Moorefield Tornado Summary

A tornado touched down 4 miles southeast of Moorefield in Frontier County at approximately 9:16 pm CDT Friday, April 20, 2007. The tornado traveled north-northeast for approximately 11 miles and damaged or destroyed 6 farmsteads. The tornado was rated as an F3 on the Fujita Scale which has wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour.

At the first farmstead, the tornado took the roof off the house, destroyed the attached garage, collapsed a grain bin, and moved vehicles and trailers. As the tornado moved north across fields, pivot irrigation systems were overturned.

The tornado then destroyed a metal storage building and moved a garage wall at the second farmstead before snapping off several power poles along Highway 23 east of Moorefield.

The tornado them moved across the highway and traveled through a field to the west of another farmstead where it broke windows in the home, collapsed a grain bin, and broke off numerous trees. Further to the north, the tornado ripped up fence line, destroyed a windmill, lifted off part of a barn roof, destroyed a small shed, and broke off more trees at the next farmstead.

The tornado then cross into Lincoln County and encountered two more farmsteads 6 miles northeast of Moorefield. The tornado ripped off the roof and one wall of the home and destroyed a large storage shed at one of the farmsteads.

Across the road, the tornado completely destroyed the house and all the outbuildings at the last farmstead scattering debris in all directions. The tornado finally lifted approximately 10 miles northeast of Moorefield.

BELOW IS A LOCAL STORM REPORT SUMMARY OF THE EVENTS FRIDAY EVENING

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0700 PM     HAIL             HAYES CENTER            40.51N 101.02W
04/20/2007  E1.00 INCH       HAYES              NE   PUBLIC

0800 PM     HAIL             3 NNE MAYWOOD           40.70N 100.60W
04/20/2007  M0.88 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   PUBLIC

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL.

0800 PM     HAIL             2 N MAYWOOD             40.69N 100.62W
04/20/2007  E1.00 INCH       FRONTIER           NE   PUBLIC

            QUARTER SIZED HAIL.

0823 PM     HAIL             14 S MAYWOOD            40.46N 100.62W
04/20/2007  E1.00 INCH       FRONTIER           NE   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PEA TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL. NO WIND.

0858 PM     HAIL             2 S CURTIS              40.61N 100.51W
04/20/2007  E0.88 INCH       FRONTIER           NE   PUBLIC

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL.

0900 PM     HAIL             18 N CURTIS             40.90N 100.51W
04/20/2007  E0.75 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   PUBLIC

0905 PM     HAIL             10 SE NORTH PLATTE      41.03N 100.64W
04/20/2007  E1.00 INCH       LINCOLN            NE   PUBLIC

0923 PM     TORNADO          5 SE MOOREFIELD         40.64N 100.33W
04/20/2007                   FRONTIER           NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AND DESTROYED A FARMSTEAD 5 MILES
            SOUTHEAST OF MOOREFIELD.

0923 PM     TORNADO          3 S MOOREFIELD          40.65N 100.40W
04/20/2007                   FRONTIER           NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TORNADO ON GROUND. POWER LINES DOWN.

0926 PM     TORNADO          3 E MOOREFIELD          40.69N 100.34W
04/20/2007                   FRONTIER           NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            A TORNADO DAMAGED A FARMSTEAD 3 MILES EAST OF MOOREFIELD.


0926 PM     TORNADO          10 NE CURTIS            40.74N 100.38W
04/20/2007                   LINCOLN            NE   STORM CHASER

            TORNADO CONFIRMED ON THE GROUND BY ROGER HILL.

0927 PM     TORNADO          3 ENE MOOREFIELD        40.71N 100.35W
04/20/2007                   LINCOLN            NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            A TORNADO DAMAGED A FARMSTEAD 3 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
            MOORFIELD.

0930 PM     TORNADO          20 E WELLFLEET          40.75N 100.35W
04/20/2007                   LINCOLN            NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            *** 2 INJ *** A TORNADO DESTROYED A FARMSTEAD 20 MILES
            EAST OF WELLFLEET. THREE PEOPLE WERE IN THE HOME AT THE
            TIME THE TORNADO HIT. TWO PEOPLE WERE REPORTED INJURED
            AND THROWN FROM THE HOME.

0932 PM     TORNADO          MOOREFIELD              40.69N 100.40W
04/20/2007                   FRONTIER           NE   STORM CHASER

            LARGE TORNADO NEAR MOOREFIELD.

1055 PM     HAIL             4 E TRYON               41.56N 100.87W
04/20/2007  E1.00 INCH       MCPHERSON          NE   EMERGENCY MNGR

0112 AM     HAIL             BURWELL                 41.78N 99.13W
04/21/2007  M1.00 INCH       GARFIELD           NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

NOAA National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office