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F0 tornado in Nance County, Nebraska

Tornado October 9, 2001 · Nance County, Nebraska

F0
Rating
7.0 mi
Whole path
100 yd
Path width
$60K
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Greeley County → Nance County → Boone County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F0 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F0 meant light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken; the scale paired it with winds of 40–72 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

Tornado entered Nance County from Greeley County. The tornado then exited Nance County and entered Boone County.

The wider storm

A powerful upper level low pressure system plowing into an unstable airmass triggered widespread severe weather across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening hours. As many as nine tornadoes were confirmed and many reports of hail were received.The tornado damage was confined to an area located north and east of Grand Island, which included Merrick, Nance, Polk, Greeley, and Hamilton counties. The tornadoes got going west of Marquette. One twister set down in Hamilton county and crossed the Platte River southeast of Chapman. Damage to outbuildings was of most significance. Other tornadoes were reported in the Marquette area, with one tornado on the ground for 12 miles from south of Marquette to southeast of Hordville. This tornado was rated an F1 and produced minor structural damage to buildings and grain bins at several farms. Power lines were lost and several trees were blown over. Numerous center pivot irrigation systems were damaged.Just before 6 pm CDT, the most damaging tornado of the day developed near the Polk and Hamilton county line, and proceeded northeast across western Polk county, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Storm chaser reports indicated this tornado frequently became multi-vortex in nature and produced a wide swath of damage. Three miles north of Polk, a home was completely ripped from its foundation and blown into some nearby trees. The tornado was rated an F3 at this point. Along its 18 mile path, the tornado damaged over 20 center pivots, and nearly every farmstead in the path of the tornado sustained damage to the home, outbuildings, machinery or grain bins. This tornado lifted southwest of Silver Creek.Just prior to the F3 tornado in Polk county, an F2 tornado was ripping up a farmstead in northern Merrick county. This tornado was responsible for tearing the roof from a home, destroying two large metal outbuildings and damage to a half-dozen vehicles. The tornado moved north and destroyed a barn on the Nance and Merrick county line, but narrowly missed the home. Window and siding damage was noted at the home.Later that evening, one final tornado was reported. This tornado moved from south of Silver Creek to northeast of Silver Creek just before sunset. The tornado clipped the southeast side of town, resulting in damage to the post office, several cars, trees, and 13 residences in town. Fortunately, most of the damage was minor.

Began near North Star (41.4333, -98.3000).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

6 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5269265. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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