Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain in the Mid-South; Heat Continues in the Southeast and Southwest

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected across portions of the mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley and portions of Arizona. Dangerous heat persists in the South and Southeast while building into the Southwest. Overnight lows will be so warm that, when combined with oppressive dew points, little-to-no relief from the scorching daytime highs will be available. Read More >

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