June 3, 1980: A Look Back At The Historic Grand Island Tornado Outbreak

Tornado #1 

• Cyclonic
   
• Rating: F3
   
• Time: 8:45 - 9:34 p.m. CDT
   
• The first of seven tornadoes set down 11 miles northwest of Grand Island, or 3 miles north of Prairie Creek. This 700-yard wide tornado tracked south for 7 miles, lifting 4 miles northwest of downtown Grand Island. While the straight line path was 7 miles, the twisting and erratic motion covered more than twice that distance, 14.5 miles, while spending 49 minutes on the ground. Along this path, a woman was killed while trying to drive to a relative's house, 25 people were injured, and farm houses were torn apart.

Left: Tornado schematic by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto. 

Tornado #2 

• Anti-Cyclonic
   
• Rating: F1
   
• Time: 9:00 - 9:12 p.m. CDT
   
• A short-lived tornado set down north of Highway 2 near the intersection of Webb Road and Airport Road, just east of the first tornado. This tornado was the first of 3 anti-cyclonic tornadoes that evening, and moved northeast approximately 1 mile before lifting.

Left: Tornado schematic by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto. 

Tornado #3 

• Anti-Cyclonic
   
• Rating: F3
   
• Time: 9:05 - 9:30 p.m. CDT
   
• The third tornado of the evening, and the second anti-cyclonic, touched down between Webb Road and Highway 281, just north of Airport Road. This 500-yard wide tornado briefly tracked north, then reversed course to the south, then southeast across northern Grand Island, leaving a 3.7 mile long path of destruction. Most of the damage was rated F0, with the F3 damage occurring in the vicinity of the VA Hospital on Capital Avenue. While there were no fatalities, 40 people were injured by this tornado before it lifted over the center of town.

Left: Tornado schematic by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto. 

Tornado #4 

• Anti-Cyclonic
   
• Rating: F1
   
• Time: 9:46 - 9:50 p.m. CDT
   
• The fourth tornado, and third and final anti-cyclonic tornado, touched down near Highway 34 and Shady Bend Road. This tornado tracked to the southwest, just northeast of the intersection of Stuhr and Shimmer Roads, then turned north along the west side of Stuhr Road before lifting near Highway 34. Its path was approximately 2.5 miles.

Left: Tornado schematic by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto. 

Tornado #5 - The "South Locust" Tornado 

• Cyclonic
   
• Rating: F4
   
• Time: 10:16 - 10:28 p.m. CDT
   
• The deadliest and most powerful tornado of the evening touched down on the east side of Grand Island in the Eagles Lake and Crystal Lake areas. This 1000-yard wide tornado swept west just north of Bismark Road, crossed Shady Bend and Stuhr Roads, before turning southwest across Bismark Road north of the Fonner Park area. The tornado continued to move southwest through residential areas until it reached the business district at South Locust Street and Fonner Park Road. From this point, the tornado then moved due south along South Locust until turned to the southeast a few blocks north of Highway 34. The tornado crossed Highway 34 and tracked another half-mile southeast before lifting. The damage was most devastating along the minutes the tornado trekked down South Locust Street, where homes and businesses were "obliterated". The almost 6-mile long path took 12 minutes to cover and resulted in 4 fatalities and numerous injuries.

Left: Tornado schematic by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto. 

Tornado #6 

• Cyclonic
   
• Rating: F2
   
• Time: 10:25 - 10:35 p.m. CDT
   
• The sixth tornado touched down east of Shady Bend Road just north of Highway 34. This tornado moved southwest to near Stuhr Road south of Highway 34, then turned southeast, traveling south of Shimmer Road to about 1 mile southwest of the Hall/Hamilton County bridge. This 600-yard wide tornado tracked approximately 4 miles over mainly rural areas, though additional injuries did occur.

Left: Tornado schematic by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto. 

Tornado #7 

• Cyclonic
   
• Rating: F1
   
• Time: 10:45 - 11:30 p.m. CDT
   
• The final tornado of the evening touched down southeast of the Hall-Hamilton County bridge. This tornado moved east and northeast over mainly open farmland for just over 13 miles.

Left: Tornado schematic by Ted Fujita and Roger Wakimoto.