March Tornadoes 1950-2010

March Tornadoes
South Central Nebraska and North Central Kansas

Data from January, 1950 - December, 2010

(View our 'Main Tornado Page' for maps for each month of the year, including statewide maps of Nebraska and Kansas.)

Notes about the data: All data from 1950-2009 was collected and assimilated into GIS format by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK. This data can be found at https://spc.noaa.gov/gis/svrgis/ The data for the year 2010 was collected and assimilated into GIS by the National Weather Service office in Hastings, NE. The Fujita Scale (F-Scale) rating began in 1971, and the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) began February 1, 2007; Tornadoes prior to 1971 were later assigned an F-scale rating based on damage accounts and records. The tornado descriptions are primarily based on information in StormData and from the National Climatic Data Center, and is supplemented by information in 'Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991,' by Thomas P. Grazulis. The maps below illustrate the tornado touchdown points and tornado tracks. The tornado rating is based on the highest rating given the tornado along its path and is not necessarily at its highest rating at the initial touchdown point. For example, a track and tornado touchdown point with an EF3 rating may have started as an EF0 at the touchdown point and grew in intensity towards the middle or end of the track. The touchdown point represented on the map is the center of the triangle, not at the base (point) of the triangle. Tornado tracks are illustrated by the start and end points of the tornado, which on the map appear linear, versus an actual path the tornado may have taken along its lifespan. Not all tornadoes have tracks due to the length of the track. If the track length was incredibly small (For example, a brief touchdown or less than a few miles long), it was not plotted.

For Geographic Reference Click the Map!

Tornado Descriptions EF2 or Greater

Tornado Outbreak! March 13, 1990
There were 59 tornadoes in the United States on this day alone, and 26 of the tornadoes were rated F2-F4. In south central Nebraska and north central Kansas, there was one F4 tornado, four F3 tornadoes, three F2 tornadoes, and 10 F1 tornadoes. Many of the tornadoes occurred during daylight and could be seen for miles. Please see the link above for detailed information on the tornadoes, tracks, damage and video.
F2/EF2:
-March 13, 1973
Rooks County. A tornado touched down at approximately 5:10 pm CST and was seen by many people as it moved northward for one mile, and hit the eastern edge of Plainville, KS. The tornado destroyed 15 mobile homes and caused other damage.
Smith County. A tornado touched down at approximately 6 pm CST, 6 miles north northwest of Downs, KS and tracked 18 miles to two miles northwest of Lebanon, KS. At a farm 10.5 miles north northwest of Downs, a house was damaged and all of the outbuildings were blown away.
-March 11, 1954
Osborne County. The tornado occurred in Osborne County, KS. Little information exists on this tornado.