June 16, 2017 Tornado Outbreak

Event

June 16th, 2017 Tornado Outbreak

An EF1 rope tornado north of Bennett, Colorado at 2003 UTC (2:03 PM MST)
Date of tornado outbreak:	June 16, 2017
Duration1:	5 hours, 20 minutes
Maximum rated tornado2:	EF4 tornado
Tornadoes caused:	45
Damages:	$390.098 million (2017 USD)
Fatalities:	33
Areas affected:	Great Plains & Central U.S.
1Time from first tornado to last tornado 2Most severe tornado damage; see wikipedia:Enhanced Fujita Scale

During the late morning of June 16, 2017, a line of supercells started forming across eastern Colorado, far eastern New Mexico, southeast Wyoming and southwest Nebraska. A supercell storm in western Kansas produced the first tornado at 12:41 PM CDT. The supercells continued producing tornadoes for the next eight hours before gradually consolidating into a MCS that brought widespread damaging wind gusts and additional tornadoes to areas farther east overnight. After the initial line of storms passed through, a weaker secondary line of storms formed behind it and produced about a dozen more tornadoes, some of which struck places that had already been impacted by the first wave of storms. This second wave quickly fizzled out after sunset. One particularly unusual supercell dropped seven tornadoes over the course of two hours as it moved slowly southwest across Morgan, Weld and Adams counties in North Central Colorado.

The outbreak was forecast well in advance by the SPC, which outlined a Day 8 15% severe risk area in its June 9 Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook. This risk area initially included south central Kansas and northern Oklahoma, and was expanded into neighboring states over the following days. For the June 12 Day 4-8 Severe Weather Outlook, a Day 5 30% severe risk area was added over Kansas, and the SPC noted that a tornado outbreak was possible. On June 14, a Day 3 enhanced risk was issued for Kansas and Oklahoma, and was upgraded to a moderate risk for parts of Kansas the next day. This risk area was maintained and expanded the morning of June 16. As the storms began to develop, the 1630 UTC Day 1 outlook included a high risk for part of central Kansas, with a 30% hatched tornado risk and a 45% hatched large hail risk in effect. Numerous tornadoes were expected, and strong, long-tracked tornadoes were likely, along with very large hail. The high risk, along with the 30% hatched tornado risk, was expanded south into Oklahoma for the 2000 UTC outlook, with about two dozen tornadoes having touched down already.

Dusty Tornado near Leoti, KS

Anticyclonic Satellite tornado to Jetmore-Larned, KS EF4 tornado

The Jetmore-Larned Supercell on Radar

Twin tornadoes, an EF4 and an EF3, near Sterling, KS

Large Nighttime Wedge Tornado

Tornadoes Confirmed

See Also: Tornado Track Map

Tornadoes, Deaths and Injuries by State

State	Total	EF0	EF1	EF2	EF3	EF4	EF5	Deaths	Injuries
Kansas	28	7	8	6	5	2	0	33	407
New Mexico	5	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	14
Colorado	9	4	2	3	0	0	0	0	3
Oklahoma	3	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	2
Total	45	14	12	11	6	2	0	33	426

Tornado Death Toll

State	Total	County	County total
Kansas	33	Ellis	2
		Finney	1
		Hodgeman	4
		Kiowa	7
		McPherson	4
		Pawnee	6
		Pratt	1
		Rice	8
Totals	33

Tornadoes

List of confirmed tornadoes – Friday, June 16, 2017

EF#	Location	County / Parish	State	Time (UTC)	Path Length	Max width	Damage (2017 USD)	Summary
EF1	N of Syracuse to NNE of Kendall	Hamilton, Kearny	KS	1741 - 1801	14.89 miles	880 yards	$260,000	The first tornado of the day touched down near Syracuse and damaged several farm buildings. Many trees were snapped as well.
EF1	S of Melrose to SSE of St. Vrain	Curry	NM	1752 - 1812	9.4 miles	325 yards	$140,000	A slow-moving cone tornado touched down in an open desert area. A street sign was blown down and twisted and a tool shed was damaged. Two power poles were also snapped.
EF1	Wiggins	Morgan	CO	1811 - 1821	3.71 miles	100 yards	$500,000	The first of seven tornadoes spawned by one supercell. This was an anti-cyclonic rope tornado that moved slowly through Southern Wiggins and into open country to the southwest. A few houses in Wiggins had their roofs damaged and a few small trees were snapped and uprooted. Two people were injured.
EF3	NNW of Lakin to E of Holcomb	Kearny, Finney	KS	1813 - 1840	19.67 miles	1,760 yards	$3,000,000	1 death - A wedge tornado hit the northern part of Holcomb. Several homes and businesses sustained severe damage and one house was nearly leveled, along with about a dozen other homes that sustained minor damage. The fatality occurred in the nearly leveled house. Thirteen people were injured, two critically.
EF0	SE of St. Vrain to Cannon AFB	Curry	NM	1815 - 1823	5.61 miles	100 yards	$125,000	This tornado formed east of the previous tornado and caused minor damage to structures in the Cannon AFB.
EF0	E of Leoti	Wichita	KS	1816 - 1822	4.06 miles	25 yards	$0	A few tree limbs were downed by a small, weak tornado.
EF2	SW of Wiggins	Morgan	CO	1820 - 1832	4.42 miles	35 yards	$10,000	The second of seven tornadoes spawned by one supercell. This was a narrow rope tornado that moved slowly southwest through open areas, executing a clockwise loop along the way. A few trees next to a road were snapped and slightly debarked and a street sign was blown over. A small shed was destroyed as well.
EF2	Southern Clovis, NM to W of Lazbuddie, TX	Curry (NM), Parmer (TX)	NM, TX	1826 - 1914	31.41 miles	660 yards	$14,500,000	One of two tornadoes that struck Clovis. In Clovis, about fifty buildings lost roofs, and the roof and part of the top floor was removed from and apartment building. A hotel sustained major damage and a railroad station was damaged as well. A few small trees were snapped or uprooted and cars were thrown. As the tornado exited Clovis, a farmhouse sustained major damage and the trash was lifted out of the landfill and scattered around town. Minor damage occurred in the towns of Texico and Farwell on the border between New Mexico and Texas. The tornado tracked through mostly open country after entering Texas and only damaged crops. Five people were injured.
EF0	Clovis	Curry	NM	1830 - 1833	2.4 miles	110 yards	$1,830,000	The second of two tornadoes that struck Clovis. Numerous buildings had shingle damage, cars were rolled around in a parking lot, and the Curry County Fairgrounds sustained some minor damage. Two people suffered minor injuries.
EF0	SSW of Wiggins (1st tornado)	Morgan	CO	1831 - 1845	4.21 miles	220 yards	$5,000	The third of seven tornadoes spawned by one supercell. This was an anti-cyclonic tornado. It was observed by several storm spotters and caused minor damage to a feedyard.
EF2	Satanta	Haskell	KS	1836 - 1842	4.16 miles	450 yards	$2,600,000	11 homes sustained major damage in Satanta, several more had minor damage, and a barn was destroyed near the end of the path.
EF0	SSW of Wiggins (2nd tornado)	Morgan, Weld	CO	1842 - 1847	2.34 miles	175 yards	$1,000	The fourth of seven tornadoes spawned by one supercell. This tornado touched down to the south of the previous one and damaged a fence.
EF2	WSW of Julesburg, CO to S of Brule, NE	Sedgwick (CO) , Perkins (NE), Keith (NE)	CO, NE	1842 - 1917	24.09 miles	500 yards	$375,000	Several homes had roof damage and a barn was destroyed. A railroad car was blown over and crops were damaged. One person was injured.
EF1	E of Quinby to NW of Garden City	Finney	KS	1843 - 1844	0.93 miles	80 yards	$20,000	A brief tornado touched down just outside of Garden City and damaged a mobile home and flipped an irrigation pivot.
EF0	ESE of Campo, CO to N of Keyes, OK	Baca (CO), Cimarron (OK)	CO, OK	1843 - 1903	13.9 miles	25 yards	$2,000	A rope tornado touched down in Colorado but moved into Oklahoma. Only a few spots with minor damage were found by the survey team.
EF2	SSW of Wiggins (3rd tornado)	Morgan	CO	1844 - 1857	4.51 miles	440 yards	$15,000	The fifth of seven tornadoes spawned by one supercell. Two small sheds were destroyed and several structures sustained minor damage.
EF2	Northern Garden City	Finney	KS	1846 - 1847	0.38 miles	350 yards	$2,000,000	A small cone tornado briefly touched down in Garden City and damaged some homes in a neighborhood. One person was injured.
EF3	S of San Jon to E of Logan	Quay	NM	1847 - 1918	32.31 miles	125 yards	$1,475,000	A fast-moving and narrow tornado moved toward the north for most of its path. It passed through San Jon and Logan but did only minor damage to a few buildings. A mobile home near Logan was thrown from its moorings and destroyed and a house nearby was also destroyed, which was the basis of the EF3 rating. Several large trees were partially debarked and a few steel transmission poles were toppled and twisted as well. This was one of the strongest tornadoes ever recorded in New Mexico. Seven people were injured, three of which had critical injuries.
EF1	NNE of Keyes	Cimarron	OK	1903 - 1909	4.51 miles	100 yards	$40,000	A weak tornado tracked over open fields, with the only damage occurring to two power poles and a street sign.
EF0	S of Herndon	Rawlins	KS	1905	0.29 miles	20 yards	$0	A brief tornado touched down in a field, causing no damage.
EF1	NW of Hoyt to N of Bennett	Weld, Adams	CO	1905 - 2007	19.07 miles	250 yards	$138,000	The sixth of seven tornadoes spawned by one supercell. Although it was long - tracked, only a few street signs, fences and power poles were damaged.
EF0	NE of Keyes	Cimarron	OK	1911 - 1912	0.43 miles	20 yards	$0	A brief tornado touched down over open country, causing no damage.
EF1	W of Gove to SE of Collyer	Gove, Trego	KS	1914 - 1954	28.32 miles	660 yards	$1,250,000	A tornado passed through Gove early in its track and damaged many houses. Several dozen trees were snapped. It then passed through mostly rural areas and mostly damaged trees and crops. Some farm buildings had minor damage. As it passed Collyer, the tornado turned toward the northeast and uprooted several trees. The tornado then turned back to the southeast. It dissipated near the intersection of K Road and 170 Avenue.
EF0	WSW of Kalvesta	Finney	KS	1921 - 1930	6.28 miles	200 yards	$4,000	A weak tornado touched down in a rural area and caused some minor crop damage.
EF4	WSW of Kalvesta to NNE of Hudson	Finney, Hodgeman, Pawnee, Stafford	KS	1928 - 2200	100.68 miles	1,400 yards	$96,850,000	9 deaths - A long-tracked multiple-vortex tornado leveled at least 40 small homes in Jetmore and Larned, and some were partially swept away. Hundreds more were also damaged. The Jetmore High School received major damage, as the roof and upper level were completely collapsed. Many farmhouses were also destroyed along the path. In Larned, numerous trees were mostly debarked and a small shopping mall was severely damaged. Ninety-six people were injured and many had to be hospitalized. A tornado emergency was issued for this storm due to numerous reports of violent tornado damage.
EF1	E of Plains to WSW of Meade	Meade	KS	1932 - 1946	9 miles	1,200 yards	$11,000	A weak tornado caused a wide swath of crop damage in a rural area and blew over a street sign.
EF0	S of Montezuma	Gray	KS	1938	0.26 miles	20 yards	$0	A brief tornado touched down in an open field and did no damage.
EF2	W of Meade to SSE of Fowler	Meade	KS	1940 - 2005	17.33 miles	880 yards	$2,500,000	In Meade, more than two dozen houses were damaged, and several buildings lost their roofs and some of their outer walls. An irrigation pivot was also overturned. One person was injured.
EF0	S of Fowler	Meade	KS	1958 - 2012	4.5 miles	440 yards	$25,000	A slow-moving stovepipe tornado remained over over open fields for most of its path. A trailer was blown over on Highway 160.
EF2	Northern Guymon	Texas	OK	2008 - 2014	4.09 miles	65 yards	$2,845,000	A narrow and intermittent tornado tracked through the northern parts of Guymon, damaging about 35 homes, blowing down power poles and fences, and flipping and moving cars. Most of the damage was rated EF0 or EF1, but a small area of EF2 damage occurred near Fowler Park, where houses lost their roofs and outer walls, trees were snapped and uprooted, and a park pavilion was significantly damaged. Two people had minor injuries.
EF0	N of Bennett	Adams	CO	2010	1.03 miles	50 yards	$0	The last of seven tornadoes spawned by one supercell. A storm chaser reported a brief touchdown in open fields next to Highway 79.
EF3	N of Mineola to E of Pratt	Ford, Kiowa, Pratt	KS	2014 - 2218	81.43 miles	1,000 yards	$114,250,000	8 deaths - A long-tracked tornado passed through the cities of Mullinville, Greensburg, Haviland, Cullison and Pratt. The worst damage occured in Greenburg, where at least a third of the city was damaged. Many houses were severely damaged and a few were mostly leveled. Numerous buildings sustained damage in other areas and the snall town of Cullison was almost completely destroyed. 142 people were injured. A tornado emergency was issued for Greensburg, where six deaths occurred.
EF1	NW of Jetmore to NE of Hanston	Hodgeman	KS	2017 - 2043	30.79 miles	200 yards	$30,000	1st Satellite to the Jetmore-Larned EF4 tornado. This tornado was an anticyclonic tornado and it executed several loops along its path. Only minor damage occurred.
EF2	Manhattan	Riley, Pottawatomie	KS	2022 - 2035	6 miles	1,540 yards	$5,000,000	A wedge tornado touched down in Manhattan and damaged many buildings. Several dozen trees were snapped and uprooted as well. Six people were injured.
EF2	SW of McCracken	Ness, Rush	KS	2046 - 2047	1.8 miles	100 yards	$45,000	A brief and narrow tornado overturned an irrigation pivot and damaged several street signs. Crops were also damaged.
EF2	S of Rozel	Pawnee	KS	2102 - 2112	6 miles	440 yards	$170,000	1 death - 2nd Satellite to the Jetmore-Larned EF4 tornado. This was a multiple-vortex tornado. A few farm buildings were damaged, barns were destroyed and crops were damaged. A car driving on U.S. Highway 183 was thrown into a field about 50 yards away by one of the suction vortexes and the driver was killed. Two other passengers were injured.
EF1	WSW of Coldwater	Comanche	KS	2116 - 2119	2.37 miles	300 yards	$5,000	A few trees were snapped near a park and playground structures were tossed and flipped.
EF1	SW of Stockton to N of Osborne	Rooks, Osborne	KS	2121 - 2209	32.73 miles	1,800 yards	$600,000	A wedge tornado tracked through mostly rural areas and impacted few buildings. In Stockton and Alta, a few buildings sustained minor damage.
EF3	N of Catharine to N of Bunker Hill	Ellis, Russell	KS	2130 - 2210	27.35 miles	440 yards	$1,350,000	2 deaths - A significant tornado remained over mostly open fields along its path. However, four homes were destroyed near the beginning of the path, where all of the casualties took place. 7 additional people were injured.
EF0	NNE of Russell	Russell	KS	2202 - 2205	0.8 miles	50 yards	$0	Satellite tornado to the previous event. A storm spotter reported a brief tornado that touched down in front of the main tornado and lasted about three minutes. No damage was found by the survey crew.
EF4	SW of Raymond to NE of Moundridge	Stafford, Rice, McPherson	KS	2206 - 2332	55.72 miles	585 yards	$66,600,000	6 deaths - A long-tracked tornado passed through the northern part of Sterling and damaged several neighborhoods. The worst damage was confined to a swath about 60 yards (54.8 meters) wide, and within this area, many homes were swept away and cars were thrown and mostly destroyed. However, most of the homes were not properly anchored. Hundreds of buildings were damaged. After exiting the city, the tornado passed through mostly rural areas and destroyed about a dozen farmhouses. 63 people were injured.
EF3	SSE of Alden to NW of Moundridge	Rice, McPherson	KS	2220 - 2319	40.08 miles	610 yards	$69,760,000	6 deaths - This tornado occurred simultaneously with the previous tornado and passed through areas slightly farther south, including southern Sterling and the northern part of Inman. Many houses sustained severe damage, and a high school and a middle school lost their roofs and walls. Some interior rooms also collapsed. Some debarking of trees occurred, and several farms were destroyed in rural areas. 87 people were injured.
EF0	WSW of Mankato	Jewell	KS	2228 - 2232	3.26 miles	25 yards	$0	Tornado touched down over open fields, causing no reported damage.
EF3	SE of Ellsworth to SW of Salina	Mitchell, Saline	KS	2231 - 2314	30.4 miles	850 yards	$1,820,000	A strong tornado tracked across mostly open fields. Most damage occurred to farmhouses and farm buildings, many of which were mostly or completely destroyed. About a dozen power poles were snapped and some crop damage occurred. Just before dissipation, a tornado emergency was issued for the city of Salina, which appeared to be in the direct path of this tornado. However, after this tornado lifted, another tornado quickly touched down, so the tornado emergency was not cancelled.
EF1	S of Anthony to NNW of Bluff City	Harper	KS	2242 - 2301	17.5 miles	75 yards	$90,000	A rope tornado damaged little along an intermittent track. A few power poles and fences were blown down, and an irrigation pivot was overturned.