Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2017

EF1 tornado, Antioch, Nebraska, June 12, 2017

This EF1 tornado ran 9.2 miles across Sheridan County on June 12, 2017, touching down at 10:40 PM MDT and reaching 10 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $21,000 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 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    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
EF1
Date
June 12, 2017
Touchdown
10:40 PM MDT (04:40 UTC)
Lifted
10:45 PM MDT (04:45 UTC)
On the ground
5 minutes
Path length
9.2 miles (14.8 km)
Path width
10 yards (9 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$21,000
County
Sheridan County
Touchdown point
42.085, -102.657
Lift-off point
42.085, -102.657
Record number
1706122240-01

The damage survey

6 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS CYS and NWS LBF, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 100 mph.

  • Barn was old and near collapse according to owner
  • Doors were blown 500 yards
  • Power company replaced 30 wood poles at this location. Some poles were snapped with conductors missing.
  • Roof tore off a warehouse at the Alliance Airport

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

A closed upper low across the central Rockies, combined with a stationary front draped across the area, brought a round of strong to severe thunderstorms across northwest Nebraska.

Witnesses describe a tornado touching down and destroying mainly cottonwood trees in wind breaks. The path was not continuous. The tornado lifted and then continued to the northeast, hitting a homestead, damaging old outbuildings and snapping or pushing over 30 wooden power poles.

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 23:35 UTC and running to 06:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
23:35 UTC06:00 UTCTornado WatchLBF
00:57 UTC01:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
01:43 UTC02:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
02:00 UTC03:00 UTCFlood AdvisoryLBF
02:09 UTC03:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
02:17 UTC03:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
02:25 UTC02:54 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
02:37 UTC03:15 UTCTornado WarningLBF
03:04 UTC03:45 UTCTornado WarningLBF
03:12 UTC04:15 UTCFlood AdvisoryLBF
03:18 UTC04:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBF
03:44 UTC04:08 UTCTornado WarningLBF
03:54 UTC04:31 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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:03 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), 00:00Z

4.7 hours before the tornado, 201 km from the path. June 13, 2017.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2017-06-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1352 joules per kilogram, CIN -142, lifted condensation level 2089 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2017-06-13The 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 65 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 34 knots.193958Sfc1 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
1352 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-142 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3286 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2089 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
194 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
6.9
0-3 km lapse rate
7.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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

7.3 hours after it, 201 km from the path. June 13, 2017.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2017-06-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1212 joules per kilogram, CIN -415, lifted condensation level 1146 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2017-06-13The 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 32 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 35 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
1212 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-415 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1745 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1146 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Alliance (AIA), 12 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
02:50 UTC
02:55 UTC666340° 15 kt221004.4TS
03:07 UTC656170° 12 kt1003.7
03:15 UTC50° 17 kt
03:20 UTC50° 12 kt
03:25 UTC60° 13 kt
03:40 UTC60° 13 kt
03:45 UTC60° 11 kt
03:53 UTC645870° 10 kt1002.7
04:15 UTC70° 15 kt
04:20 UTC70° 13 kt
04:25 UTC80° 15 kt
04:30 UTC80° 18 kt
04:35 UTC80° 16 kt
04:40 UTC80° 16 kt
04:45 UTC80° 18 kt
04:50 UTC90° 16 kt
04:53 UTC696380° 17 kt231002
04:55 UTC80° 15 kt
05:00 UTC80° 12 kt
05:05 UTC80° 16 kt
05:10 UTC
05:15 UTC90° 15 kt
05:20 UTC90° 14 kt
05:25 UTC100° 16 kt
05:30 UTC
05:35 UTC
05:40 UTC110° 12 kt
05:45 UTC
05:50 UTC240° 7 kt
05:53 UTC7161250° 10 kt291004.4
05:55 UTC
06:00 UTC330° 9 kt
06:05 UTC
06:10 UTC
06:15 UTC10° 9 kt
06:20 UTC350° 11 kt
06:25 UTC350° 10 kt
06:30 UTC350° 11 kt
06:35 UTC350° 15 kt

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

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 172 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:41 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
02:00 UTCHAIL 1.755 Nne BonnerMorrill, NENEAR THE MORRILL-BOX BUTTE COUNTY LINE.
02:10 UTCHAIL 1AllianceBox Butte, NEKANSAS ST IN ALLIANCE.
02:15 UTCHAIL 2.75AllianceBox Butte, NE
02:15 UTCTORNADO8 S AllianceMorrill, NEPOSSIBLE TORNADO. A BUSINESS LOST HALF ITS ROOF. WINDOWS AND DOORS WERE BLOWN IN.
02:18 UTCHAIL 2.5AllianceBox Butte, NEREPORT RECEIVED VIA FACEBOOK.
02:22 UTCTORNADO13 S AllianceMorrill, NE65 TRAIN CARS BLOWN OVER.
02:25 UTCHAIL 2.753 Wnw AntiochSheridan, NEVERY LARGE HAIL, PERHAPS BASEBALL SIZE, WAS HEARD HITTING THE HOUSE. THE TIME IS ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
02:30 UTCTORNADO3 Wnw AntiochSheridan, NEA LARGE COTTONWOOD TREE WAS SNAPPED, TWISTED,BROKEN AND SPREAD AROUND THE RANCH YARD. A STACK OF LUMBER WAS LIFTED UP AND TOSSED AROUND THE YARD. THE TIME OF THE REPORT WAS ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:40 UTCTORNADO4 N AntiochSheridan, NEA TORNADO REPORTED 4 MILES NORTH OF ANTIOCH. POWER LINES WERE ALSO REPORTED TO BE DOWNED NEAR THE LOCATION.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2017 tornado in NebraskaEvery tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in Nebraska nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 12, 2017

20 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 123:55 PM MDTUnratedGoshen, WY23.240
June 124:40 PM MDTEF0Laramie, WY to CO2.880
June 125:40 PM CDTEF2Weld, CO to WY15.0300
June 124:49 PM MDTEF1Converse, WY0.525
June 125:05 PM MDTEF1Laramie, WY1.580
June 126:09 PM CDTEF2Goshen, WY to NE25.65002$603,000
June 125:30 PM MDTEF2Johnson, WY1.6250$10,000
June 125:50 PM MDTEF0Park, WY0.725
June 126:01 PM MDTEF1Kimball, NE1.080
June 126:12 PM MDTUnratedBanner, NE0.725
June 126:14 PM MDTEF0Big Horn, WY3.130
June 127:21 PM CDTEF0Fond du Lac, WI2.150$7,000
June 126:30 PM MDTEF1Banner, NE4.2100$25,000
June 126:33 PM MDTUnratedDawes, NE1.125
June 126:36 PM MDTEF0Natrona, WY0.120
June 127:13 PM MDTEF1Morrill, NE0.250
June 127:19 PM MDTEF2Morrill, NE31.6300$3.5 million
June 128:30 PM MDTEF1Sheridan, NE9.210$21,000
June 128:40 PM MDTEF1Sheridan, NE9.210$21,000
June 129:10 PM MDTEF0Bennett, SD0.07

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.