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Tornado outbreak of May 4–6, 2007

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Template:Ongoing weather

May 2007 Tornado Outbreak
Radar shot of the supercell which produced the tornado that struck Greensburg, Kansas, at around 12:30 am Central Time as it entered southern Barton County.
(Courtesy of the Wichita, KS NWS office)
DurationOngoing
Tornadoes
confirmed		16 confirmed, 139 reported
Max. rating1EF5 tornado
FatalitiesAt least 10
DamageUnknown
Areas affectedKansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

The May 2007 Tornado Outbreak is an extended tornado outbreak that started on May 3, 2007, affecting portions of the Central United States. The most destructive tornado in the outbreak thusfar occurred on the evening of May 4, 2007 in central Kansas. About 95% of the town of Greensburg, Kansas in Kiowa County was destroyed by this EF5 tornado.[1] [2]The tornado killed at least 9 people including 8 in Greensburg and one in Stafford County.[3][4] At least 60 people were injured in Greensburg alone. It is possibly the strongest tornado of an outbreak which including several other tornadoes reported across Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and South Dakota that occurred on the same night.[5] 30 tornadoes were reported that night including duplicate reports. Seven tornadoes were reported in Colorado on May 3 from the larger cyclone.

The outbreak is still underway; a total of 91 tornadoes occurred on May 5 in the same area. Most were in open country but 1 fatality was reported in Ottawa County, Kansas near a county lake. More tornadoes are possible on May 6 in areas to the east.

Meteorological synopsis

The Storm Prediction Center had issued a moderate risk across portions of Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska on May 4, while temperatures were in the mid to high 80s°F (near 30°C). A powerful low pressure system developed across the southern Rockies and a warm front provided additional moisture coming from the Gulf of Mexico and increased amounts of instability across much of the region. In addition a dry line, which marks a divided line between the dry and humid air mass, was positioned near the areas affected by the outbreak. All the ingredients were present for the developing of supercell thunderstorms producing damaging wind, large hail and tornadoes.

 
A satellite perspective of the tornadic thunderstorms as they were developing on May 5th.

On May 5, the SPC issued a high risk for Central Kansas and central Nebraska where additional destructive tornadoes are possible. In addition to the tornadoes, torrential rains, flash floods, hail as large as softballs and straight-line winds as strong as 90 mph (145 km/h) have been reported.[6]

While severe thunderstorms and tornadoes were possible for the US Plains, in southern Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan, heavy rainfalls of 2-3 inches (50-75 mm) was expected from this system on May 5 and May 6.[7] Similar amounts were reported in Alberta on May 3 and May 4.[8] Snow was also reported across higher elevations in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and Utah with local amounts of up to one foot (30 cm) across central Colorado.[9]

The SPC has issued a Moderate Risk for severe storms on for May 6 over parts of Central Kansas and Northwestern Oklahoma.

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating
EFU EF0 EF1 EF2 EF3 EF4 EF5 Total
0 1 9 4 1 0 1 16

Tornadoes reported

May 3 event

EF# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Damage
Colorado
EF? Pierce Weld 2329
EF? ENE of Ault Weld 2358
EF? Cornish Weld 0016
EF? Kersey Weld 0021
EF? W of New Raymer Weld 0150
EF? E of Weldona Morgan 0220
Sources:

Storm reports of May 3, 2007

May 4 event

EF# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Damage
Colorado
EF? W of Last Chance Arapahoe 0100
Kansas
EF? Sitka area Clark 0135 Reported by storm chaser
EF? N of Protection Comanche 0200 Rope tornado reported by storm chaser
EF? NW of Coldwater Comanche 0208 Debris cloud on the ground
EF? S of Mullinville Kiowa 0218
EF5 Greensburg area Kiowa, Pratt, Stafford 0238 22 miles
(35 km) 		10 deaths - See section on this tornado
EF? Hopewell area Pratt 0333 1 death - two houses were completely destroyed (including one with the fatality) with one completely removed from its foundation.
EF? S of Phillipsburg Phillips 0404 Public Report
EF? Macksville Stafford 0420 Tornado reported hitting town by local media.
EF1 Phillipsburg Phillips 0420 0.25 mile
(400 m) 		Tornado touchdown inside the city limits. A roof was thrown off and a trailer rolled.
EF? NE of Phillipsburg Phillips 0442
EF? N of Hudson Stafford 0530
EF1 SE of Claflin Barton, Rice 0600 unknown Damage reported to several structures including a church steeple.
EF? Great Bend Barton 0600 A house lost its roof. Trees and power lines down
EF1 SW of Claflin Barton 0633 unknown Moderate to heavy damage, including grain bins thrown and trees knocked down. Several houses damaged, including roofs thrown off.
EF? N of Holyrood Ellsworth 0708 trees and power lines down
Oklahoma
EF? SW of Arnett Ellis 2321 Tornado was caught by media cameras. One storm chaser filmed the tornado as it was only 50 to 100 years away from the cyclone as it was moving through open fields destroying small trees.
EF? E of Arnett Ellis 2345 Two buildings and a house were damaged
South Dakota
EF? W of Emery Hanson 0055 One house, one garage and one barn were damaged and power poles were down.
EF? E of Farmer Hanson 0121
Sources:

Storm reports of May 4, 2007, NWS Wichita, NWS Hastings

May 5 event

EF# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Damage
Colorado
EF? E of Sterling Logan 1757 Reported by Local Sheriff
Kansas
EF? S of Byers Pratt 2148 Brief tornado, debris cloud spotted
EF? W of Neola Stafford 2222 Possible tornado damage - tree damage and sprinkler flipped.
EF? SSW of Stafford Stafford 2230 Wall cloud and multiple vortices
EF? SE of Hudson Stafford 2250
EF? Osborne Osborne 2252 11 injuries according to National Weather Service and KAKE-TV in Wichita. Reported in Northern Osborne. The roof of a restaurant was blown off. [10]
EF? E of Portis Osborne 2305
EF? S of Raymond Rice 2309 Brief Touchdown
EF? N of Belpre Edwards 2312 Wrapped in Rain
EF? SE of Chase Rice 2317
EF? Raymond Rice 2322 Two brief touchdowns reported
EF? W of Coldwater Comanche 2335
EF? Great Bend area Barton 2345 Large and dangerous tornado on the ground headed for town. Tornado emergency declared.
EF? Haviland area Kiowa 0015 Tornado reported by KSNW coverage approaching town hosting Greensburg evacuees along U.S. Route 54. Briefly touched down.
EF? N of Claflin Barton 0032
EF? Hopewell area Pratt 0039 Town hit again by tornado for second straight night. Damage unclear.
EF? E of Susank Barton 0041 Rain-wrapped tornado
EF? S of Wilson Ellsworth 0056 Rain-wrapped tornado on the ground.
EF? Macksville area Stafford 0101 KSNK reported tornado hit Macksville.
EF1 Odin Barton 0117 unknown Tornado reported in town with damage to at least one house.
EF? W of Wilson Russell 0110 Rain-wrapped tornado crossing Interstate 70.
EF? N of Dillwyn Stafford 0115 Large multiple-vortex wedge tornado reported.
EF? NW of St. John Stafford 0133 Storm chasers reported two wedge tornadoes. One tornado was still reported on the ground near Seward at 0149.
EF? W of Greensburg Kiowa 0137 Tornado on the ground approaching the devastated town.
EF? Trousdale Edwards 0204 Tornado reported over the center of the village.
EF? Ellinwood area Barton 0205 Several tornadoes reported in the area. One just missed the town.
EF1 SE of Great Bend Barton 0222 unknown A roof was blown off a house and an outbuilding was heavily damaged.
EF0 NW of Bushton Rice, Ellsworth 0249 unknown Minor damage to some outbuildings.
EF? ENE of Seward Stafford 0251
EF? SE of St. George Riley 0334 Tornado reported north of Interstate 70 at exit 323.
EF1 Westfall area Ellsworth, Lincoln 0343 Large tornado reported on the ground near Westfall on Interstate 70. Damage to a barn and shed.
EF? S of Bennington Ottawa 0430
EF2 E of Minneapolis Ottawa 0440 5 miles
(8 km) 		1 death - In addition, five other people were injured near Ottawa State Fishing Lake. One camper was killed near a county lake and about 25 structures were destroyed.[11]
Nebraska
EF? S of Arnold Custer 1723 Long-track tornado approached Arnold. Power lines down.
EF? E of Dunning Blaine 1853 Tornado led to a traffic accident on Highway 2. Unclear if any injuries or fatalities.
EF? S of Ainsworth Brown 2022 Tornado reported by spotters.
EF? Springview Keya Paha 2048 Several buildings damaged or destroyed including a bed and breakfast home. One person was injured. [12]
EF? ESE of Nobrara Knox 2048
EF? Santee Knox 2104
EF? N of Bloomfield Knox 2224
EF? S of Crofton Knox 2228
EF? N of Crofton Knox 2250 Two tornadoes on the ground. Several motorhomes overturned with unknown injuries reported.
EF? SW of Petersburg Boone 0315 Trees were knocked down
South Dakota
EF2 NW of Tyndall Bon Homme 2143 6 miles
(9.6 km) 		Heavy damage reported to numerous houses, barns and outbuildings. Many trees knocked over.
EF? Dimock Hutchinson 2210 confirmed by local police
EF? SE of Mitchell Davison 2220
EF? NW of Alexandria Hanson 2241 Windows reported blown out of houses and barns reported destroyed.
EF1 W of Yankton (1st tornado) Yankton 2250 4 miles
(6.4 km) 		Tornado formed near Gavins Point Dam. Several houses were damaged. Considerable tree damage and a campground was impacted at the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area where one person was injured.
EF1 E of Mitchell Hanson 2250 3 miles
(4.8 km) 		Widespread tree damage and one house lost its roof. Tornado also crossed Interstate 90 at mile 335.
EF1 W of Yankton (2nd tornado) Yankton 2255 unknown Tornado related to first Yankton tornado that took place in the same storm.
EF3 E of Plankinton Aurora 2305 5 miles
(8 km) 		Severe damage reported to a hunting lodge and reserve, where buildings were destroyed and car trailers rolled. Also many pheasants died. Tornado also reported on Interstate 90 near mile 312.
EF? S of Gregory Gregory 2330
EF? W of Platte Charles Mix 2335 Multiple funnels in addition to the tornado
EF2 Spencer area McCook 0023 6 miles
(9.6 km) 		Large wedge tornado on the ground in area devastated in 1998. Most of the damage was to a junk yard.
EF? NW of Canova Miner 0039
EF? E of Carthage Miner 0056
Iowa
EF? S of Glenwood Fremont 0009 Tornado reported on the ground near the sewer plant.
EF? N of Farragut Fremont 0050
EF? Imogene Fremont 0059
EF? E of Henderson Montgomery 0144 Tree damage reported.
EF? SE of Macedonia Montgomery 0150 A roof was torn off a building.
EF? E of Carson Pottawattamie 0152
EF2 Griswold area Montgomery, Cass 0740 7 miles
(11 km) 		Tornado formed on the county boundary and was up 1/2 mile (800 m) wide at its widest point. Two commercial buildings were destroyed and several grain bins were flattened. Numerous houses were damaged, mainly roofs torn off.
Oklahoma
EF? Texola Beckham 0023 Tornado crossed Interstate 40
EF? Sweetwater to Dempsey Beckham, Roger Mills 0147 Large tornado severely damaged several buildings in Sweetwater, including the high school and church. Eight homes were destroyed. According to KOCO-TV, one person was injured in the storm. [13]
EF? SE of Arnett Ellis 0158 Tornado reported by emergency management.
EF? SSW of Harmon Ellis 0255 Two houses were destroyed.
EF? Vici area Dewey 0357 Large tornado reported by emergency management and spotted by several storm chasers including Val Castor about 2 miles north of Vici crossing Hwy 34.
EF? 6 S of Sharon Woodward 0405 A house was destroyed 6 miles south of Sharon.
Sources:

Storm reports of May 5, 2007, NWS Topeka, NWS Des Moines, NWS Sioux Falls

May 6 event

EF# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Damage
Kansas
EF? SE of Attica Harper 1520 Rope tornado reported on the ground.
EF? SSW of Medicine Lodge Barber 2127 Large torando initially rain wrapped.
EF? W of Medicine Lodge Barber 2140 Rope tornado.
EF? W of Hutchinson Reno 2300 Brief touchdown
Texas
EF? E of Robert Lee Coke 2210 Possible tornado.
EF? W of Mertzon Irion 2342 Rope tornado spotted
Sources:

Storm reports of May 6, 2007

The Greensburg tornado

File:Keyframe04.jpg
The Greensburg tornado as it entered the southern portion of Barton County.
 
Wikinews has related news:

The storm that would affect Greensburg (located approximately 2 hours west of Wichita) began forming after 5:00 PM CDT in the northeastern corner of the Texas Panhandle and moved in a northeasterly direction. It remained relatively small and did not become tornadic until it crossed into Oklahoma and then Kansas shortly there after. The first tornado warning with this cell was issued at 8:35 p.m. CDT for Clark County, Kansas. Several storm chasers captured the formation of a tornado southwest of Greensburg around 9:30 PM CDT. The tornado apparently strengthened as it neared Greensburg, and at 9:38 PM CDT, storm chasers reported that it had grown to over 1/2 mile (0.8 km) in diameter.[14] Several satellite tornadoes were observed as the monstrous wedge approached the town of Greensburg. The tornado plowed through the city shortly after it was intercepted by storm chasers. It was an estimated 1.4 miles (2.2 km) in diameter and producing winds reaching an estimated 205 mph (328 km/h) (indicative of EF-5 strength). [15]

The town mayor would later state that 95% of his community had been damaged or completely demolished; Memorial Hospital sustained heavy damage (as many as 30 people may have initially been trapped inside). A motel on the west edge of town, two schools, a tractor supply company, the Greensburg City Hall and other businesses fell victim to the violent winds. The city's water tower was completely toppled and smashed. The Big Well which is the world's largest hand-dug well was also affected with the visitor's center being completely destroyed. Train cars were also reported to be overturned and hazardous materials teams were called to inspect the wreckage. The courthouse and the grain elevator were spared the worst of the tornado's effects. The tornado continued north before dissipating, and by several accounts continued to grow as it left town. In Pratt County the tornado destroyed more homes, including one that was swept off its foundation. The Total path length was 22 miles (35.2 km), and the width of the funnel reached 1.7 miles (2.7 km). [16]

File:Greensburg Tornado Radar.gif
Radar loop of the Greensburg supercell at the time it hit the town

Hours after the tornado hit, the city was fully evacuated as it was judged unsafe. Some of the injuries were transferred to hospitals in Dodge City and in Wichita. The Kansas National Guard was called in to assist in the security measures. Over 100 Red Cross officials were called in while some will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the recovery efforts. Shelters have been established at the Haviland high school and Barclay College in nearby Haviland, Kansas and the Oddfellow Lodge in Macksville, Kansas. [17] The American Red Cross is maintaining a registry of "Safe and Well" families at their website disastersafe.redcross.org. [18] Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius and President George W. Bush have declared Kiowa County a disaster area.[19] The tornado was later rated as an EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale [2]

The tornado also affected several other communities in Kiowa County including Trousdale and Macksville. The same supercell spawned additional tornadoes that caused significant damage across Barton County where it affected the towns of Ellinwood and Claflin about two hours after the Greensburg tornado. Another tornado later hit the Holyrood area causing additional damage.

The Greensburg tornado was the first ever EF5 since the Enhanced Fujita Scale was implemented on February 1, 2007. Including when the older Fujita Scale existed, the last F5 to hit the United States was on May 3, 1999 during the Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak, when a tornado destroyed Bridge Creek.

The tornado event surpassed the number of fatalities registered on May 4, 2003 during the May 2003 Tornado Outbreak Sequence when 8 people were killed by three separate tornadoes that affected areas around Kansas City and points south and west of the city—the last major deadly outbreak registered in Kansas prior to the Greensburg event.[20] It was also the deadliest day and single tornado to hit the state of Kansas since an F5 tornado (which was also the last F5 in that state before this event), hit Wichita and Andover in Sedgwick and Butler counties, killing 17 during the Andover, Kansas Tornado Outbreak on April 26, 1991.[21][22]

The Greensburg event was also the deadliest tornado in North America since the Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass Tornado that killed 10 people on April 24, 2007 including 3 in Mexico and 7 in Eagle Pass, Texas. In the US alone, it was the deadliest tornado and deadliest day since an EF4 hit Enterprise, Alabama on March 1, 2007 which killed 9 including 8 at a high school. A total of 20 were killed in Alabama, Georgia and Missouri during the outbreak.

See also

References

  1. ^ "At Least 9 Dead After Supercell Tornado Demolishes Kansas Town". FoxNews.com. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  2. ^ a b KAKE-TV. "Greensburg Tornado Rated at EF-5". Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  3. ^ "Death toll rises to nine after tornado destroys Kansas town". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  4. ^ "Deadly twister flattens Kansas town". CNN. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  5. ^ "SPC Storm Reports for 5/4/07". Storm Prediction Center. May 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "SPC Storm Reports for 5/5/07". Storm Prediction Center. May 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Public Weather Warnings for Canada". Environment Canada. May 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Special Weather Statements for Alberta". Environment Canada. May 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ NWS Denver, Colorado. "Local Storm Reports". Retrieved 2007-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ KAKE-TV. "Saturday Twisters Rip into Osborne". Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  11. ^ KAKE-TV, Wichita, Kansas. "Weekend Storm Total Climbs to 10". Retrieved 2007-05-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ NWS North Platte, Nebraska. "SEVERE WEATHER IMPACTED MUCH OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA SATURDAY". Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  13. ^ KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK. "Cleanup Begins Following Damaging Tornados". Retrieved 2007-05-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Robb Lawson. "Barton and Ellsworth County Tornado". National Weather Service. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  15. ^ CNN. "Survivors sought as more storms threaten Plains". Retrieved 2007-05-06. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ "Search Resumes in Devastated Kansas Town". Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  17. ^ "Greensburg Suffers Significant Damage In Tornado". Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  18. ^ "Red Cross Safe and Well Website". Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  19. ^ KAKE-TV. "President Bush Declares Disaster in Kansas". Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  20. ^ "Tornadoes of the Past". The Tornado Project. 2003. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  21. ^ "Sedgwick County Tornado Details". National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Butler County Tornado Details". National Climatic Data Center. April 26 1991. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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