050615_RepublicCounty

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Tornado tracks and damage contours are based on individual damage points and should not be expected to be fully precise down to the neighborhood level.

Total Number of Tornadoes that Occurred on May 6th, 2015 across the NWS Topeka County Warning Area:  14 Tornadoes

The following Public Information Statement highlights the details from the offical NWS Topeka Damage Survey for Republic County ONLY, which was where the most damaging tornadoes occurred. 

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR MAY 6TH TORNADO EVENT...

...THE FOLLOWING REPORTS PERTAIN TO REPUBLIC COUNTY TORNADOES ONLY...

.TORNADO #1 EXTREME NW REPUBLIC COUNTY...

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    95 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  0.70 MILE
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   75 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 6TH 2015
START TIME:             APPROX. 456 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF HARDY NEBRASKA

END DATE:               MAY 6TH 2015
END TIME:               APPROX. 458 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           0.5 MILE SOUTH OF HARDY NEBRASKA -CONT INTO NEBRASKA

SURVEY_SUMMARY: A SMALL EF 1 TORNADO BRIEFING MOVED THROUGH EXTREME NORTHWEST
REPUBLIC COUNTY AS IT MOVED FROM NORTHEAST JEWELL COUNTY INTO SOUTHERN NUCKOLLS
COUNTY NEBRASKA.

.TORNADO #2...

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    90 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  2 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   75 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 6TH 2015
START TIME:             APPROX. 508 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         APPROX. 2 MILES NW COURTLAND

END DATE:               MAY 6TH 2015
END TIME:               APPROX. 515PM CDT
END LOCATION:           APPROX. 4 MILES NW COURTLAND

SURVEY_SUMMARY: THIS WAS ONE OF TWO TORNADOES THAT WAS ON THE GROUND AT THE
SAME TIME NORTHWEST OF COURTLAND.

.TORNADO #3...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    75 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  3 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   50 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 6TH 2015
START TIME:             APPROX. 510PM CDT
START LOCATION:         5 MILES SW REPUBLIC

END DATE:               MAY 6TH 2015
END TIME:               APPROX. 515  PM CDT
END LOCATION:           2 MILES SW OF REP

.TORNADO #4 LONGER TRACK TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    130 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  25 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   800 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 6TH 2015
START TIME:             APPROX. 520 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         APPROX. 7 MILES S COURTLAND

END DATE:               MAY 6TH 2015
END TIME:               604 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           MOVED OUT OF REPUBLIC COUNTY 1.5 MILES WSW CHESTER NE.

SURVEY_SUMMARY: THE FIRST DAMAGE WAS NOTED JUST NORTH OF THE JAMESTOWN STATE
WATERFRONT MANAGEMENT AREA AND THEN PROGRESSED NORTHEAST AND CUT A PATH BETWEEN
COURTLAND AND SCANDIA PASSING JUST WEST AND NORTHWEST OF SCANDIA DAMAGING A
ETHANOL PLANT...FEEDLOT AND SEVERAL HOMES ALONG THE PATH. THE DAMAGE PATH WAS
WIDE AT TIMES TO AROUND ONE HALF MILE HOWEVER MOST DAMAGE WAS RATED EF1 OR
LOWER FOR MOST OF THE PATH. THE EF2 DAMAGE WAS NOTED AT THE ETHANOL PLANT
AND TO A HOME APPROX. 2 MILES NORTH OF SCANDIA.  IT IS LIKELY THAT ALTHOUGH THE
CONDENSATION FUNNEL WAS VERY WIDE AT TIMES THAT THE DAMAGE WAS DUE PRIMARILY TO
SMALLER VORTICES THAT WERE ROTATING WITHIN THE MAIN FUNNEL. THE DAMAGE PATH
CONTINUED NORTHEAST INTO NEBRASKA.  IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS DAMAGE PATH WAS DUE
TO A FEW TORNADO OCCLUSIONS OR A FAMILY OF MORE THAN ONE TORNADO.  HOWEVER THE
LACK OF DAMAGE INDICATORS ALONG THE PATH AND INCONCLUSIVE RADAR DATA MAKE THIS
DIFFICULT TO VERIFY.

.*TORNADO #5...

RATING:                 EF-3
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    160 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  APPROX. 3 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   200 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             MAY 6TH 2015
START TIME:             714 PM CDT
START LOCATION:         APPROX. 3.5 MILES NE OF BELLEVILLE

END DATE:               MAY 6TH 2015
END TIME:               717 PM CDT
END LOCATION:           APPROX. 2 MILES SSE OF MUNDEN

SURVEY_SUMMARY: THIS STRONG TORNADO DEVELOPED QUICKLY JUST NORTHEAST OF
BELLEVILLE DESTROYING ONE HOME ALONG ITS SHORT BUT INTENSE PATH. DAMAGE WAS
NOTED IN A 150-200 YARD WIDE PATH BUT THE WORST DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO A MUCH
MORE NARROW 50 YARD WIDE CORRIDOR.  MATURE TREES ON THE PROPERTY WERE SNAPPED
AT THE TRUNK AND SOME WERE DE-BARKED TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE STRUCTURE AS THE
DEBRIS FROM THE HOME WAS CARRIED NORTHEAST INTO A FIELD 100-200 YARDS.

THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT...>200 MPH