Overview

An isolated supercell thunderstorm formed over Ottawa County in north central KS on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, and this storm went on to produce 4 tornadoes.  The first tornado touched down at around 6:08 PM 3 miles south of Minneapolis and was on the ground for approximately 1 minute.  The second tornado that occurred was a long-track violent EF4 tornado that was on the ground for over an hour and up to a 1/2 mile wide at times. The tornado developed just north of Niles Kansas around 707pm and moved ESE damaging and destroying everything in its path as it passed 2-3 miles north of the city of Abilene.  The tornado then appeared to weaken for a time as it moved to the northeast of Abilene however it re-intensified and took a southeast turn as it approached interstate 70 and then went on to produce the most severe damage after crossing interstate 70 just a mile or two southwest of the city of Chapman.  The tornado then moved east passing 1 mile south of Chapman and finally dissipated between 835 and 840pm just west of the Dickinson and Geary County line.

Based on spotter reports, there were 2 additional tornadoes that developed from this same storm.  The third tornado occurred approximately 3 miles south of Alta Vista in Morris County, and there were reports of structural damage to at least one barn and 4 power-line poles that were snapped.  The fourth tornado occurred approximately 6 miles south of Eskridge in Wabaunsee County.  

Following is a summary of the damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service. 

• Tornado
• Storm Reports

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Near Niles, north of Abilene, to just south of Chapman, KS Ottawa & Dickinson Counties Date May 25, 2016 Time (Local) 7:07 PM to 8:40 PM EF Rating EF4 Est. Peak Winds 180 MPH Path Length 26 miles Max Width 1/2 mile Injuries/Deaths 0 serious injuries  0 Fatalities Summary: This was the second tornado of the evening and the strongest.  The tornado moved mainly east across Dickinson county, but as it approached Chapman, turned to the southeast just missing the city. EF4 (violent tornado) damage was noted just southwest of Chapman where a farmstead was completely destroyed. Track Map   AERIAL SURVEY MAP FROM DICKINSON COUNTY KANSAS

The first tornado near Minneapolis, Photo courtesy of Kris Sanders Image of the Tornado near Chapman Photo courtesy of Ruffin McDaniel The tornado near Enterprise,  Photo courtesy of Jared Leighton Tornado passing north of Abilene Photo Courtesy of Caycee Anderson         Tornado northwest of Solomon, Photo courtesy of Kris Sanders Tornado north of Solomon, Photo courtesy of Kris Sanders Tornado north of Abilene,  Photo courtesy of Kris Sanders Damaged railroad tracks southwest of Chapman, Photo courtesy of Brandon Clement         Radar Image of the Tornadic storm as it approaches Chapman The bright greens and reds next to each other indicate very strong rotation EF3 Tornado Damage near Niles EF4 Tornado Damage SW of Chapman

Radar loops of the long-lived tornadic supercell

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Storm Reports

Click on this link for an interactive version of this map and to view detailed information regarding each storm report received.

 

Storm Reports from Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

 

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