Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2023

Unrated tornado, Broadwater, Nebraska, August 8, 2023

This Unrated tornado ran 0.1 miles across Morrill County on August 8, 2023, touching down at 4:50 PM MDT and reaching 25 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 mph

    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. Unratedthis tornado

    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
Unrated
Date
August 8, 2023
Touchdown
4:50 PM MDT (22:50 UTC)
Path length
0.1 miles (0.1 km)
Path width
25 yards (23 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Morrill County
Touchdown point
41.700, -102.840
Lift-off point
41.700, -102.840
Record number
2308081650-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Severe thunderstorms impacted Morrill County in the Nebraska Panhandle 8 August 2023.

Received video from Facebook of a brief tornado north of Broadwater causing no damage.

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.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 20:38 UTC and running to 03:10 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
20:38 UTC03:10 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchCYS
21:20 UTC22:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYS
21:23 UTC22:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYS
21:59 UTC22:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYS
22:29 UTC23:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYS
23:01 UTC23:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm 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 Slight Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:57 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

10.8 hours before the tornado, 197 km from the path. August 8, 2023.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2023-08-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 4 joules per kilogram, CIN -289, lifted condensation level 695 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 2023-08-08The 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 61 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 45 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-289 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
695 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
4.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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

1.2 hours after it, 197 km from the path. August 9, 2023.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2023-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1804 joules per kilogram, CIN -29, lifted condensation level 1179 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 2023-08-09The 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 31 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
1804 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2866 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1179 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
4.6
0-3 km lapse rate
7.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Alliance (AIA), 40 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
20:50 UTC120° 9 kt-RA
20:51 UTC75.260.8120° 8 kt1014.6-RA TS
20:53 UTC7662120° 10 kt1014.6-TSRA
20:55 UTC120° 10 kt-RA
21:00 UTC100° 8 kt-RA
21:05 UTC90° 8 kt1013.9-RA
21:10 UTC100° 5 kt-RA
21:15 UTC80° 5 kt1013.5
21:20 UTC90° 5 kt
21:25 UTC90° 7 kt-RA
21:30 UTC80° 7 kt-RA
21:35 UTC -RA
21:40 UTC70° 7 kt-RA
21:45 UTC 18RA
21:47 UTC66.262.6210° 23 kt301014.9+TSRA BR
21:50 UTC +RA FG
21:51 UTC60.859170° 15 kt29.941014.6+RA TS FG
21:53 UTC6159150° 12 kt301014.2+TSRA FG
21:55 UTC130° 14 kt26+RA FG
21:58 UTC6058120° 23 kt291013.9-TSRA BR
22:00 UTC 291013.9-RA BR
22:00 UTC6057110° 23 kt341013.9-TSRA BR
22:05 UTC 30-RA
22:06 UTC5956120° 22 kt341013.9TS
22:10 UTC 29
22:15 UTC 30
22:20 UTC140° 16 kt
22:25 UTC150° 15 kt1013.9
22:30 UTC110° 10 kt
22:35 UTC
22:40 UTC160° 8 kt
22:45 UTC 16
22:50 UTC40° 14 kt
22:53 UTC605660° 12 kt191015.2-TSRA
22:55 UTC -RA BR
23:00 UTC +RA BR
23:05 UTC6057100° 13 kt231014.2-TSRA BR
23:05 UTC100° 13 kt-RA BR
23:10 UTC -RA
23:11 UTC6057130° 17 kt1013.9-TSRA
23:15 UTC150° 14 kt1013.5
23:20 UTC150° 16 kt1013.5
23:25 UTC150° 13 kt
23:30 UTC150° 13 kt
23:35 UTC140° 11 kt
23:39 UTC6156150° 8 kt1013.5VCTS
23:40 UTC140° 8 kt
23:45 UTC140° 10 kt
23:50 UTC120° 8 kt
23:53 UTC6255120° 8 kt1014.2VCTS
23:55 UTC120° 8 kt
00:00 UTC120° 8 kt1014.2
00:05 UTC120° 8 kt1014.6
00:10 UTC120° 8 kt
00:14 UTC6558 5 kt1014.9
00:15 UTC30° 7 kt1014.6
00:20 UTC30° 7 kt
00:23 UTC635780° 6 kt1014.2VCTS
00:25 UTC90° 8 kt1014.2
00:30 UTC90° 9 kt
00:35 UTC60° 8 kt
00:40 UTC50° 10 kt
00:45 UTC40° 11 kt

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

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 175 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:48 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
21:59 UTCHAIL 110 Se AllianceMorrill, NE
23:07 UTCHAIL 0.7513 E DaltonCheyenne, NE
23:50 UTCTSTM WND GST 60OshkoshGarden, NE50 to 60 mph wind gusts, blew several potted plants off of porch.
23:50 UTCTSTM WND GST 60OshkoshGarden, NE50 to 60 mph wind gusts, blew several potted plants off of porch.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2023 tornado in NebraskaEvery tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in Nebraska nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of August 8, 2023

13 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 811:20 AM EDTEF1Plymouth, MA0.9300$10,000
August 811:52 AM EDTEF0Barnstable, MA1.2650$2,000
August 812:50 PM MSTEF0Coconino, AZ5.010
August 84:29 PM MDTUnratedWashington, CO0.050
August 84:39 PM MDTEF3Washington, CO15.7212$1.0 million
August 85:29 PM MDTEF0Washington, CO0.050
August 85:30 PM MDTUnratedYuma, CO5.3200
August 86:04 PM MDTEF0Yuma, CO1.7193
August 86:19 PM MDTUnratedYuma, CO1.0150
August 86:23 PM MDTUnratedYuma, CO0.975
August 87:00 PM MDTUnratedYuma, CO0.5150
August 87:25 PM MDTEF2Kit Carson, CO5.3150$30,000
August 89:17 PM MDTUnratedSherman, KS1.375

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.