Wind and Rain in the Northeast; Atmospheric River to Impact the West

A cold front will cross the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S. through today with gusty winds and areas of rain showers. A strong atmospheric river is then expected to move into the Northwest by midweek bringing a threat for moderate to heavy rainfall and flooding, gusty winds, and mountain snows for parts of Washington, Oregon, northern California, and the Sierra Nevada. Read More >

Overview

A large upper level storm system developed over the Dakotas on Sunday, November 27th. Abnormally warm and moist air (by November standards) streamed north through Kansas and Nebraska out ahead of the storm system. As the overall upper level system strengthened, there was a broad area of favorable lift within the moist warm sector across central Nebraska, which supported thunderstorm development as clouds cleared and the atmosphere became unstable.

Low level wind shear values were very high and there was just enough instability by afternoon to allow the thunderstorms to develop, strengthen, and even spin up a few tornadoes in the 4-5 p.m. CST time frame. With the shorter days of later fall, there was a limited window for these severe thunderstorms, and they quickly began to die off with the early onset of evening. Severe weather had largely ended by 5:30 p.m. CST Sunday evening.

Tornadoes were confirmed in Franklin County near Upland, Webster County near Red Cloud, and Nuckolls County near Lawrence. There were also a few nickel-quarter size hail reports in St. Paul, Red Cloud and near Lexington.

This event on November 27th marked the second-latest day of the calendar year that tornadoes occurred in the state of Nebraska, with the latest occurring on December 13, 1975, when tornadoes touched down in Thayer and Pawnee Counties. This was the 4th time since 2000 that a tornado occurred in the month of November in Nebraska.

Below is more information about the confirmed tornadoes that struck the area. Additional information may be added as it becomes available.

NWS Hastings radar loop from 2:10-7:00 p.m. CST on November 27th. The NWS Hastings coverage area is outlined in orange and labled "GID". Interstates are in red.

Interactive Damage Map
Southwest of Upland
East Of Red Cloud
East of Lawrence

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Tornado #1 - Southwest of Upland, NE
Franklin County

Date	November 27, 2016
Time (Local)	4:02 - 4:03 p.m. CST
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	70 MPH
Path Length	0.3 mi
Max Width	20 yds
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: This tornado touched down 2.6 mi southwest of Upland, NE and lifted 2.3 mi southwest of Upland. A combination of reports and a search for damage were used to determine this short path.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph


Photos of the tornado near Upland, NE. Courtesy of Nathan Moore.

Tornado #2 - East of Red Cloud
Webster County

Date	November 27, 2016
Time (Local)	4:32 - 4:39 p.m. CST
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	95 MPH
Path Length	3.92 mi
Max Width	60 yds
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: An EF-1 rated tornado uprooted trees, destroyed an outbuilding, upset 2 irrigation pivots and caused other minor damage along its path.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph


Photos of damage along the path of the tornado. Taken by NWS Hastings Damage Survey Team.


Tornado east of Red Cloud. Photo courtesy of the Red Cloud/Guide Rock Fire Department.	Tornado east of Red Cloud. Photo courtesy of Basehunters Chasing.	Hail in Red Cloud. Photo courtesy of Katie Ord.

Tornado #3 - East of Lawrence
Nuckolls County

Date	November 27, 2016
Time (Local)	5:00 - 5:05 p.m. CST
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	75 MPH
Path Length	3.76 mi
Max Width	50 yds
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: A brief EF-0 tornado caused very minor damage on its short path through rural areas.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph


Feeder thrown into a field. Photo from NWS Damage Survey Team.	Video capture of the tornado near Lawrence. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Wesely.	Tornado east of Lawrence. Photo courtesy of Judson Buescher.


Tornado east of Lawrence. Photo courtesy of Geoff Jamieson.	Tornado east of Lawrence. Photo courtesy of Nick Kliewer.	Tornado east of Lawrence. Photo courtesy of Lauren Jasch.

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Wind and Rain in the Northeast; Atmospheric River to Impact the West

Nov. 27th, 2016: For The 2nd Year In A Row, Rare November Tornadoes Affect South Central Nebraska