Rare Southern U.S. Winter Storm; Dangerous Cold Weather For Much of the Eastern U.S.; Critical Fire Weather for Southern California

A rare winter storm impacting the Southern U.S. will move offshore Wednesday morning. Behind the storm, arctic air will continue encompassing the eastern two-thirds of the Nation with only a slow return to normal temperatures expected by the end of the week. Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity will maintain Critical fire weather conditions in southern California into Thursday. Read More >

Overview

Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening of April 30, 2024. These storms produced 1-2 inch diameter hail, significant damaging wind gusts exceeding 80MPH, and 4 tornadoes. The strongest tornado impacted the town of Westmoreland, producing EF-3 damage.

The Westmoreland EF-3 tornado shortly after it developed.

Tornado
Photos & Video
Radar
Environment

Tornadoes:

Westmoreland Tornado
Pottawatomie County

Date	4/30/2024
Time (CDT)	4:40-4:48 PM
EF Rating	EF-3
Est. Peak Winds	142 MPH
Path Length	2.6 miles
Max Width	100 Yards
Injuries/Deaths	3 injuries, 1 fatality
Summary: A strong tornado quickly developed approximately 1.5 miles southwest of Westmoreland and traveled through the city producing significant damage to homes along a 50-100 yard wide path. The tornado appeared to lift as it crossed highway 99 with little in the way of additional damage seen east of the highway. 1 fatality occurred in a mobile home.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Centralia Tornado
Nemaha County

Date	4/30/2024
Time (CDT)	5:02-5:16 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	110 mph
Path Length	3.6 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The tornado developed in largely rural areas of Nemaha County and moved east. Over a several mile path, it mainly caused damage to trees and power poles, with one house also receiving damage to its roof.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

North Topeka Tornado
Shawnee County

Date	4/30/2024
Time (CDT)	6:34 PM
EF Rating	EF-Unknown
Est. Peak Winds	N/A
Path Length	N/A
Max Width	N/A
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Multiple videos show a tornado north of Topeka at 4:34 PM. Damage surveys could not find an area of concentrated tornado damage within a broader area of straight line rear-flank downdraft winds. As a result, the tornado will be rated EF-Unknown.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Williamstown Tornado
Jefferson County

Date	4/30/24
Time (CDT)	6:57 PM
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	107 mph
Path Length	1.9 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The tornado first developed east of Perry and Lecompton, damaging a small farm before moving into the Williamstown community. There were numerous trees snapped and uprooted with two homes damaged in Williamstown. Eyewitness reports had the tornado lifting just after hitting Williamstown.

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 & Video

Westmoreland Tornado


Image courtesy of Hunter Hurley	Tornado shortly after it developed, viewed from around 7 miles to the southeast.	Stages of the Westmoreland tornado, from funnel to rope out. Each image roughly two minutes apart.

Westmoreland Damage Survey


EF-2 damage a mile west of Westmoreland.	EF-2 damage to a home on the west side of Westmoreland.	EF-3 damage to a home in Westmoreland.	Remains of a mobile home in Westmoreland, rated EF-2.

Vermillion/Centralia Tornado


Image courtesy of Connor Healey	Image courtesy of Connor Healey.

Radar

Westmoreland Tornado


Radar at 4:40 PM as the tornado developed just west of Westmoreland.	Radar at 4:50 PM as the tornado weakened on the east side of Westmoreland.

Nemaha County Tornado


Radar at 5:03 PM near the beginning of the tornado.	Radar at 5:11 towards the end of the tornado.

North Topeka and Williamstown Tornadoes


Radar at 6:34 PM as the tornado briefly formed north of Topeka.	Radar at 6:59 PM as the Williamstown tornado was ongoing.

Environment

Storm Prediction Center Day 1 2000z Outlook


Categorical Outlook	Tornado Outlook	Hail Outlook	Wind Outlook

Near-storm environment summary.


18z Sounding from TOP	Surface based CAPE at 4PM	Effective Shear at 4PM

Additional environmental data.


500 mb pattern at 4 PM.	Mean Sea Level Pressure at 4 PM.

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Rare Southern U.S. Winter Storm; Dangerous Cold Weather For Much of the Eastern U.S.; Critical Fire Weather for Southern California

April 30, 2024 Tornadoes