EF2 Tornado — Hayes, Nebraska

2025-05-18 · near Hayes Center, Hayes, Nebraska

Event narrative

Tornado touched down in pastureland destroying a windmill and numerous trees. The tornado then tracked to the north northeast over the next 34 minutes destroying outbuildings at a farmstead and feed lot and overturning several center pivot irrigation systems. Numerous power poles were also snapped by the tornado before dissipating south of Dickens Nebraska.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms developed over northeastern Colorado and northwestern Kansas during the late afternoon hours of May 18th. This activity developed in advance of an approaching mid level trough of low pressure and frontal boundary oriented from southeastern Wyoming into northwestern Kansas. Severe thunderstorms lifted into southwestern Nebraska and the southeastern Nebraska Panhandle, ending up in the Sandhills and portions of central Nebraska. Hail to around 3 inches in diameter, wind gusts up to 67 MPH and a tornado was reported with these severe storms.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.5100, -101.0900)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1259853. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.