October 9, 2001: Tornado Outbreak in South Central Nebraska

The NWS in Hastings, NE conducted a damage survey of tornadoes which occurred Tuesday, October 9th, hitting parts of Hamilton, Merrick, Nance and Polk Counties in south central Nebraska. Two teams of meteorologists, along with emergency management personnel, surveyed the area.

One survey team covered northern Hamilton, Polk and extreme eastern Merrick Counties. A series of at least 4 tornadoes occurred along a 35 mlie path starting 7 SW of Marquette in northern Hamilton County, crossing the northwest half of Polk County and into the extreme eastern part of Merrick County near Silver Creek. With the exception of parts of western Polk County, damage along this path was rated a F1 on the Fujita Scale, with winds of 73-112 MPH.

Initial reports of tornadoes southwest of Marquette eventually lead to the most significant tornado of the day. This multiple vortex, F3 tornado had winds of 158-206 MPH. One home located 3 N of Polk was blown completely from its foundation as the tornado passed. The tornado itself was likely 400 yards wide, although less severe damage was surveyed up to 1 mile away from the tornado itself. Damage in the Silver Creek area was caused by a tornado which developed in northern Polk County and crossed the river into town.

At least 20-30 farmsteads sustained some damage along the path of this family of tornadoes, with a common theme of machine sheds, grain bins and outbuildings being destroyed. Windows were broken and siding was torn from many homes. Property damage losses will be in the millions of dollars. Thousands of acres of unharvested crops were also lost. Not serious injuries were reported.

A second survey team covered the rest of Merrick County and the western half of Nance County. A total of 5 tornadoes were noted. One tornado began southeast of Chapman on the south side of the river, crossed into Merrick County and dissipated east of Champan. This F1 tornado caused broken windows, destroyed 2 outbuildings and knocked down power lines.

Survey results indicated the most damaging tornado in this area moved from 8 N of Central City, to 2 SW of Fullerton near the Loup River. One farmstead in northern Merrick County sustained approximately 250,000 dollars in damage. Damage was consistent with a F2 tornado, with winds of 113-157 MPH. At its widest point, the path was up to 300 yards wide. Two miles to the north, near the Nance/Merrick County line, grain bins, a barn and garage were destroyed. Other tornadoes were reported in the county, with one in the far northwest part of the county on the ground for about 4 miles. Again, no serious injuries were reported.

Click on the following images to enlarge.

The following are PRELIMINARY severe weather reports from October 9th.

TIME(CDT) CITY LOCATION STATE EVENT/REMARKS COUNTY LOCATION

0440 PM    2 S ELBA                  NE    1.75 INCH HAIL     10/09/01   HOWARD

0442 PM    NORTH BRANCH              KS    1 INCH HAIL        10/09/01   JEWELL

0455 PM    CENTRAL CITY              NE    .88 INCH HAIL      10/09/01   MERRICK

0456 PM    2 E NATOMA                KS    1.75 INCH HAIL     10/09/01   OSBORNE

0510 PM    CHAPMAN                   NE    TORNADO            10/09/01   MERRICK       BLDGS/ PIVOTS DESTROYED

0515 PM    2 NE WOLBACH              NE    TORNADO            10/09/01   GREELEY       BRIEF TOUCHDOWN

0520 PM    10 N CENTRAL CITY         NE    TORNADO            10/09/01   MERRICK       2 HOUSES DESTROYED

0524 PM    13 SW OSBORNE             KS    .75 INCH HAIL      10/09/01   OSBORNE

0532 PM    1 SW MARQUETTE            NE    TORNADO            10/09/01   HAMILTON      MULTIPLE FUNNELS

0545 PM    EDGAR                     NE    .88 INCH HAIL      10/09/01   CLAY

0553 PM    2 E POLK                  NE    TORNADO            10/09/01   POLK          REPORTED BY SHERIFFS OFFICE

0555 PM    BURR OAK                  KS    1 INCH HAIL        10/09/01   JEWELL        REPORTED BY COOP OBSERVER

0600 PM    POLK                      NE    .75 INCH HAIL      10/09/01   POLK

0610 PM    2 W FULLERTON             NE    1 INCH HAIL        10/09/01   NANCE

0615 PM    DOWNS                     KS    1 INCH HAIL        10/09/01   OSBORNE

0630 PM    SILVER CREEK              NE    TORNADO            10/09/01   MERRICK       CARS/ HOUSES DAMAGED

0802 PM    MINDEN                    NE    .75 INCH HAIL      10/09/01   KEARNEY

0843 PM    4N WEBSTER                KS    1.00 INCH HAIL     10/09/01   ROOKS

0852 PM    1W FRANKLIN               NE    1.00 INCH HAIL     10/09/01   FRANKLIN

0900 PM    13 W STOCKTON             KS    0.75 INCH HAIL     10/09/01   ROOKS

0905 PM    2 S PROSSER               NE    1 INCH HAIL        10/09/01   ADAMS

0935 PM    7 N HASTINGS              NE    .75 INCH HAIL      10/09/01   ADAMS

0935 PM    FRANKLIN                  NE    0.75 INCH HAIL     10/09/01   FRANKLIN