Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2007

EF3 tornado, Sweetwater, Oklahoma, May 5, 2007

This EF3 tornado ran 5.2 miles across Roger Mills County on May 5, 2007, touching down at 8:12 PM CDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $150,000 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 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 mphthis tornado

    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
EF3
Date
May 5, 2007
Touchdown
8:12 PM CDT (01:12 UTC)
Lifted
8:26 PM CDT (01:26 UTC)
On the ground
14 minutes
Path length
5.2 miles (8.4 km)
Path width
150 yards (137 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
County
Roger Mills County
Touchdown point
35.420, -99.920
Lift-off point
35.492, -99.920
Record number
0705051912-01

What the Weather Service recorded

An upper level storm system moved slowly into south central Colorado during the afternoon. A dry line had become established and was located along the Oklahoma and Texas panhandle border. Also, favorable upper level winds were rotating around the upper level storm system, crossing the dryline over western Oklahoma. As the afternoon progressed, convergence along the dryline became maximized over this area. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours and they quickly became supercells. Two of the supercells produced several tornadoes. The northern tornadic storm produced five tornadoes from southwest of Roll to just east of Arnett. The southern tornadic storm also produced five tornadoes in Oklahoma from near Sweetwater to near Sharon. Large hail was also observed. The supercells moved northeast out of Oklahoma during the late evening hours. Monetary values for the tornado damage were estimated.

This is a continuation of the tornado that began in northern Beckham about 2 1/2 miles south of Sweetwater.||The tornado continued to produce damage as it moved north along Highway 30 into Sweetwater. The church and post office were damaged...as were several outbuildings and businesses. ||Damage continued for approximately 5 miles north of Sweetwater, with some substantial tree damage noted on the west side of Highway 30...and numerous power lines downed. ||The tornado appeared to have dissipated just south of E1040 road in southern Roger Mills County. Monetary damages were estimated. |

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

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 00:59 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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 5, 2:48 PM CDT, 5 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 2:48 PM CDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
248 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

.SHORT TERM...
POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE OUTBREAK IN PROGRESS WITH HIGHER-END
POTENTIAL FROM NW OK NORTHWARD THROUGH THIS EVENING. STRENGTHENING
SW FLOW ALOFT CURRENTLY PROVIDING STRONG DEEP-LAYER SHEAR IN REGION
OF VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS /CAPES 3000-5000 J/KG/ AHEAD OF DRYLINE.
UPPER FLOW EXPECTED TO BACK SOME IN RESPONSE TO DIGGING TROF
DROPPING INTO AZ/NM TONIGHT... WHICH WILL LIKELY LIMIT THE
EASTWARD PROGRESS OF STORMS OFF THE DRYLINE OVERNIGHT. HIGHER POPS
THUS ARE CONFINED TO W PARTS OF THE CWA... AND ESPECIALLY NW OK.
BACKED UPPER FLOW ALSO WILL LEAD TO ANVIL SEEDING OF DOWNWIND
STORMS BASED ON CURRENT ORIENTATION OF CORES ALONG THE DRYLINE.
STORMS LIKELY TO INITIATE FARTHER S DOWN THE DRYLINE INTO OR
THROUGH W TX... EVENTUALLY AFFECTING SW OK AND OUR N TX ZONES.
WEAKER FORCING ALOFT AND LESS DEEP-LAYER SHEAR MAY KEEP THE MORE
SOUTHERN STORMS RELATIVELY ISOLATED. THIS ALONG WITH MORE VEERED
UPPER FLOW RAISES CONCERNS THAT STORMS FARTHER S WILL HAVE EQUAL
OR GREATER TORNADIC SUPERCELL POTENTIAL THAN THE ONES FROM N OK
NORTHWARD.

LIMITED COVERAGE OF STORMS FARTHER S AND E TONIGHT MAY LEAD TO
ANOTHER SETUP FOR SIGNIFICANT SEVERE ON SUNDAY FARTHER S AND E
TOWARD MIDDLE THIRD OF OK AND SW INTO N TX. MLCAPES NOT EXPECTED TO BE
AS EXTREME AS THOSE OBSERVED TODAY - WITH 1000-2000 J/KG MORE
LIKELY. DRYLINE WILL SLOSH BACK W TONIGHT AND WILL BE IN PLACE FOR
ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS ON SUNDAY... ALONG WITH GREATER POTENTIAL
FOR CONVECTION TO BREAK OUT IN THE MOIST SECTOR E OF THE DRYLINE.
DESPITE BACKED UPPER FLOW EXPECTED... LOW LEVELS ALSO ARE
FORECAST TO BE SUFFICIENTLY BACKED TO PROVIDE AMPLE SHEAR FOR
POTENTIAL SUPERCELLS. HARD TO PINPOINT RELATIVE GREATER RISK AREAS
ON SUNDAY AT THIS TIME DUE TO UNCERTAINTIES REGARDING EVOLUTION
OF CONVECTION THIS EVENING/OVERNIGHT. 24

.LONG TERM...
S END OF WESTERN TROF LIKELY TO BE SLOW IN COMING OUT AS
CUTOFF DEVELOPS OFF SE COAST AND UPSTREAM PATTERN BECOMES BLOCKED.
TIMING DIFFERENCES PERSIST AMONG MODELS BUT MORE BLOCKY PATTERN
ARGUES FOR SLOWING DOWN THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THIS SYSTEM.
POPS THUS ARE EXTENDED INTO THU. ALTHOUGH SEVERE POTENTIAL MAY BE
RELATIVELY LIMITED DURING THE MEDIUM RANGE... LONG-TERM POTENTIAL
FOR FLOODING WILL INCREASE ON MULTIPLE TEMPORAL/SPATIAL SCALES
DURING THE WEEK DUE TO ANTECEDENT WET GROUND AND PROLONGED
POTENTIAL FOR DEEP CONVECTION. OVERALL MEDIUM-RANGE MODEL TRENDS
ARE TO BRING RIDGING INTO THE S PLAINS BY FRI-SAT... THUS WARMER
WITH LOWER POPS. MAX/MIN TEMPERATURE GRIDS ARE BASED HEAVILY ON
MEX MOS GUIDANCE. 24

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK  85  69  80  65 /  20  30  50  60
HOBART OK         85  67  83  63 /  30  40  60  60
WICHITA FALLS TX  88  71  84  68 /  20  30  50  60
GAGE OK           84  62  80  58 /  40  60  60  50
PONCA CITY OK     83  70  82  67 /  20  40  50  70
DURANT OK         84  70  85  68 /  10  20  40  50

&&

.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...NONE.
TX...NONE.
&&

25/24
Hazardous weather outlook, May 5, 7:48 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
748 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-061200-
HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
748 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT
ACROSS NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA. A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS COVERS MUCH OF THE REST OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN
OKLAHOMA... AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

LOCATION...
THE MODERATE RISK IS NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM CHEROKEE TO SAYRE
OKLAHOMA. THE SLIGHT RISK SURROUNDS THE MODERATE RISK AND IS
NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM CUSHING... TO DUNCAN... TO NORMAN... TO
ARCHER CITY.

TIMING...
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE AT ANY TIME FROM NOW THROUGH EARLY
SUNDAY MORNING.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL ACROSS THE
RISK AREA SHOULD PLAN TO INITIATE OR CONTINUE SEVERE WEATHER
OPERATIONS THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... AND POSSIBLY THROUGH SUNRISE
SUNDAY MORNING.

IMPACTS...
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS... WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH... AND
TORNADOES WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS. DAMAGING LONG-TRACK
TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MODERATE RISK AREA.

DISCUSSION...
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND
INTENSIFY THIS EVENING EAST OF A NEARLY STATIONARY DRY LINE ACROSS
THE EASTERN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. VERY UNSTABLE AIR AND
SIGNIFICANT WIND SHEAR WILL FAVOR DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS  WITH
VERY LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS... AND TORNADOES THROUGH AT LEAST
LATE EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS MAY INCREASE IN NUMBER LATER TONIGHT AS A SOUTHERLY
LOW LEVEL JET STREAM STRENGTHENS OVER THE PLAINS. INSTABILITY AND
SHEAR WILL CONTINUE TO BE SUFFICIENT FOR SEVERE STORMS... BUT THE
STORMS MAY DEVELOP INTO ONE OR MORE COMPLEXES WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BECOMING THE PRIMARY CONCERNS AFTER
MIDNIGHT. THE CAP WILL BE STRONGER FARTHER EAST... WHICH MAY LIMIT
THE EASTWARD SPREAD OF STORMS INTO EASTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA LATE TONIGHT.

PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT SUNDAY MAY 6.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...100 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...100 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE LOCAL FLOODING UNDER THE LARGER AND
HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY ACROSS
OKLAHOMA AND ALL OF WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO
THE AREA SUNDAY. THIS FRONT ALONG WITH THE DRYLINE AND ANY OUTFLOW
BOUNDARIES WILL PROVIDE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT SUNDAY.
THESE STORMS MAY ALSO BECOME SEVERE SUNDAY.

THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
HOWEVER... THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL DECREASE WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN INCREASING WHICH MAY LEAD TO
FLOODING.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
NONE.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT 7 AM
SUNDAY.

24

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 5, 7:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
706 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

OKZ021-060015-
BECKHAM OK-
706 PM CDT SAT MAY 5 2007

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR BECKHAM COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE 3 MILES
SOUTH OF TEXOLA AT 706 PM CDT. THE STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25
MPH. SMALL HAIL AND LIGHTNING WILL OCCUR IN WESTERN BECKHAM COUNTY.
IF THE STORM MAINTAINS ITS STRENGTH AND MOVEMENT A WARNING MAY BE
REQUIRED BEFORE 730 PM.

SMALL HAIL AND WINDS AROUND 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE.
Local storm report, May 5, 7:15 PM CDT, 57 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
715 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0600 PM     HAIL             LAVERNE                 36.71N 99.90W
05/05/2007  E1.00 INCH       HARPER             OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            RELAYED FROM WFO/AMA

&&

DW
Local storm report, May 5, 7:45 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
745 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0723 PM     TORNADO          TEXOLA                  35.22N 99.99W
05/05/2007                   BECKHAM            OK   BROADCAST MEDIA

            TORNADO CROSSED INTERSTATE 40 NEAR MILE MARKER 1, NEAR
            TEXOLA. TORNADO BEGAN AROUND 723 PM...AND ENDED AT
            APPROX. 742 PM.

&&

SMITH
Local storm report, May 5, 7:51 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
751 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0744 PM     HAIL             MAYFIELD                35.33N 99.88W
05/05/2007  E1.75 INCH       BECKHAM            OK   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

DW
Local storm report, May 5, 7:58 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
758 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0754 PM     HAIL             6 E SWEETWATER          35.42N 99.81W
05/05/2007  E1.25 INCH       BECKHAM            OK   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

DW
Local storm report, May 5, 8:07 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
807 PM CDT SAT MAY 05 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0800 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 W WOODWARD            36.43N 99.50W
05/05/2007  M65 MPH          WOODWARD           OK   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

DW

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.

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), 00:00Z

1.2 hours before the tornado, 163 km from the path. May 6, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2007-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -57304, lifted condensation level 3236 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2007-05-06The 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 84 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 55 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-57304 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1009 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3236 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
157 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2
0-3 km lapse rate
9.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), 12:00Z

10.8 hours after it, 163 km from the path. May 6, 2007.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2007-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -79331, lifted condensation level 3065 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2007-05-06The 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 52 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 61 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79331 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3065 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Canadian (HHF), 66 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2007 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 5, 2007

96 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 51:21 AM CDTEF1Barton, KS5.5100$2.0 million
May 51:28 AM CDTEF1Barton, KS6.2125$57,000
May 51:46 AM CDTEF1Barton, KS5.2100$40,000
May 52:06 AM CDTEF0Ellsworth, KS0.540$13,000
May 512:23 PM CDTEF1Custer, NE20.6150$150,000
May 511:57 AM MDTEF0Logan, CO0.150
May 51:03 PM CDTEF1Custer, NE40.7220$40,000
May 52:05 PM CDTEF1Brown, NE14.3220$40,000
May 53:48 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE11.4100$10,000
May 53:57 PM CDTEF1Keya Paha, NE16.71001$100,000
May 54:31 PM CDTEF1Miner, SD0.150$2,000
May 54:33 PM CDTEF2Bon Homme, SD3.5100$50,000
May 54:35 PM CDTEF2Miner, SD1.0100$20,000
May 54:43 PM CDTEF2Bon Homme, SD4.0100$100,000
May 54:48 PM CDTEF0Pratt, KS1.430
May 54:58 PM CDTEF1Saline, NE18.3400
May 54:59 PM CDTEF1Pratt, KS11.1150
May 55:00 PM CDTEF0Hutchinson, SD0.250
May 55:10 PM CDTEF0Hutchinson, SD0.150
May 55:15 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE1.5200
May 55:16 PM CDTEF1Hutchinson, SD5.0100
May 55:17 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE3.0100
May 55:20 PM CDTEF1Hanson, SD1.9100$10,000
May 55:24 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE5.3150
May 55:28 PM CDTEF1Knox, NE8.9440
May 55:36 PM CDTEF0Stafford, KS4.5100
May 55:41 PM CDTEF1Hanson, SD0.5100$10,000
May 55:43 PM CDTEF2Knox, NE5.55003$1.0 million
May 55:45 PM CDTEF0Knox, NE3.5100
May 55:50 PM CDTEF0Davison, SD3.550
May 55:52 PM CDTEF0Yankton, SD0.150
May 55:52 PM CDTEF1Yankton, SD1.01001$100,000
May 55:59 PM CDTEF2Osborne, KS7.57511$150,000
May 56:00 PM CDTEF0Edwards, KS2.475
May 56:05 PM CDTEF3Aurora, SD4.0200$300,000
May 56:09 PM CDTEF0Rice, KS0.340
May 56:15 PM CDTEF1Sanborn, SD0.5100$20,000
May 56:15 PM CDTEF0Rice, KS1.540
May 56:17 PM CDTEF2Yankton, SD0.5100$100,000
May 56:30 PM CDTEF0Gregory, SD0.150
May 56:30 PM CDTEF0Gregory, SD0.150
May 56:33 PM CDTEF0Comanche, KS1.930
May 56:35 PM CDTEF0Charles Mix, SD0.150
May 56:40 PM CDTEF1Brule, SD0.5100
May 56:45 PM CDTEF0Barton, KS0.150
May 56:54 PM CDTEF0Barton, KS0.240
May 57:01 PM CDTEF2Edwards, KS2.775
May 57:02 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS7.875
May 57:09 PM CDTEF0Mills, IA4.080
May 57:20 PM CDTEF0Collingsworth, TX2.8100
May 57:22 PM CDTEF2Kiowa, KS26.9880
May 57:23 PM CDTEF2Hanson, SD10.5400$60,000
May 57:26 PM CDTEF0Kiowa, KS1.350
May 57:27 PM CDTEF1Collingsworth, TX7.0200
May 57:32 PM CDTEF1Barton, KS4.0100$60,000
May 57:40 PM CDTEF0Roger Mills, OK0.8100
May 57:47 PM CDTEF1Miner, SD0.2100$10,000
May 57:47 PM CDTEF0Miner, SD0.150
May 57:50 PM CDTEF1Edwards, KS1.550
May 57:50 PM CDTEF1Fremont, IA11.3200

All 97 of them

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.