Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2009

EF0 tornado, Bayard, Nebraska, June 10, 2009

This EF0 tornado ran 3.7 miles across Morrill County on June 10, 2009, touching down at 2:38 PM MDT and reaching 30 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 of property damage.

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
June 10, 2009
Touchdown
2:38 PM MDT (20:38 UTC)
Lifted
2:46 PM MDT (20:46 UTC)
On the ground
8 minutes
Path length
3.7 miles (6.0 km)
Path width
30 yards (27 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
County
Morrill County
Touchdown point
41.772, -103.392
Lift-off point
41.779, -103.320
Record number
0906101438-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Thundertorms, some severe, produced flash flooding and a few tornadoes over parts of the southern Nebraska panhandle.

Narrow tornado flipped a center pivot.

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

The warnings

29 minutes of warning. NWS CYS issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:09 UTC, 29 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:45 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
18:52 UTC19:30 UTCTornado WarningCYS
19:23 UTC20:00 UTCTornado WarningCYS
19:57 UTC20:30 UTCTornado WarningCYS
20:07 UTC20:30 UTCTornado WarningCYS
20:09 UTC20:45 UTCTornado WarningCYS
20:23 UTC21:00 UTCTornado WarningCYS
20:24 UTC02:30 UTCFlash Flood WarningCYS
20:47 UTC21:20 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYS
21:19 UTC21:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYS
23:25 UTC04:00 UTCFlash Flood WarningCYS

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 General Thunderstorms Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:01 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.

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.

Denver, CO (KDNR), 12:00Z

8.6 hours before the tornado, 212 km from the path. June 10, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2009-06-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 95 joules per kilogram, CIN -55, lifted condensation level 714 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2009-06-10The 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 38 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 49 knots.1939587897Sfc1 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
95 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
714 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
6.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Denver, CO (KDNR), 00:00Z

3.4 hours after it, 212 km from the path. June 11, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2009-06-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 48 joules per kilogram, CIN -45, lifted condensation level 1193 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2009-06-11The 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 57 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 32 knots.1939Sfc1 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
48 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-45 J/kg
Surface CAPE
507 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1193 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.2
0-3 km lapse rate
7.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Scottsbluff (BFF), 23 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
18:51 UTC62.655.4100° 14 kt1010.8VCTS -RA
18:53 UTC6355100° 12 kt1010.8VCTS -RA
19:10 UTC64.453.690° 14 kt211010.5VCTS
19:38 UTC60.855.480° 13 kt1009.8TSRA
19:49 UTC57.253.650° 13 kt1010.2+TSRA BR
19:51 UTC57.253.660° 12 kt1010.5TS +RA BR
19:53 UTC565360° 8 kt1010.8+TSRA BR
20:03 UTC51.848.2120° 10 kt181011.9+TSRA BR
20:27 UTC48.244.6100° 15 kt221010.2+TSRA BR
20:36 UTC48.246.480° 15 kt231009.8-TSRA
20:53 UTC504590° 18 kt261010.2VCTS
21:37 UTC53.648.2340° 15 kt261012.2+TSRA BR
21:40 UTC53.648.2360° 9 kt261011.9+TSRA BR
21:50 UTC53.65060° 9 kt1011.5TSRA BR
21:53 UTC535170° 12 kt1011.2+TSRA BR
22:01 UTC53.651.880° 9 kt1011.2TSRA BR
22:20 UTC55.451.880° 8 kt1010.8-RA

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 139 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:36 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.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
18:47 UTCHAIL 0.255 S MorrillScotts Bluff, NE
18:50 UTCHAIL 0.55 S MorrillScotts Bluff, NESOME ROTATION OBSERVED.
18:59 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD10 Se MitchellScotts Bluff, NESPOTTER IN TOWN SEES FUNNEL 10 MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST.
18:59 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD6 S MitchellScotts Bluff, NEALSO DIME TO NICKLE SIZE HAIL.
18:59 UTCTORNADO3 W ScottsbluffScotts Bluff, NEWEST OF SCOTTSBLUFF NEAR HWY 92.
19:15 UTCHAIL 0.253 S MorrillScotts Bluff, NEHAIL MADE A HALF MILE WIDE PATH ABOUT 3 INCHES DEEP. ROAD CREWS ARE OUT WITH PLOWS.
19:24 UTCHAIL 15 S MitchellScotts Bluff, NEUP TO ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL FELL BETWEEN 124 PM AND 130 PM.
19:33 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDGeringScotts Bluff, NEROTATION NOTED ON SOUTH SIDE OF GEARING.
20:08 UTCTORNADO2 E GeringScotts Bluff, NETORNADO ON THE GROUND ALONG HWY 26 BETWEEN SCOTTSBLUFF AND MINATARE.
20:13 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDMelbetaScotts Bluff, NETRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD OFF OF HIGHWAY 92 MOVING EAST WITH STRONG ROTATION.
20:16 UTCFLOOD10 Nw ScottsbluffScotts Bluff, NENUMEROUS ROADS WITH 5 TO 6 INCHES OF WATER RUNNING OVER THEM IN NORTHWESTERN SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTY.
20:29 UTCTORNADO5 E MinatareScotts Bluff, NE
20:32 UTCFLASH FLOODScottsbluffScotts Bluff, NESOME OF THE BUILDINGS ON THE WESTERN NEBRASKA COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAMPUS WERE FLOODED DUE TO HEAVY RAIN.
20:38 UTCTORNADO4 Wnw BayardScotts Bluff, NE
20:44 UTCTORNADO2 N BayardMorrill, NECENTER PIVOT OVERTURNED.
20:46 UTCTORNADO2 N BayardMorrill, NETORNADO LIFTED.
20:54 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDBayardMorrill, NE
21:39 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD6 N BridgeportMorrill, NE
21:42 UTCHAIL 0.25BayardMorrill, NE3-4 INCHES OF HAIL COVERING THE GROUND. HEAVY FOG.
21:45 UTCHAIL 0.56 Sw AngoraMorrill, NE4 TO 5 INCHES OF MARBLE SIZED HAIL AT JUCTION OF HWY 385 AND L62A. SNOW PLOWS HAVE BEEN SENT TO PLOW HWY.
21:45 UTCHEAVY RAIN 010 N BridgeportMorrill, NERIVER OF WATER RUNNING DOWN HWY 385. DUGOUT AND UNION CREEKS RUNNING NEAR BANKFULL.
22:00 UTCFLASH FLOOD8 N BridgeportMorrill, NE8 TO 12 INCHES OF MARBLE SIZED HAIL ALONG HIGHWAY 385 BETWEEN BRIDGEPORT AND ANGORA. BARRICADES PUT UP ALONG A PORTION OF HIGHWAY 385.
23:13 UTCTORNADO5 S BroadwaterMorrill, NE
23:15 UTCFLASH FLOODBridgeportMorrill, NEHEAVY RAINFALL IN BROADWATERN HAS CAUSED STREET FLOODING. ALSO MANY ROADS ARE CLOSED AROUND BAYARD DUE TO HEAVY RAIN PRODUCING WATER OVER THE ROADS.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2009 tornado in NebraskaEvery tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in Nebraska nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 10, 2009

17 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 1012:59 PM MDTEF0Scotts Bluff, NE0.140
June 101:55 PM MDTEF0Goshen, WY0.130
June 102:30 PM MDTEF0Weld, CO0.050
June 104:05 PM MDTEF0Weld, CO0.150
June 106:20 PM EDTEF0Glades, FL0.510$50,000
June 105:41 PM CDTEF0Vernon, MO1.450
June 106:00 PM CDTEF0Haskell, OK0.130
June 106:11 PM CDTEF0Haskell, OK0.450$30,000
June 106:40 PM CDTEF0Denton, TX2.350$5,000
June 106:50 PM CDTEF0Denton, TX0.150
June 106:53 PM CDTEF1Denton, TX0.250$200,000
June 107:05 PM CDTEF0Denton, TX0.650
June 108:05 PM CDTEF1Miller, MO0.6200$50,000
June 108:28 PM CDTEF0Seward, KS0.350
June 109:22 PM CDTEF0Red River, TX2.5100
June 109:25 PM CDTEF0Titus, TX2.6100
June 1010:15 PM CDTEF0Cass, TX0.575

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.