
A series of Pacific storm systems will bring widespread showers, heavy rain, and a flash flooding threat across the Four Corners region this weekend. Ex-Typhoon Champi will approach the Alaskan West Coast bringing localized gusty winds and heavy precipitation. A wet and unsettled weekend is expected across southern Florida with rain expected across the entire peninsula by Sunday. Read More >
Overview
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Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of May 18, 2026 and quickly became severe across north central Kansas. Initial supercells produced hail up to half-dollar size and five tornadoes: two rated EF-1 and three rated EF-Unknown. Supercells congealed into a line as they moved southeast across northeast Kansas, producing wind gusts of 60-85 MPH. In addition, two EF-1 tornadoes spun up along the leading edge of the line of storms, making for a total of seven tornadoes on this day. |
![]() Supercell near Morganville, KS (Photo by Daniel Reese) |
Tornadoes:
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Tornado - Miltonvale, KS
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Tornado - Palmer, KS
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Tornado - Northern Nemaha County, KS and Southern Richardson County, NE
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Tornado - Blue Rapids, KS
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Tornado - Wakefield, KS
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Tornado - Holton, KS
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Tornado - Eastern Morris & Northern Lyon County
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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 |
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Photos
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Supercell Near Morganville, KS (Photo by Daniel Reese) |
Blue Rapids, KS Tornado (Courtesy of Landon Moeller) |
Tornadic Storm Near Bushong, KS (Courtesy of Thomas Hinterdorfer) |
Wakefield, KS Tornado (Courtesy of Daniel Reese) |
Radar Images
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| Radar image of tornado near Miltonvale at 4:23 PM CDT. | Radar image of tornado near Palmer at 4:03 PM CDT. | Radar image of tornado near Wakefield at 5:29 PM CDT. |
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| Radar image of tornado near Blue Rapids at 4:03 PM CDT. | Radar image of tornado near Holton at 7:21 PM CDT. | Radar image of tornado near Bushong at 7:51 PM CDT. |
Environment
Storm Prediction Center Day 1 1630z Outlook
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| Categorical Outlook | Tornado Outlook | Hail Outlook | Wind Outlook |
Synoptic Environment
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| 500 mb Heights and Wind Speed from 7 AM - 1 PM | Mean Sea Level Pressure and Radar from 7 AM - 1 PM | 7 PM Topeka Sounding |
Near-storm Environment at 1 PM (18z)
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| Surface-Based CAPE | Effective Shear | Effective Storm-Relative Helicity |
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