EF0 tornado, Guelph to Glover, North Dakota, May 24, 2008

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.

Rating

EF0

Date

May 24, 2008

Touchdown

7:59 PM CDT (00:59 UTC)

Lifted

8:13 PM CDT (01:13 UTC)

On the ground

14 minutes

Path length

7.9 miles (12.7 km)

Path width

100 yards (91 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Property damage

$10,000

County

Dickey County

Touchdown point

46.130, -98.143

Lift-off point

46.243, -98.122

Record number

0805241859-01

In the late afternoon of May 24th, Tornado Watch 352 was issued in anticipation of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes developing along and ahead of a strong closed upper level low and associated surface low and cold frontal boundary over southern North Dakota. Numerous severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings were issued. Reports included multiple tornadoes in both Morton and Dickey counties. A National Weather Service storm damage survey was completed in Morton County, and the Dickey County Emergency Manager conducted a storm damage survey in Dickey County.

The Dickey County Emergency Manager conducted a storm survey in the area and found evidence of a weak tornado. Tree branches were broken in parts of tree rows. No other structures were impacted. This was the first of three tornadoes in Dickey County this evening. An EF scale rating of middle EF0 was assigned with estimated wind speeds around 75 mph.

A Dickey County Deputy Sheriff originally reported this tornado and indicated that it was visible only as debris rotating on the ground with little if any visible condensation funnel. The Dickey County Emergency Manager later conducted a storm damage survey. There was minor damage to one side of a farm house near the tornado starting point about 4 miles northwest of Guelph. No other damage was observed as the tornado then remained over open areas. This was the second of three tornadoes in Dickey County this evening. An EF scale rating of higher end EF0 was assigned with estimated wind speeds around 80 mph.

The Dickey County Emergency Manager conducted a storm damage survey. This tornado remained in open areas, uprooting smaller trees and breaking branches. This was the third of three tornadoes in Dickey County this evening. An EF scale rating of middle EF0 was assigned with estimated wind speeds around 75 mph.

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

29 minutes of warning. NWS BIS issued a tornado warning for this county at 00:30 UTC, 29 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 01:15 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:25 UTC and running to 02:41 UTC.

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 Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 20:18 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 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.

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:00 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.

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

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

The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in North DakotaEvery tornado in North Dakota since 1950Warnings in force in North Dakota nowThe forecast where you are

22 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.