Goodland, KS

Weather Forecast Office

May 17th, 2019 Tornadoes

Overview

A significant outbreak of severe weather occurred across the NWS Goodland service area on May 17th, 2019. A supercell thunderstorm developed just south of Goodland, Kansas and then moved northeast across the region. The storm then proceeded into the areas served by NWS North Platte, NE and NWS Hastings, NE. Throughout it's lifetime in the NWS Goodland service area, the storm produced hail up to 2-3 inches in diameter and at least 4 tornadoes. 3 of the tornadoes remained over open pasture, producing little to no damage. The most significant tornado occurred in Red Willow County in SW Nebraska.

Tornado
Photos & Video
Radar
Storm Reports

Tornadoes:

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Tornado - 11 SSE Stratton, NE
Rawlins County, KS

Date	5/17/2019
Time (Local)	5:28 pm CDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	N/A
Path Length	N/A
Max Width	N/A
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: Fire Department and Trained Spotters reported a brief tornado near the KS/NE state line, about 7 to 8 miles east of HWY 25. The tornado was in open country with no structures nearby.

Track Map

Tornado - 8 S Culbertson, NE
Hitchcock County NE

Date	5/17/2019
Time (Local)	5:40 pm CDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	N/A
Path Length	N/A
Max Width	N/A
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: Hitchcock County Emergency Management reported a tornado south of Culbertson, NE. The tornado crossed Highway 17 between mile markers 10 and 11. No damage was reported and no damage was found by NWS storm survey on May 18th, 2019.

Track Map

Tornado - NW of McCook, NE
Red Willow County, NE

Date	5/17/2019
Time (Local)	5:55 pm - 6:01 pm CDT
EF Rating	EF-2
Est. Peak Winds	120 mph
Path Length	6 miles
Max Width	350 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 injuries
Summary: The tornado began just south of Highway 34 along the Red Willow and Hitchcock County line. The tornado moved north-northeast across Red Willow County before ending northwest of McCook, NE. The tornado struck a farm and this is where the most intense damage was done. Otherwise, damage consisted of sporadic tree limbs down, some barbed wire fences knocked over, irrigation pivots overturned, and minor loss of metal roofing. The primary damage occurred when the tornado moved across a farm. The tornado entered the property from the southwest, where it went through a wind break and snapped numerous hardwood and softwood trees. The storm also destroyed 6 grain bins, 5 farm outbuildings, and produced significant damage to a house. The EF-2 rating is a direct result of the house damage, which consisted of a few collapsed exterior brick walls, uplift or removal of half of the structure's roof, and complete removal of the garage. Additional damage included shattered windows to the house and vehicles, damage to a combine due to being struck by a grain bin, damage to fences, and other trees with losses to branches.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - 10 N McCook, NE
Red Willow County, NE

Date	5/17/2019
Time (Local)	6:15 pm CDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	N/A
Path Length	N/A
Max Width	N/A
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: Tornado reported north of McCook, NE. No damage was found by storm survey other than a few snapped branches off trees. Could not find a defined path but tornado likely continued into Frontier County, NE.

Track Map

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

Header


Just before McCook tornado formation (Bryan Wood)	McCook tornado formation (Bryan Wood)	McCook tornado (Greg Johnson)	McCook tornado (Greg McLaughlin)


McCook tornado (Jeff Frame)	McCook tornado (Brittany Newman)	McCook tornado (Freddy McKinney)	McCook tornado dissapating (Bryan Wood)


McCook tornado from airport (Karen Storrs)	Northern Rawlins County (Jared Ireland)	Damage NW of McCook (NWS Storm Survey)	Damage NW of McCook (NWS Storm Survey)


Damage NW of McCook (NWS Storm Survey)	Damage NW of McCook (NWS Storm Survey)	Damage NW of McCook (NWS Storm Survey)	Hail on Road (DDubs)


Hail north of Edson, KS (Elizabeth Lundquist)	Hail 1 mile SE of Benkelman (Julie Jones)	Hail around Edson, KS (Sharmis Blake)	Near HWY 25 and KS/NE State Line (Ellie Palmer)

Radar

Header


Storm shortly after developing, producing up to 2" hail (4:54 pm CDT)	Storm crossing into Nebraska, produced 3" hail at this time (5:15 pm CDT)	Storm south of Culbertson, first reports of funnel clouds and/or tornadoes received at this time (5:36 pm CDT)	Storm when tornado formed along HWY 34 west of McCook, NE.


Tornadic thunderstorm moving into Frontier County Nebraska (served by NWS North Platte, NE)	NWS Goodland Forecast Area Rainfall	NWS Goodland Forecast Area Radar Estimated Hail Tracks	Regional Radar. Note the swaths of rain associated with supercells over SW Kansas and NW Kansas to central Nebraska

Storm Reports

712

NWUS53 KGLD 180235

LSRGLD

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS

835 PM MDT FRI MAY 17 2019

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...

..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....

..REMARKS..

0502 PM TORNADO 6 NW MCCOOK 40.27N 100.69W

05/17/2019 RED WILLOW NE TRAINED SPOTTER

TORNADO ON THE GROUND NORTHWEST OF MCCOOK.

0501 PM TORNADO 7 ENE CULBERTSON 40.27N 100.72W

05/17/2019 RED WILLOW NE STORM CHASER

CORRECTS PREVIOUS REPORT STATING MULTIPLE

REPORTS FROM STORM CHASERS VIA TWITTER WITH

PICTURE OF A TORNADO ROUGHLY 2 MILES SOUTH

OF CULBERTSON, NE LOOKING WEST FROM HWY 17.

LOCATION OF TORNADO HAS BEEN ADJUSTED TO

REFLECT RADAR.

0500 PM TORNADO 6 WNW MCCOOK 40.23N 100.72W

05/17/2019 RED WILLOW NE NWS EMPLOYEE

NWS EMPLOYEE REPORTED VIA TWITTER A TORNADO

APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES EAST OF CULBERTSON,

NE. IT WAS A WEAK ROPE TORNADO THAT DID NOT

LAST LONG. REPORT INCLUDED SEVERAL PICTURES

CONFIRMING THE TORNADO.

0500 PM HAIL 7 NNW MCCOOK 40.30N 100.65W

05/17/2019 M1.50 INCH RED WILLOW NE TRAINED SPOTTER

TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED HAIL UP TO 1 TO 1.5

INCHES IN DIAMETER ALONG US HWY 83 NORTH OF

MCCOOK, NE. TIME ESTIMATED VIA RADAR.

0500 PM TORNADO 8 N INDIANOLA 40.35N 100.42W

05/17/2019 RED WILLOW NE PUBLIC

PUBLIC REPORTED VIA FACEBOOK WITH A PICTURE

A TORNADO APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES NORTH OF

INDIANOLA, NE LOOKING WEST.

0500 PM TORNADO 10 N MCCOOK 40.35N 100.62W

05/17/2019 RED WILLOW NE PUBLIC

PUBLIC REPORTED VIA FACEBOOK WITH A PICTURE

A TORNADO ABOUT 10 MILES N OF MCCOOK, NE.

0500 PM TORNADO 6 NW MCCOOK 40.27N 100.70W

05/17/2019 RED WILLOW NE NWS EMPLOYEE

OFF DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE CONFIRMS TORNADO ON

THE GROUND NORTHWEST OF MCCOOK.

0455 PM TORNADO 6 ENE CULBERTSON 40.26N 100.72W

05/17/2019 RED WILLOW NE STORM CHASER

STORM CHASER REPORTED PIVOTS KNOCKED OVER,

TREE DAMAGE, POWER LINES DOWN, AND MINOR

DAMAGE TO FARM.

0459 PM HAIL 8 NNE TRENTON 40.28N 100.97W

05/17/2019 M1.00 INCH HITCHCOCK NE PUBLIC

PEA TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED FROM STORM

CHASERS.

0445 PM HAIL 1 NNE CULBERTSON 40.24N 100.83W

05/17/2019 M2.00 INCH HITCHCOCK NE CO-OP OBSERVER

NUMEROUS HAIL FROM 1.5 TO 2 INCHES IN

DIAMETER. OCCURRED FROM 430-500 PM MOUNTAIN

TIME.

0444 PM TORNADO 6 S CULBERTSON 40.14N 100.84W

05/17/2019 HITCHCOCK NE LAW ENFORCEMENT

MCCOOK PD REPORTED A TORNADO ABOUT 7 MILES

WSW OF MCCOOK.

0440 PM HAIL 12 SSE TRENTON 40.01N 100.95W

05/17/2019 M0.88 INCH HITCHCOCK NE FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

FIRE DEPT REPORTED HAIL UP TO NICKEL SIZE

HAIL 1.5 MILES NORTH OF THE KS/NE STATE LINE

ON RD 368.

0440 PM TORNADO 8 S CULBERTSON 40.12N 100.82W

05/17/2019 HITCHCOCK NE EMERGENCY MNGR

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED A POSSIBLE

TORNADO 8 MILES S OF CULBERTSON ON HWY 17

BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 10 AND 11.

0438 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 7 ESE TRENTON 40.13N 100.89W

05/17/2019 HITCHCOCK NE STORM CHASER

PERSISTENT FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR TRENTON.

0436 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 3 SSW CULBERTSON 40.19N 100.86W

05/17/2019 HITCHCOCK NE TRAINED SPOTTER

3 FUNNEL CLOUDS REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER

3 MILES SSW.

0434 PM HAIL 1 SW TRENTON 40.16N 101.03W

05/17/2019 E0.25 INCH HITCHCOCK NE FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

FIRE CHIEF IN TRENTON, NE REPORTED HAIL UP

TO 3/8IN IN DIAMTER 1 MILE SW OF TRENTON AT

534 CDT.

0428 PM TORNADO 11 SSE STRATTON 40.00N 101.16W

05/17/2019 HITCHCOCK NE FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

FIRE DEPT/TRAINED SPOTTERS REPORTED A BRIEF

TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE KS/NE STATE

LINE ABOUT 7 TO 8 MILES EAST OF HWY 25. THE

TORNADO WAS IN OPEN COUNTRY WITH NO

STRUCTURES NEAR BY.

0415 PM HAIL 12 SSW TRENTON 40.00N 101.06W

05/17/2019 E3.00 INCH HITCHCOCK NE PUBLIC

PUBLIC REPORTED VIA FACEBOOK WITH A PICTURE

OF HAIL UP TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER ALONG HWY

25 AT THE KS/NE BORDER.

0400 PM HAIL 1 NE BENKELMAN 40.06N 101.53W

05/17/2019 M0.88 INCH DUNDY NE TRAINED SPOTTER

PEA TO NICKLE SIZED HAIL IN DOWNTOWN

BENKLEMAN.

0357 PM HAIL 3 NE BENKELMAN 40.08N 101.49W

05/17/2019 M1.75 INCH DUNDY NE LAW ENFORCEMENT

GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT BENKLEMAN

GOLF COURSE.

0346 PM HAIL BENKELMAN 40.05N 101.53W

05/17/2019 M1.25 INCH DUNDY NE TRAINED SPOTTER

TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED HALF DOLLAR SIZE

HAIL IN BENKELMAN.

0345 PM HAIL BENKELMAN 40.05N 101.53W

05/17/2019 E0.75 INCH DUNDY NE PUBLIC

PUBLIC REPORTED VIA FACEBOOK HAIL IN

DOWNTOWN BENKELMAN, NE UP TO JUST LARGER

THAN DIME SIZE,L WITH SEVERAL STONES AROUND

PEA SIZE.

0345 PM HAIL 1 SE BENKELMAN 40.04N 101.52W

05/17/2019 E2.00 INCH DUNDY NE PUBLIC

PUBLIC REPORTED VIA FACEBOOK HAIL UP TO 2

INCHES IN DIAMETER 1 MILE SE OF BENKELMAN.

REPORT INCLUDED A PICTURE WITH SEVERAL HAIL

STONES LARGER THAN A GOLF BALL.

0302 PM HAIL 13 N EDSON 39.51N 101.57W

05/17/2019 E2.00 INCH SHERMAN KS TRAINED SPOTTER

CORRECTS PREVIOUS HAIL REPORT FROM 13 N

EDSON. TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED HAIL UP TO 2

INCHES IN DIAMETER, WITH PEA TO DIME SIZE

HAIL COVERING THE GROUND. ALSO REPORTED

DAMAGE TO PROPERTY INCLUDING BROKEN WINDOWS

AT THEIR HOUSE AND HAIL DAMAGE TO THEIR CAR.

0439 PM HAIL 10 NNW LUDELL 39.98N 101.06W

05/17/2019 M2.00 INCH RAWLINS KS PUBLIC

PUBLIC REPORTED VIA TWITTER HAIL UP TO 2.25

INCHES IN DIAMETER 1 MILE SOUTH OF THE KS/NE

BORDER ALONG HWY 25.

0432 PM HAIL 9 NNW LUDELL 39.97N 101.04W

05/17/2019 E1.75 INCH RAWLINS KS TRAINED SPOTTER

0338 PM TORNADO 7 SE MCDONALD 39.72N 101.28W

05/17/2019 RAWLINS KS TRAINED SPOTTER

CORRECTS PREVIOUS FUNNEL CLOUD REPORT FROM 7

SE MCDONALD. TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED A

FUNNEL CLOUD ASSOCIATED WITH A SEVERE-WARNED

STORM 7 MILES SSW OF BEARDSLEY KS. MULTIPLE

SPOTTERS REPORTED A SPIN UP/ROTATION, BUT

THERE ARE CONFLICTING REPORTS ABOUT WHETHER

THIS WAS A BRIEF TORNADO OR NOT.

0337 PM HAIL MCDONALD 39.78N 101.37W

05/17/2019 M0.70 INCH RAWLINS KS LAW ENFORCEMENT

PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL IN MCDONALD, KS.

0330 PM HAIL 10 N BIRD CITY 39.89N 101.53W

05/17/2019 E1.00 INCH CHEYENNE KS PUBLIC

CORRECTS PREVIOUS HAIL REPORT FROM 10 N BIRD

CITY TO 3:30 PM MDT. PUBLIC REPORTED VIA

FACEBOOK HAIL UP TO 1 INCH SIZE 10 MILES

NORTH OF BIRD CITY.

&&

$$

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