Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska · 2023
EF0 tornado, Wayne, Nebraska, May 12, 2023
This EF0 tornado ran 0.7 miles across Wayne County on May 12, 2023, touching down at 6:34 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.
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
- May 12, 2023
- Touchdown
- 6:34 PM CDT (23:34 UTC)
- Lifted
- 6:35 PM CDT (23:35 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 0.7 miles (1.2 km)
- Path width
- 20 yards (18 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Wayne County
- Touchdown point
- 42.311, -97.057
- Lift-off point
- 42.321, -97.057
- Record number
- 2305121734-01
The damage survey
8 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS OAX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 85 mph.
- Small open shed roof and wall were lifted and deposited about 150 yards to the northeast. Wall and roof were largely intact. Building was open to the south.
- Debris field ended here. Drone photos and downstream damage indicators suggest that the tornado ended near this point.
- Drone photos and upstream damage indicators suggest that the tornado likely began near this point.
- East side of a shed sustained roof damage.
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 strong low-pressure system which had been slowly moving east off the Rocky Mountains finally progressed into central Nebraska. This left eastern Nebraska in the warm sector as a warm front moved north into the area. The SPC issued an Enhanced Risk for severe weather with a 30% hatched for severe hail. There ended up being 19 confirmed tornadoes (3 EF2, 8 EF1, 4 EF0, 4 EFU). There were numerous hail reports the largest of which was 4.5 inches in Pawnee County. Another 4-inch report was received in Richardson County. Flash flooding was also observed in a few locations.
A tornado began in an open field and tracked across the east side of a farm, tipping a grain wagon, damaging trees, lifting an open shed, and damaging the roof of another shed. The debris was deposited up to 150 yards downstream where the track appeared to end in an open pasture prior to crossing 852nd road. Special thanks to Wayne County emergency management and Stanton County emergency management for assistance with the damage survey and drone-based evaluation.
A brief tornado uprooted and snapped trees at two farmsteads. The tree damage was in a narrow swath near the road while the other buildings and trees just to the west were largely untouched.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
13 minutes of warning. NWS OAX issued a tornado warning for this county at 23:21 UTC, 13 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:50 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:10 UTC and running to 02:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:10 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | OAX |
| 22:46 UTC | 23:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | OAX |
| 23:21 UTC | 23:50 UTC | Tornado Warning | OAX |
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 20:08 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.
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 12:00Z
11.6 hours before the tornado, 125 km from the path. May 12, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 413 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -14 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 963 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 616 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 52 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 44 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.6
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.8 K/km
Omaha, NE (KOAX), 00:00Z
0.4 hours after it, 125 km from the path. May 13, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1363 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -5 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2040 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1536 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 156 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 331 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.6
- Supercell composite
- 8.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 8.4 K/km
The surface observations
Wayne (LCG), 10 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:35 UTC | 76.5 | 64.4 | 110° 13 kt | 1008.5 | ||
| 21:55 UTC | 76 | 63.5 | 110° 18 kt | 22 | 1008.5 | |
| 22:15 UTC | 75.6 | 63.7 | 100° 13 kt | 1008.1 | ||
| 22:35 UTC | 74.8 | 64.2 | 110° 10 kt | 1008.5 | VCTS | |
| 22:55 UTC | 74.8 | 64.4 | 70° 8 kt | 1008.1 | -VCTSRA | |
| 23:15 UTC | 72.7 | 65.3 | 60° 5 kt | 1008.1 | TSRA | |
| 23:35 UTC | 63.3 | 62.2 | 200° 11 kt | 44 | 1010.2 | +TSRA |
| 23:55 UTC | 63.3 | 61.5 | 180° 11 kt | 21 | 1010.5 | +VCTSRA |
| 00:15 UTC | 64.2 | 62 | 130° 13 kt | 1009.5 | -VCTSDZ | |
| 00:35 UTC | 64.4 | 60.8 | 140° 7 kt | 1009.1 | ||
| 00:55 UTC | 63.7 | 60 | 300° 3 kt | 1009.1 | ||
| 01:15 UTC | 65 | 60 | 20° 5 kt | 1009.5 | VCTS |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Omaha radar (KOAX), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:36 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:01 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Wsw Hadar | Madison, NE | A SHORT-LIVED EF-1 TORNADO TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 3.1 MILES TO THE NORTH NORTHWEST, PRIMARILY CAUSING DAMAGE TO TREES. THE MOST FOCUSED DAMAGE WAS IN A GROVE OF MATURE COTTONWOOD TREES WHERE MULTIPLE TRUNKS WERE SNAPPED. |
| 22:03 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 9 Ssw Stanton | Stanton, NE | EAST SIDE OF A BARN MISSING. POSSIBLE TORNADO. DELAYED REPORT. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 22:34 UTC | TORNADO | 3 N Stanton | Stanton, NE | AN EF-1 TORNADO TRACKED NORTH NORTHWEST FOR APPROXIMATELY 2.8 MILES ACROSS PART OF STANTON COUNTY. MOST OF THE TRACK OCCURRED IN DIFFICULT TO ACCESS AREAS BUT THE ASSESSMENT REVEALED THAT THIS WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY A |
| 22:39 UTC | TORNADO | 7 Ese Stanton | Stanton, NE | UPDATED WITH NEW INFORMATION AND INCREASED RATING. AN INTERMITTENT TORNADO DAMAGE TRACK WAS NOTED ALONG THE WEST FLANK OF A FOCUSED AND ELONGATED AREA OF DOWNBURST WINDS. INITIAL DAMAGE WAS TO A CENTER PIVOT AND THREE WO |
| 22:44 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Ssw Pilger | Stanton, NE | AN INTERMITTENT TORNADO DAMAGE TRACK WAS NOTED ALONG THE WEST FLANK OF A FOCUSED AND ELONGATED AREA OF DOWNBURST WINDS. THE DAMAGE WAS LARGELY TO TREES ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A COUPLE OF FARM OUTBUILDINGS DAMAGED ALONG THE |
| 22:46 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 N Stanton | Stanton, NE | REPORT FROM MPING: TREES UPROOTED OR SNAPPED; ROOF BLOWN OFF. |
| 22:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Pilger | Stanton, NE | UNOCCUPIED CAMPERS BLOWN OVER. MANY FARM STRUCTURES DAMAGED AND LARGE TREES SNAPPED AND BROKEN. POWERLINES AND LARGE TREES BLOCKING THE ROAD EAST OF STANTON. |
| 22:58 UTC | TSTM WND GST 62 | Pilger | Stanton, NE | PERSONAL WEATHER STATION RECORDED A PEAK WIND GUST OF 62 MPH. |
| 23:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Pilger | Stanton, NE | POWER LINES DOWN, LOTS OF TREE DAMAGE. |
| 23:11 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 N Stanton | Stanton, NE | DAMAGE TO 3 CAR GARAGE, ROOF IN TREES. DIESEL TANK TIPPED OVER. |
| 23:14 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Ssw Wayne | Wayne, NE | A TORNADO BEGAN IN AN OPEN FIELD AND TRACKED ACROSS THE EAST SIDE OF A FARM, TIPPING A GRAIN WAGON, DAMAGING TREES, LIFTING AN OPEN SHED, AND DAMAGING THE ROOF OF ANOTHER SHED. THE DEBRIS WAS DEPOSITED UP TO 150 YARDS DO |
| 23:20 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Ese Carroll | Wayne, NE | |
| 23:24 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Nnw Wayne | Wayne, NE | FOCUSED AREAS OF TREE DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG THIS TRACK AND WERE LIKELY CAUSED BY A SHORT LIVED TORNADO. DAMAGE INCLUDED SNAPPED TRUNKS AND UPROOTED TREES ALONG A NARROW PATH. |
| 23:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | West Point | Cuming, NE | POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN. |
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 May 12, 2023
32 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12 | 12:34 PM CDT | EF1 | Custer, NE | 4.0 | 100 | |||
| May 12 | 12:39 PM CDT | Unrated | Logan, NE | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 12 | 12:42 PM CDT | Unrated | Custer, NE | 0.1 | 1 | |||
| May 12 | 12:47 PM CDT | Unrated | Custer, NE | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 12 | 2:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Greeley, NE | 13.6 | 200 | $300,000 | ||
| May 12 | 3:11 PM CDT | EF1 | Wheeler, NE | 3.4 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 3:25 PM CDT | Unrated | Wheeler, NE | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 3:55 PM CDT | Unrated | Platte, NE | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 3:55 PM CDT | EF2 | Wheeler, NE | 7.3 | 75 | |||
| May 12 | 4:00 PM CDT | Unrated | Custer, NE | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 12 | 4:09 PM CDT | EF1 | Boone, NE | 1.3 | 150 | |||
| May 12 | 4:22 PM CDT | Unrated | Madison, NE | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 4:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Pawnee, NE | 3.0 | 80 | |||
| May 12 | 4:53 PM CDT | EF1 | Stanton, NE | 8.9 | 200 | |||
| May 12 | 5:01 PM CDT | EF1 | Madison, NE | 3.1 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 5:15 PM CDT | EF2 | Dodge, NE | 5.5 | 800 | |||
| May 12 | 5:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Stanton, NE | 5.0 | 150 | |||
| May 12 | 5:34 PM CDT | EF1 | Stanton, NE | 2.8 | 200 | |||
| May 12 | 5:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Stanton, NE | 5.1 | 300 | |||
| May 12 | 5:42 PM CDT | EF0 | Dodge, NE | 2.5 | 300 | |||
| May 12 | 5:46 PM CDT | EF2 | Dodge, NE | 10.4 | 1,600 | |||
| May 12 | 6:14 PM CDT | EF1 | Burt, NE | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| May 12 | 6:14 PM CDT | EF0 | Wayne, NE | 0.3 | 20 | |||
| May 12 | 6:20 PM CDT | EF2 | Burt, NE | 11.3 | 1,150 | 2 | ||
| May 12 | 7:03 PM CDT | EF2 | Brown, KS | 1.5 | 500 | |||
| May 12 | 7:11 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, KS | 3.6 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 7:18 PM CDT | EF0 | Brown, KS to NE | 2.3 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 7:23 PM CDT | Unrated | Burt, NE | 0.4 | 50 | |||
| May 12 | 7:38 PM CDT | Unrated | Jackson, KS | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| May 12 | 7:43 PM CDT | Unrated | Burt, NE | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| May 12 | 7:49 PM CDT | Unrated | Jackson, KS | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| May 12 | 8:06 PM CDT | EF0 | Kay, OK | 0.3 | 10 |
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.