Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2011

EF0 tornado, Brewster, Nebraska, May 30, 2011

This EF0 tornado ran 0.0 miles across Blaine County on May 30, 2011, touching down at 4:47 PM CDT 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.

  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
May 30, 2011
Touchdown
4:47 PM CDT (21:47 UTC)
Lifted
4:50 PM CDT (21:50 UTC)
On the ground
3 minutes
Path length
0.0 miles (0.0 km)
Path width
20 yards (18 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Blaine County
Touchdown point
41.879, -99.939
Lift-off point
41.879, -99.938
Record number
1105301547-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A powerful low pressure system moved across western and north central Nebraska on Memorial Day. Thunderstorms developed along a cold front extending across central Nebraska. The storms tracked quickly northeast to produce hail up to 4 inches in diameter, damaging winds and several tornadoes.

Storm chaser reported brief tornado touch down in open range.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:10 UTC and running to 00:50 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
15:00 UTC17:54 UTCWind AdvisoryLBF
15:00 UTC08:57 UTCHigh Wind WatchLBF
19:10 UTC00:50 UTCTornado WatchLBF
20:09 UTC20:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
20:43 UTC21:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
21:18 UTC22:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
21:55 UTC22:30 UTCTornado WarningLBF
22:01 UTC22:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
22:33 UTC01:59 UTCFlash Flood WarningLBF
22:37 UTC23:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
22:50 UTC23:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
23:17 UTC00:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF

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 Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:51 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.

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), 12:00Z

9.8 hours before the tornado, 100 km from the path. May 30, 2011.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2011-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1099 joules per kilogram, CIN -360, lifted condensation level 2078 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2011-05-30The 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 296 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 38 knots.19395878Sfc1 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
1099 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-360 J/kg
Surface CAPE
941 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2078 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
296 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
302 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), 00:00Z

2.2 hours after it, 100 km from the path. May 31, 2011.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2011-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 634 joules per kilogram, CIN -231, lifted condensation level 2144 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2011-05-31The 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 18 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 79 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
634 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-231 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2342 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2144 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
79 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
144 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-1.1
0-3 km lapse rate
7.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Thedford (TIF), 53 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
19:55 UTC75.259300° 7 kt1000.3
20:15 UTC75.259330° 12 kt15999.3
20:35 UTC73.459330° 12 kt999
20:55 UTC73.457.2350° 11 kt18999.3
21:15 UTC75.257.2330° 12 kt19999.3
21:35 UTC75.257.2350° 14 kt18999.3
21:55 UTC73.455.4340° 16 kt24998.6
22:15 UTC73.455.4360° 14 kt20998.6VCTS
22:35 UTC73.455.4350° 16 kt23999
22:55 UTC73.455.4360° 17 kt23999.3
23:15 UTC71.651.8330° 17 kt211001
23:35 UTC71.650320° 22 kt291001VCTS

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

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:47 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
20:28 UTCHAIL 14 Se DunningBlaine, NEBIGGEST HAIL THE SIZE OF QUARTERS ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN.
20:30 UTCHAIL 15 Ne DunningBlaine, NENICKEL TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN AT TIME OF REPORT NEAR HIGHWAY 91.
20:52 UTCHAIL 17 Nne DunningBlaine, NE
21:01 UTCHAIL 1BrewsterBlaine, NEPEA TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY DISPATCHER. GROUND COVERED BY HAIL.
21:20 UTCHAIL 125 S Long PineBrown, NEMARBLE TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL COVERING THE GROUND. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALSO REPORTED.
21:20 UTCHAIL 1.25RoseRock, NEWINDOWS BROKEN OUT OF HOME BY LARGE HAIL EXACT SIZE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.
21:20 UTCTORNADO3 E RoseRock, NEBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED BY STORM CHASER 100 TO 300 YARDS EAST OF HIGHWAY 183.
21:25 UTCHAIL 2.52 N RoseRock, NEDELAYED REPORT FROM STORM CHASER. 2 VEHICLES HAD WINDSHIELD DAMAGE FROM HAIL. ONE VEHICLE REAR WWINDOW BUSTED OUT. GROUND WAS COVERED BY HAIL.
21:35 UTCTORNADO1 E RoseRock, NEBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED BY STORM CHASER.
21:44 UTCTORNADO3 E RoseRock, NEBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED BY STORM CHASER 100 TO 300 YARDS EAST OF HIGHWAY 183.
21:45 UTCHAIL 2.5RoseRock, NEGOLF BALL TO TENNIS BALL SIZED HAIL COVERING GROUND.5
21:47 UTCTORNADO3 E DunningBlaine, NETORNADO REPORTED BY STORM CHASER. CONTINUED ROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH MULTIPLE FUNNELS ALSO REPORTED.
22:12 UTCHAIL 2.753 N RoseRock, NEREPORT OF MANY HAIL STONES OVER 1 INCH WITH A THIRD OF HAIL STONES OVER ONE AND THREE QUARTER INCH IN DIAMETER. LARGEST HAIL STONES WERE BASEBALL SIZED...AFTER MELTING AS REPORTED BY STORM CHASER.
22:40 UTCHAIL 13 E DunningBlaine, NE
22:45 UTCHAIL 16 W BrewsterBlaine, NE
22:52 UTCHAIL 12 S BrewsterBlaine, NE
23:45 UTCHAIL 1.7510 E ArnoldCuster, NE
00:05 UTCHAIL 116 W TaylorBlaine, NE
00:05 UTCNON-TSTM WND GST 53Broken BowCuster, NE
00:10 UTCHAIL 12 Se AnselmoCuster, NE

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2011 tornado in NebraskaEvery tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in Nebraska nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 30, 2011

15 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 303:04 PM MDTEF0Adams, CO0.150
May 304:20 PM CDTEF0Rock, NE0.020
May 305:05 PM CDTEF0Holt, NE0.020
May 306:26 PM CDTEF0Charles Mix, SD0.550
May 306:52 PM CDTEF0Holt, NE0.020
May 307:34 PM CDTEF0Dawson, NE0.425
May 308:12 PM CDTEF0Lake, SD0.750
May 308:22 PM CDTEF0Lake, SD0.550
May 308:46 PM CDTEF2Richland, ND4.3600$550,000
May 308:52 PM CDTEF1Cass, ND2.3150$250,000
May 308:55 PM CDTEF2Cass, ND4.0400$600,000
May 309:01 PM CDTEF1Clay, MN4.5200$250,000
May 309:03 PM CDTEF2Cass, ND7.4600$750,000
May 309:26 PM CDTEF1Polk, MN9.0100$50,000
May 3010:35 PM CDTEF1Hubbard, MN6.0300$600,000

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.