F0 tornado, Fullerton, Nebraska, October 9, 2001
This F0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Nance County on October 9, 2001, touching down at 5:32 PM CDT and reaching 25 yards wide. It killed nobody.
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 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
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
- F0
- Date
- October 9, 2001
- Touchdown
- 5:32 PM CDT (22:32 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
- Path width
- 25 yards (23 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Nance County
- Touchdown point
- 41.330, -97.980
- Lift-off point
- 41.330, -97.980
- Record number
- 1177
What the Weather Service recorded
A powerful upper level low pressure system plowing into an unstable airmass triggered widespread severe weather across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening hours. As many as nine tornadoes were confirmed and many reports of hail were received.The tornado damage was confined to an area located north and east of Grand Island, which included Merrick, Nance, Polk, Greeley, and Hamilton counties. The tornadoes got going west of Marquette. One twister set down in Hamilton county and crossed the Platte River southeast of Chapman. Damage to outbuildings was of most significance. Other tornadoes were reported in the Marquette area, with one tornado on the ground for 12 miles from south of Marquette to southeast of Hordville. This tornado was rated an F1 and produced minor structural damage to buildings and grain bins at several farms. Power lines were lost and several trees were blown over. Numerous center pivot irrigation systems were damaged.Just before 6 pm CDT, the most damaging tornado of the day developed near the Polk and Hamilton county line, and proceeded northeast across western Polk county, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Storm chaser reports indicated this tornado frequently became multi-vortex in nature and produced a wide swath of damage. Three miles north of Polk, a home was completely ripped from its foundation and blown into some nearby trees. The tornado was rated an F3 at this point. Along its 18 mile path, the tornado damaged over 20 center pivots, and nearly every farmstead in the path of the tornado sustained damage to the home, outbuildings, machinery or grain bins. This tornado lifted southwest of Silver Creek.Just prior to the F3 tornado in Polk county, an F2 tornado was ripping up a farmstead in northern Merrick county. This tornado was responsible for tearing the roof from a home, destroying two large metal outbuildings and damage to a half-dozen vehicles. The tornado moved north and destroyed a barn on the Nance and Merrick county line, but narrowly missed the home. Window and siding damage was noted at the home.Later that evening, one final tornado was reported. This tornado moved from south of Silver Creek to northeast of Silver Creek just before sunset. The tornado clipped the southeast side of town, resulting in damage to the post office, several cars, trees, and 13 residences in town. Fortunately, most of the damage was minor.
Tornado entered Nance County from Merrick County.
Brief touchdown of a weak tornado south of Fullerton.
A brief tornado that caused some minor damage.
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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Oct 9, 2:25 PM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 9, 2:25 PM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 225 PM CDT TUE OCT 9 2001 SEVERE WEATHER THREAT MAIN FOCUS TODAY. 18Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED LOW PRESSURE OVER SW NEBR WITH DRY LINE EXTENDING S ACROSS WRN KANSAS AND WARM FRONT STRETCHING EAST ACROSS SRN NEBR. COLD FRONT SEPARATING PANHANDLE FROM THE REST OF THE STATE. PLENTY OF SFC MOISTURE IN PLACE WITH DEW POINTS AROUND 60. SATELLITE/PROFILERS SHOW POTENT WAVE CROSSING THE ROCKIES AND COUPLED JET STRUCTURE SET UP OVER PLAINS. SO PLENTY OF LIFT. CAPES UP TO 2000 J/KG ON 18Z LAPS AND EVEN HIGHER ON SPC HOURLY MESO ANALYSIS. 500 MB TEMPS OF -14C ACROSS THE AREA. VIL O DAY FIGURES TO BE AROUND 50 OFF 18Z SOUNDINGS. SHEARWISE...FLOW IS OBVIOUSLY VERY STRONG WITH SOME DIRECTIONAL SHEAR IN LOWEST LEVELS YIELDING HIGH VALUES OF BRN AND EHI ON SPC MESO PLOTS. HOWEVER AS AFTN/EVENING PROGRESSES...WINDS FAIRLY UNIDIRECTIONAL WITH HEIGHT ALTHOUGH UNDULATIONS LIKELY NEAR FRONT AS SFC LOW RIDES ALONG IT. THEREFORE...TORNADO THREAT FIGURES TO BE REAL IN ADDITION TO THE HAIL THREAT FROM COLD AIR ALOFT. EVENTUALLY THIS SHOULD TURN INTO A LINE EVENT ALONG THE COLD FRONT. 18Z SOUNDINGS DO SUPPORT THREAT OF WIND DAMAGE AS WELL. SO...WILL MENTION SVR IN ZFP THIS EVENING. PLENTY OF SUBSIDENCE LATE TONIGHT AND WED BEHIND FRONT SO NW WINDS SHOULD SUSTAIN AT LEAST BREEZY CRITERIA. WOULD EXPECT A DECREASE IN CLOUDS OVERNIGHT WITH SUBSIDENCE THEN SOME REFORMING IN CAA WED. HAD TO UP TEMPS A NOTCH TONIGHT DUE TO STRONG HEATING THIS AFTERNOON AND EXPECTED MIXING OVERNIGHT. HAVE INCREASED DIURNAL RANGE A BIT WED/WED NGT AND THU WITH GENERALLY DRY AIR IN PLACE. NOT MUCH CHANGE TO FORECAST BEYOND THURSDAY AS CHANCE OF RAIN STILL LOOKS ON TRACK FRIDAY. APPEARS A SLIGHT WARMUP MAY RETURN BY TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK AS UPPER RIDGING TRIES TO NUDGE TROUGH EAST. .GID...NONE. DROZD
In the hours before
Local storm report, Oct 9, 4:45 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
445 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0440 PM 2 S ELBA NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
10/09/01 HOWARDLocal storm report, Oct 9, 4:56 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
456 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0455 PM CENTRAL CITY NE .88 INCH HAIL
10/09/01 MERRICKLocal storm report, Oct 9, 4:57 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
457 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0456 PM 2 E NATOMA KS 1.75 INCH HAIL
10/09/01 OSBORNELocal storm report, Oct 9, 5:25 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
525 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0524 PM 13 SW OSBORNE KS .75 INCH HAIL
10/09/01 OSBORNELocal storm report, Oct 9, 5:29 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
529 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0515 PM 2 NE WOLBACH NE TORNADO, BRIEF TOUCHDOWN
10/09/01 GREELEYThe 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), 12:00Z
10.5 hours before the tornado, 134 km from the path. October 9, 2001.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -233 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 854 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 90 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 123 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.1 K/km
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 00:00Z
1.5 hours after it, 134 km from the path. October 10, 2001.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 941 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -56 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 835 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 828 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 38 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 261 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 351 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.2
- Supercell composite
- 5.5
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.1 K/km
The surface observations
Aurora (AUH), 48 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.
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 October 9, 2001
29 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 9 | 2:39 PM CDT | F0 | Beckham, OK | 1.0 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| October 9 | 2:42 PM CDT | F0 | Beckham, OK | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| October 9 | 2:42 PM CDT | F0 | Beckham, OK | 4.5 | 200 | $2,000 | ||
| October 9 | 2:50 PM CDT | F0 | Beckham, OK | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| October 9 | 3:12 PM CDT | F1 | Beckham, OK | 3.0 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| October 9 | 4:30 PM CDT | F3 | Beckham, OK | 11.5 | 600 | $60,000 | ||
| October 9 | 4:52 PM CDT | F0 | Kiowa, OK | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| October 9 | 5:08 PM CDT | F0 | Greeley, NE | 7.0 | 100 | $60,000 | ||
| October 9 | 5:08 PM CDT | F3 | Washita, OK | 6.0 | 500 | 9 | $100 million | |
| October 9 | 5:12 PM CDT | F1 | Hamilton, NE | 4.0 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| October 9 | 5:15 PM CDT | F0 | Custer, OK | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| October 9 | 5:17 PM CDT | F2 | Merrick, NE | 5.0 | 350 | $380,000 | ||
| October 9 | 5:30 PM CDT | F0 | Hamilton, NE | 3.5 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| October 9 | 5:32 PM CDT | F1 | Washita, OK | 2.0 | 200 | $10,000 | ||
| October 9 | 5:35 PM CDT | F1 | Hamilton, NE | 12.0 | 400 | $400,000 | ||
| October 9 | 5:36 PM CDT | F3 | Kiowa, OK | 13.0 | 440 | 1 | $610,000 | |
| October 9 | 5:42 PM CDT | F0 | Custer, OK | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| October 9 | 5:50 PM CDT | F3 | Hamilton, NE | 18.0 | 1,500 | $1.8 million | ||
| October 9 | 5:55 PM CDT | F0 | Nance, NE | 0.1 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| October 9 | 5:57 PM CDT | F0 | Custer, OK | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| October 9 | 6:18 PM CDT | F1 | Caddo, OK | 2.0 | 300 | $150,000 | ||
| October 9 | 6:25 PM CDT | F1 | Polk, NE | 5.0 | 400 | $100,000 | ||
| October 9 | 6:28 PM CDT | F0 | Caddo, OK | 0.4 | 25 | |||
| October 9 | 6:54 PM CDT | F0 | Platte, NE | 0.3 | 30 | |||
| October 9 | 6:57 PM CDT | F1 | Caddo, OK | 0.8 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| October 9 | 7:00 PM CDT | F0 | Loup, NE | 0.5 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| October 9 | 7:05 PM CDT | F1 | Caddo, OK | 2.0 | 440 | $120,000 | ||
| October 9 | 7:15 PM CDT | F0 | Caddo, OK | 1.5 | 580 | $20,000 | ||
| October 9 | 7:20 PM CDT | F1 | Caddo, OK | 1.5 | 850 | $70,000 |
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.