Little Sioux Tornado

Powerful Pacific System Impacting the West; First Significant Snow for Portions of the East

Power Pacific system will continue to bring significant impacts for Pacific Northwest into northern California the remainder of the week. Dangerous coastal affects, heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, and higher elevation mountain snow continues. Meanwhile, a storm across the east is set to bring the first accumulating snow to many higher elevations of the Catskills into the central Appalachians. Read More >

Little Sioux Scout Camp EF3 Tornado... June 11, 2008

EF3 TORNADO IN BURT...HARRISON AND MONONA COUNTIES
LOCATION...FROM 4.5 MILES WEST OF LITTLE SIOUX IOWA TO 2 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF MOORHEAD IOWA
ESTIMATED TIME...625 PM CDT TO 645 PM CDT
EF-SCALE RATING...EF3
PATH WIDTH...0.25 MILE
PATH LENGTH...AROUND 14 MILES

THE TORNADO STARTED 4.5 MILES WEST OF LITTLE SIOUX IOWA IN BURT
COUNTY WHERE CENTER PIVOT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS WERE TIPPED OVER AND
TREES SUSTAINED DAMAGE. THE STORM TRACKED NORTHEAST ACROSS THE
MISSOURI RIVER AND INTERSTATE 29 NEAR MILE MARKER 97. THIS IS WHERE
A SEMI-TRUCK FLIPPED ON ITS SIDE. HEADING NORTHEAST...THE TWISTER
SNAPPED POWER POLES AND THEN ENTERED THE LITTLE SIOUX SCOUT RANCH.
THE TORNADO DESTROYED THE RANGERS HOME NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE PARK
AND WAS RATED A SOLID EF-3. THE STORM THEN BLEW DOWN TREES AND
STRUCK THE BUNK HOUSE WHERE THE FOUR FATALITIES OCCURRED. THE STORM
CONTINUED NORTHEAST INTO PREPARATION CANYON STATE PARK AND CONTINUED
TO TOPPLE TREES. PRIOR TO ENTERING THE PARK...A FARMSTEAD SUSTAINED
DAMAGE. THE TORNADO THEN HIT ANOTHER FARMSTEAD APPROXIMATELY 2.5
MILES SOUTHWEST OF MOORHEAD. TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN AND SHEDS WERE
DAMAGED ON THE FARMSTEAD. THE TORNADO THEN BEGAN TO WEAKEN AND
LIFTED 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MOORHEAD.

THE TORNADO RESULTED IN 48 CONFIRMED INJURIES AND 4 FATALITIES.

ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE
EF0...65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...201+ MPH

Click on photo to enlarge.


Aerial View	Aerial View #2	Tornado Path
Tornado Path #2	BunkHouse #1	BunkHouse #2

Ranger's Home	Ranger's Home #2	Damaged SUV
North Shelter Before	North Shelter After	Storm Cell

Visable Satellite	Trees Down	Big Tree
Reflectivity Loop	Storm Relative Motion	OverView