June 16–18, 2014 tornado outbreak sequence facts for kids
An EF3 tornado in Carter County, Montana on June 17
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| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | June 16–18, 2014 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 76 |
| Max rating1 | EF4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 2 days, 6 hours, 47 minutes |
| Highest winds |
|
| Largest hail | 4.25 in (10.8 cm) in diameter in three Nebraska locations on June 17 |
| Total fatalities | 2 fatalities |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The June 16–17, 2014 tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak concentrated in the Great Plains and the Midwestern United States. The severe weather event primarily affected the state of Nebraska, where a tornado preliminary rated as at least an EF4 (winds between 166 to just under 200 mph) killed two and critically injured twenty others in the town of Pilger. The tornado was paralleled by a second simultaneous tornado nearly identical in appearance to the one that struck the town.
Tornado activity
The morning of June 16 was marked only by isolated storms in the Nebraska area with only marginal severe weather. Beginning at around 0800 UTC, however, favorable conditions for severe weather, particularly for large hail, began to build across central Nebraska. This was followed shortly after by the day's first severe thunderstorm watch, issued for primarily eastern Nebraska in response to a developing line of supercells. At 1613 UTC, the SPC issued the first of three public severe weather outlooks for the day, covering a region centered on Sioux City, Iowa.
A Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado watch was issued later that afternoon, and a powerful cyclic supercell developed in Nebraska. This supercell went on to produce a family of six tornadoes, including four EF4s that affected areas in and around Stanton, Pilger, and Wakefield, Nebraska. Two fatalities occurred in or near Pilger and much of the town was destroyed. Later that evening, two tornadoes (rated EF1 and EF2) struck the town of Platteville, Wisconsin simultaneously, resulting in major damage.
Tornado activity continued on the 17th, with an early morning EF3 causing major damage to homes and an elementary school in Verona, Wisconsin, and an EF2 from the same storm causing damage in residential areas of Madison.
Later that day, an EF3 tornado caused significant damage in rural areas of Carter County, Montana near the Custer National Forest. A large EF2 tornado also caused damage to numerous homes in Angus and Barrie, Ontario. Later that evening, multiple large wedge tornadoes were reported near the towns of Coleridge and Laurel, Nebraska. One of these tornadoes caused EF3 damage to farms and trees outside of Coleridge.
A large EF4 affected areas near Stanton, Nebraska as well. Platteville, Wisconsin sustained significant damage from an EF2 that same evening.
Tornado activity continued on the 17th, with an early morning EF3 causing major damage in Verona, Wisconsin. A large tornado also caused damage to numerous homes later that day in Angus, Ontario. Later that evening, multiple large wedge tornadoes were reported near the towns of Coleridge and Laurel, Nebraska.
On June 18, 2014, the National Weather Service in Valley, Nebraska issued a preliminary report stating that a total of five tornadoes occurred in Northeast Nebraska on the 16th. They announced that there were three EF4 tornadoes, one that was at least EF4 and one as an EF0.
The two Pilger tornadoes were part of a violent tornado family that produced four consecutive EF4 tornadoes and was broadcast live on television. Overall, the outbreak resulted in 76 tornadoes, two fatalities, and numerous injuries.
Images for kids
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All preliminary storm reports received by the SPC from June 16–18
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EF4 damage in a residential area of Pilger.
