North Platte, NE

Weather Forecast Office

May 17, 2019, Tornadoes and Severe Weather - Updated

Overview

A strong storm system crossed the Great Plains on Friday while a cold front was draped across the Sandhills, setting the stage for severe thunderstorms. One particular supercell thunderstorm moved from near McCook to near Oconto during the early evening hours. The storm was responsible for numerous tornadoes, including seven in Frontier County and one in southern Custer County. Other thunderstorms produced hail up to golf ball size and wind gusts exceeding 50 mph across southwest Nebraska and the Sandhills. The storms also produced multiple rounds of heavy rain, resulting in spots receiving over two inches of rain by the night's end.

EF-3 damage northeast of Stockville. Trees were debarked and an outbuilding was totally destroyed.

Photo from NWS storm survey

Tornadoes
Photos
Radar
Storm Reports & Survey Summary

Tornadoes:

Tornado #1

6 miles southwest of Stockville
Frontier County

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	632 pm CDT
EF Rating	0
Est. Peak Winds	70 mph
Path Length	0.1 miles
Max Width	20 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Brief touchdown with no damage reported.

Track Map

Tornado #2

Northwest edge of Stockville
Frontier County

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	645 pm CDT
EF Rating	0
Est. Peak Winds	70 mph
Path Length	0.1 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Brief touchdown.

Track Map

Tornado #3

3 miles northeast of Stockville
Frontier County

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	655 pm CDT
EF Rating	0
Est. Peak Winds	70 mph
Path Length	0.5 miles
Max Width	315 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Several 1400 lb. hay bales were moved, damaging two fence lines and posts.

Track Map

Tornado #4

5 miles northeast of Stockville
Frontier County

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	658 pm CDT
EF Rating	2
Est. Peak Winds	118 mph
Path Length	0.56 miles
Max Width	178 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Numerous hay bales were rolled across the road and into ditches. Twelve power poles were snapped.

Track Map

Tornado #5

8 miles northeast of Stockville
Frontier County

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	705 pm CDT
EF Rating	3
Est. Peak Winds	158 mph
Path Length	2.12 miles
Max Width	400 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The tornado touched down 8 miles northeast of Stockville and produced damage consistent with an EF-2 winds. The tornado continued northeast where it produced extensive damage at a farm consistent with an EF-3 winds. Two buildings were destroyed and multiple structures were damaged.

Track Map

Tornado #6

14 miles northeast of Stockville
Frontier County

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	712 pm CDT
EF Rating	0
Est. Peak Winds	73 mph
Path Length	0.25 miles
Max Width	40 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A brief tornado touched down and twisted a cedar tree trunk and broke large limbs.

Track Map

Tornado #7

9 miles west of Eustis
Frontier County (and into Dawson Co.)

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	715 pm CDT
EF Rating	0 (Frontier Co. portion)
Est. Peak Winds	70 mph
Path Length	0.2 miles (Frontier Co.)
Max Width	360 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The tornado began in far north Frontier County, and downed large tree limbs. The tornado then moved into Dawson County (see NWS Hastings for further details).

Track Map

Tornado #8

7 miles southeast of Oconto
Custer County

Date	May 17, 2019
Time (Local)	830 pm CDT
EF Rating	1
Est. Peak Winds	107 mph
Path Length	0.1 miles
Max Width	92 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The tornado touched down in a field and moved north, damaging a pole barn, snapping a tree trunk, and producing minor damage to a porch. A horse trailer was rolled over two wooden fences and a metal fence prior to landing in a horse corral.

Track Map

For information of the McCook area tornadoes, see NWS Goodland, KS webpage: https://www.weather.gov/gld/may17tornadoes

For information of the Dawson County tornadoes, see NWS Hastings webpage: https://www.weather.gov/gid/may172019

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


Tornado #3 - EF-0 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #4 - EF-2 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-0 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-1 damage (NWS storm survey)


Tornado #5 - EF-2 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-1 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-0 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-1 damage (NWS storm survey)


Tornado #5 - EF-2 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-2 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-2 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #5 - EF-2 damage (NWS storm survey)


Tornado #5 - EF-2 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #6 - EF-0 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #8 - EF-1 damage (NWS storm survey)	Tornado #8 - EF-1 damage (NWS storm survey)


Tornado southwest of Stockville (photo credit: Jon Bothe)	Tornado near Stockville (photo credit: Aaron Edwards)	Tornado near Stockville (photo credit: Shawn Erickson)


Tornado near Stockville (photo credit: Joshua Janulewicz)	Tornado near Farnam (photo credit: Jacob Terrell)	Tornado near Farnam (photo credit: Michael Charnick)	Tornado near Farnam (photo credit: Eric Mortimore)


Tornado near Farnam (photo credit: Mike Umscheid)	Hail in Thedford (photo credit: Dawn Bryant)	Hail in Mullen (photo credit: Adrienne Deibler)

For pictures of the McCook area tornadoes, see NWS Goodland, KS webpage: https://www.weather.gov/gld/may17tornadoes

For pictures of the Dawson County tornadoes, see NWS Hastings webpage: https://www.weather.gov/gid/may172019

Radar

Radar loop courtesy of Iowa Environmental Mesonet

red boxes = Tornado Warnings, yellow boxes = Severe Thunderstorm Warnings

orange outlines = NWS boundaries (LBF: North Platte, GID: Hastings, GLD: Goodland KS, BOU: Boulder CO, CYS: Cheyenne WY)

Storm Reports & Survey Summary

Tornado storm survey preliminary summary: https://nwschat.weather.gov/p.php?pid=201905200141-KLBF-NOUS43-PNSLBF

Storm reports:

Regional map: https://nwschat.weather.gov/lsr/#LBF,GID,GLD,BOU,CYS/201905172100/201905180600/0100

Local list:

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

0410 PM     HAIL             4 E THEDFORD            41.98N 100.50W
05/17/2019  E1.75 INCH       THOMAS             NE   PUBLIC          

            MOSTLY QUARTER SIZE WITH A HANDFUL OF GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL


0415 PM     HAIL             THEDFORD                41.98N 100.57W
05/17/2019  M1.00 INCH       THOMAS             NE   PUBLIC          

0435 PM     HAIL             2 N BRANDON             40.83N 101.93W
05/17/2019  E1.50 INCH       PERKINS            NE   PUBLIC          

0450 PM     HAIL             4 NE CHAPPELL           41.13N 102.41W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       DEUEL              NE   PUBLIC          

0521 PM     HAIL             15 N ALMERIA            42.05N 99.54W 
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       LOUP               NE   PUBLIC          

0540 PM     HAIL             8 WNW LEMOYNE           41.33N 101.94W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       KEITH              NE   TRAINED SPOTTER 

0540 PM     HAIL             8 WNW LEMOYNE           41.33N 101.94W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       KEITH              NE   PUBLIC          

0540 PM     HAIL             7 WNW LEMOYNE           41.32N 101.93W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       KEITH              NE   PUBLIC          

            PEA TO QUARTER

0556 PM     HAIL             5 NE JOHNSTOWN          42.62N 99.99W 
05/17/2019  E1.75 INCH       BROWN              NE   PUBLIC          

0630 PM     HAIL             13 NW HAYES CENTER      40.64N 101.20W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       HAYES              NE   PUBLIC          

0643 PM     HAIL             NNW STOCKVILLE          40.54N 100.39W
05/17/2019  E2.75 INCH       FRONTIER           NE   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            REPORT VIA MPING. TIME BASED ON RADAR.

0658 PM     TORNADO          5 NE STOCKVILLE         40.58N 100.32W
05/17/2019                   FRONTIER           NE   STORM CHASER    

            BRIEF ROPE TORNADO ONE THE GROUND FOR A SHORT TIME 

0700 PM     HAIL             16 SSW MULLEN           41.83N 101.16W
05/17/2019  M1.00 INCH       HOOKER             NE   PUBLIC          

            TIME ESTIMATED. DELAYED REPORT

0709 PM     TORNADO          10 NE STOCKVILLE        40.64N 100.25W
05/17/2019                   FRONTIER           NE   STORM CHASER    

            TORNADO ON THE GROUND VIA LIVE STREAM 

0712 PM     HAIL             11 SW MULLEN            41.93N 101.19W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       HOOKER             NE   PUBLIC          

            NICKEL TO QUARTER

0714 PM     HAIL             1 NE MOOREFIELD         40.70N 100.39W
05/17/2019  M2.50 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   PUBLIC          

            DELAYED REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA PICTURE

0714 PM     HAIL             10 SW MULLEN            41.94N 101.18W
05/17/2019  E1.75 INCH       HOOKER             NE   PUBLIC          

            PEA TO GOLF BALL

0723 PM     HAIL             3 S MULLEN              42.00N 101.04W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       HOOKER             NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT 

0727 PM     TSTM WND GST     8 W LEMOYNE             41.30N 101.95W
05/17/2019  M58.00 MPH       KEITH              NE   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            WEST NORTHWEST DIRECTION

0730 PM     HAIL             MULLEN                  42.04N 101.04W
05/17/2019  E1.75 INCH       HOOKER             NE   PUBLIC          

0740 PM     HAIL             8 ENE MOOREFIELD        40.73N 100.26W
05/17/2019  M2.50 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   STORM CHASER    

            LOCATION OF THE REPORT WAS LATITUDE 40.700 AND LONGITUDE 
            -100.261 OR ABOUT 8 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF MOOREFIELD. 

0740 PM     HAIL             8 ENE MOOREFIELD        40.73N 100.26W
05/17/2019  M2.50 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   STORM CHASER    

            STORM CHASER REPORTS TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL AT LATITUDE 
            40.700 AND LONGITUDE -100.261 OR APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES 
            EAST NORTHEAST OF MOOREFIELD. 

0740 PM     HAIL             8 ENE MOOREFIELD        40.73N 100.26W
05/17/2019  M2.50 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   STORM CHASER    

0743 PM     HAIL             2 SE JOHNSTOWN          42.55N 100.03W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       BROWN              NE   PUBLIC          

0753 PM     HAIL             9 N SENECA              42.17N 100.83W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       CHERRY             NE   PUBLIC          

0817 PM     HAIL             NE HERSHEY              41.16N 101.00W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   PUBLIC          

            REPORT VIA MPING.

0830 PM     TORNADO          3 S OCONTO              41.10N 99.76W 
05/17/2019                   CUSTER             NE   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            STORM SPOTTER OBSERVED. REPORT RELAYED BY EMERGENCY 
            MANAGER

0845 PM     HAIL             OCONTO                  41.14N 99.76W 
05/17/2019  E2.00 INCH       CUSTER             NE   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            REPORT VIA SPOTTER NETWORK. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

0902 PM     HAIL             5 W STAPLETON           41.48N 100.61W
05/17/2019  E1.25 INCH       LOGAN              NE   CO-OP OBSERVER  

            REPORT FROM OBSERVER. HAIL ENDED AT 0902 CDT.

0907 PM     HAIL             9 SSW BERWYN            41.23N 99.58W 
05/17/2019  E1.25 INCH       CUSTER             NE   PUBLIC          

            TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

0930 PM     HAIL             BRADY                   41.02N 100.37W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   CO-OP OBSERVER  

0935 PM     HAIL             11 N ARNOLD             41.58N 100.19W
05/17/2019  E1.00 INCH       CUSTER             NE   PUBLIC          

            HAIL OF WIDE RANGE OF SIZES WITH A 1 INCH STONES. TIME 
            ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

0949 PM     HAIL             4 ESE BRADY             41.00N 100.30W
05/17/2019  M1.00 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   TRAINED SPOTTER

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Heat Builds in the West; Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain in the Upper Midwest and Mid-Mississippi Valley; Extremely Critical Fire Weather in the Northwest on Saturday

May 17, 2019, Tornadoes and Severe Weather - Updated