Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2010
EF0 tornado, Elsmere, Nebraska, June 25, 2010
This EF0 tornado ran 0.9 miles across Cherry County on June 25, 2010, touching down at 5:00 PM MDT and reaching 20 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
- June 25, 2010
- Touchdown
- 5:00 PM MDT (23:00 UTC)
- Lifted
- 5:02 PM MDT (23:02 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 0.9 miles (1.5 km)
- Path width
- 20 yards (18 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Cherry County
- Touchdown point
- 42.140, -100.420
- Lift-off point
- 42.127, -100.427
- Record number
- 1006251700-01
What the Weather Service recorded
Supercell thunderstorms developed east of a dry line on June 25th. The supercells produced large hail and brief tornadoes in Cherry and Thomas Counties.
A tornado briefly touched down over open range land.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
2 minutes of warning. NWS LBF issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:58 UTC, 2 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:30 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22:58 UTC | 23:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | LBF |
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 19:59 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 North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jun 25, 2:50 PM MDT, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 25, 2:50 PM MDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 350 PM CDT FRI JUN 25 2010 .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT...TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY RETREAT FROM HIGHS IN THE 90S FALLING TO JUST BELOW 70 IN SOME AREAS OVERNIGHT. A FRONT WILL REMAIN MOSTLY IN SOUTH DAKOTA AS SHOULD MOST THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH LATE SATURDAY. SATURDAY...HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REACH NEAR TODAY/S VALUES AND PACKED WITH NEARLY AS MUCH MOISTURE. MODELS INTERACT WITH THIS MOISTURE DIFFERENTLY AND PRODUCE DIFFERENT THUNDERSTORM SCENARIOS. THE GFS KEEPS MUCH OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO THE NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE CWA...ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND THEN EASTERN NEBRASKA. THE NAM HAS GREATER THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WITH STORMS ON GOING IN THE MORNING AND SAGGING SOUTH WITH THE FRONTAL SYSTEM. CAPES ARE FORECAST TO BE OVER 2000 J/KG ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA DECREASING RAPIDLY ACROSS THE WEST...AND WE ARE OUTLOOKED FOR A SLIGHT RISK ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA TOMORROW. QPF...RAINFALL... WILL BE GREATEST JUST EAST OF THE CWA. THE NAM HAS A MUCH BROADER AREA OF PRECIPITATION COVERING MUCH OF THE STATE BUT THE GREATER 1-2 INCH BULLSEYE IS LOCATED ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA. GIVEN THE MID LEVEL INSTABILITY AND THE SURFACE CONDITIONS DURING THE DAY IT IS DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT THE CONVECTION AND TIMING SO PLACED POPS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT. MOISTURE AND CAPPING WILL BE A BIT OF A LIMITING FACTOR AS TEMPERATURES WARM BACK INTO THE 90S. SO GENERALLY SPREAD OUT THE POPS OVER SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT BUT KEEP THEM ON THE LOW SIDE. SUNDAY...MONDAY...MUCH ANTICIPATED DRY WEATHER BEHIND THE FRONT...CLOUD COVER AND THEN COOLER TEMPERATURES AS THE UPPER RIDGE BREAKS DOWN FOR OUR AREA AND BUILDS TO THE WEST. TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE IN THE MID 80S. TUESDAY TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO WARM A BIT AS RIDGING AGAIN MOVES OVER THE AREA. EXTENDED MODELS DIVERGE BY WEDNESDAY. BOTH THE EUROPEAN AND THE GFS SHOW THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS ROUGHLY OVER NEBRASKA BUT THE EUROPEAN BRINGS A PLUME OF MOISTURE UP ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND PUSHES IT OUT ACROSS NEBRASKA. THE GFS SHOWS A SIMILAR ARE OF CONVECTION BUT DOES NOT BRING ANYTHING OUT INTO THE PLAINS. THERE WILL BE MORE TIME TO INTRODUCE POPS AT A LATER TIME...FOR NOW KEPT THE FORECAST DRY. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A TROUGH WILL STALL ACROSS AREA TONIGHT WITH GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS...LESS THAN 10KTS...OVERNIGHT AND INTO THE DAY TOMORROW. COLD FRONT WILL MARCH ACROSS THE AREA TOMORROW AND BRING NORTHWEST WINDS. ALONG THE FRONT WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS LATER IN THE DAY TOMORROW. && .HYDROLOGY... THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER ITS WAY DOWN AT ROSCOE AND NORTH PLATTE. ROSCOE HAS DROPPED BELOW FLOOD STAGE SO THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE PLATTE RIVER NEAR BRADY CONTINUES TO BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE FLOOD STAGE...HOWEVER IT IS ALSO DROPPING...AND WILL LIKELY BE CANCELLED TOMORROW. THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER UPSTREAM OF LAKE MCCONAUGHY CONTINUES TO BE ELEVATED. THE LEWELLEN STAGE IS AT A RECORD LEVEL...8.4 FEET BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 8.3 FEET SET IN JUNE OF 1997. THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO BE HIGH INTO NEXT WEEK AS RELEASES CONTINUE FROM WYOMING RESERVOIRS. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && DISCUSSION...HIRSCH AVIATION/HYDRO...MASEK
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 25, 4:24 PM MDT, 36 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 524 PM CDT FRI JUN 25 2010 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-262230- SHERIDAN-EASTERN CHERRY-KEYA PAHA-BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-GARDEN- GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-BLAINE-LOUP-GARFIELD-WHEELER-ARTHUR-MCPHERSON- LOGAN-CUSTER-DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER- WESTERN CHERRY- 524 PM CDT FRI JUN 25 2010 /424 PM MDT FRI JUN 25 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST ALONG A SURFACE THROUGH EXTENDING FROM NEAR BUTTE AND LONG PINE SOUTHWEST TO NEAR MULLEN THIS EVENING. A FEW OF THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM MAY CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AS THE TROUGH RETREATS NORTHWARD...ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA ON SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. THE PRIMARY THREAT AREA WILL BE ALONG AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 83 WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY ALSO OCCUR AND THIS COULD LEAD TO A RISK OF FLASH FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE KAR
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.
N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), 12:00Z
11.0 hours before the tornado, 113 km from the path. June 25, 2010.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1742 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -330 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 773 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1186 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 9 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 23 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 34 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.8 K/km
N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), 00:00Z
1.0 hours after it, 113 km from the path. June 26, 2010.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2558 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -73 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 5200 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2309 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 63 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 97 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 7.7
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 8.0 K/km
The surface observations
Thedford (TIF), 23 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:10 UTC | 97 | 65.48 | 170° 11 kt | 17 | 1010.8 | |
| 21:30 UTC | 97.3 | 64.2 | 190° 11 kt | 18 | 1010.5 | |
| 21:50 UTC | 96 | 65 | 210° 12 kt | 19 | 1010.2 | |
| 22:10 UTC | 93.56 | 64.4 | 180° 11 kt | 17 | 1010.2 | |
| 22:30 UTC | 90.5 | 67.82 | 210° 10 kt | 16 | 1009.8 | -TSRA |
| 22:50 UTC | 87.44 | 70.16 | 190° 12 kt | 1009.1 | -RA | |
| 23:10 UTC | 88.88 | 66 | 160° 12 kt | 1009.1 | -VCTSRA | |
| 23:30 UTC | 90 | 69.44 | 140° 6 kt | 1009.5 | -TSRA | |
| 23:50 UTC | 86 | 69.62 | 20° 8 kt | 1009.5 | -VCTSRA | |
| 00:10 UTC | 87.26 | 66 | 80° 7 kt | 10 | 1009.5 | -TSRA |
| 00:30 UTC | 86.72 | 67 | 130° 6 kt | 1009.8 | -RA | |
| 00:50 UTC | 85 | 70.88 | 160° 9 kt | 1009.5 | -RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The North Platte radar (KLNX), 23 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:59 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:57 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 10 Ne Thedford | Thomas, NE | |
| 23:00 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 10 S Seneca | Thomas, NE | |
| 23:00 UTC | TORNADO | 15 Se Brownlee | Cherry, NE | THE TORNADO WAS 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BROWNLEE IN CHERRY COUNTY...WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF THEDFORD. THE TORNADO REPORTEDLY CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE. |
| 23:49 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 16 Sw Thedford | Thomas, NE | |
| 00:00 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 8 W Thedford | Thomas, NE | |
| 00:05 UTC | TORNADO | 18 Sw Thedford | Thomas, NE | |
| 00:12 UTC | TORNADO | 17 N Tryon | Hooker, NE | THE TORNADO REPORTEDLY LIFTED BY 717 PM CDT. |
| 00:15 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 3 W Thedford | Thomas, NE | |
| 00:25 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 18 Sw Thedford | Thomas, NE | SEVERAL SEPARATE FUNNEL CLOUDS OCCURRED AT ONE TIME. |
| 01:10 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | 13 Ne Tryon | Mcpherson, NE |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2010 tornado in NebraskaEvery tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in Nebraska nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of June 25, 2010
21 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 25 | 3:57 PM CDT | EF0 | Hardeman, TN | 0.7 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| June 25 | 4:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Morton, ND | 1.6 | 50 | $200,000 | ||
| June 25 | 5:35 PM CDT | EF0 | Emmons, ND | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| June 25 | 5:55 PM CDT | EF2 | Brown, MN | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| June 25 | 6:30 PM CDT | EF2 | Nicollet, MN | 4.3 | 75 | |||
| June 25 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF2 | Blue Earth, MN | 0.9 | 50 | |||
| June 25 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Redwood, MN | 2.8 | 200 | |||
| June 25 | 6:58 PM CDT | EF1 | Blue Earth, MN | 4.3 | 75 | |||
| June 25 | 7:05 PM CDT | EF0 | Cottonwood, MN | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| June 25 | 7:05 PM CDT | EF2 | Blue Earth, MN | 1.9 | 40 | |||
| June 25 | 7:05 PM CDT | EF0 | Thomas, NE | 1.0 | 20 | |||
| June 25 | 7:09 PM CDT | EF0 | Blue Earth, MN | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| June 25 | 8:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Watonwan, MN | 0.9 | 10 | |||
| June 25 | 8:19 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn, MN | 0.9 | 30 | |||
| June 25 | 8:38 PM CDT | EF0 | Martin, MN | 0.4 | 30 | |||
| June 25 | 9:53 PM CDT | EF4 | Sibley–Little Rock tornado, IA | 13.7 | 800 | 13 | $3.5 million | |
| June 25 | 9:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Lyon, IA | 1.2 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| June 25 | 10:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Osceola, IA | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| June 25 | 10:53 PM CDT | EF0 | Sioux, IA | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| June 25 | 11:05 PM CDT | EF0 | O'Brien, IA | 0.6 | 200 | |||
| June 25 | 11:42 PM CDT | EF1 | O'Brien, IA | 3.3 | 100 | $20,000 |
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.