F3 Tornado — Clay, Nebraska

2001-09-22 · near Edgar, Clay, Nebraska

Event narrative

Tornado exited Clay county and entered Fillmore county.

Wider weather episode

A cold front sagging south into a very unstable airmass was the trigger for severe thunderstorms which produced two tornadoes and some hail across the region. Within an hour of the initial thunderstorm development, the first tornado set down southwest of Saronville in Clay county. This rope-like tornado was witnessed by many people, including numerous storm chasers, in Clay county. The tornado drifted slowly south across farmland and damaged two pivots and did some minor crop damage.The second tornado, which was rated an F3, was on the ground for about 30 minutes. The tornado basically followed state highway 74 from north of Edgar in southeast Clay county, to northwest of Shickley in far southwest Fillmore county. Along its path, 14 irrigation pivots were destroyed, at least 15 grain bins were lost and two farmsteads sustained extensive damage. One farmhouse was deemed a total loss, while another incurred broken windows, damaged siding and minor roof damage. Over 10,000 acres of corn and soybeans suffered an average yield loss of 30 percent.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.4333, -97.9667)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5269494. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.