SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – The date was June 16, 2014. What started out as a normal day 10 years ago last Sunday would end up being anything but.
It was the typical setup for severe weather conditions in the area. An upper-level trough had established over the western portions of the United States, a strong southwesterly jet blanketed the Plains and upper Midwest, funneling warm, very moist air into the Siouxland area. Dew points were between 60 and 70 degrees.
Pilger residents remember twin tornadoes 10 years later
A warm front and a cold front were located over southeastern South Dakota and northern parts of northern Iowa. These frontal boundaries initiated an earlier round of showers and storms earlier in the morning hours. It was the outflow limit of these storms, combined with an already volatile atmosphere with strong wind shear (change in wind direction/speed with height) within low levels, very high levels of instability with CKeynoteUSAE (convective potential energy available) above 3000 J/kg. Instead, abundant moisture and the outflow boundary had pushed into northeastern Nebraska, which would induce the development of scattered storms that eventually coalesced into an intense, long-lived supercell.
That supercell would produce five tornadoes in total, four of which were considered violent (EF-4 and above).
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Just before 8 a.m. CDT on June 16, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) upgraded the area, including Stanton County and most of northeastern Nebraska and the most of the state of Iowa, from a slight risk to a moderate risk of severe storms. weather (Note: Marginal/enhanced risk had not yet been added to the severe weather outlook).
With this improvement, much of northeastern Nebraska was at a 10% tornado threat, indicating a 10% or greater potential for strong to violent tornadoes (EF-2 and above) in the area. A significant large hail threat was also observed across Siouxland within a 30 to 45% large hail threat, with a 10% or greater chance of hail 2 inches in diameter or larger. The SPC noted in its outlook text supercells capable of producing “very large hail” and “tornadoes… a couple of which could be significant.”
The next update from the SPC just after 11:30 a.m. CDT maintained the moderate risk of severe weather with similar wording to the previous update.
At 12:25 pm CDT, the first tornado watch of the day was issued for northwestern Iowa and southwestern Minnesota.
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Just before 3 pm CDT, a final update from the SPC was issued ahead of the first tornado to touch down in northeastern Nebraska. It was pretty much the same as previous updates; however, SPC forecasters noted their greatest concern from northeast Nebraska to southeast South Dakota and northwest Iowa into the afternoon and evening. This time, however, they warned not only of concerns about the possibility of major tornadoes, but also the increasing threat of one or two violent tornadoes (EF-4 to EF-5).
12 minutes after that update, the SPC issued a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado watch for all of northeast Nebraska, as well as Harrison and Monona counties in northwest Iowa. The PDS label is only used in tornado watches when there is a high level of confidence in the occurrence of multiple strong/significant tornadoes. Probabilities with the June 16, 2014 warning indicated a 90% chance of tornadoes and an 80% chance of EF2+ tornadoes.
The first of the violent tornadoes touched down just over half an hour after the PDS tornado watch was issued.
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A tornado warning was issued at 3:41 pm CDT for Cuming and Stanton counties, initially due to the rotation indicated by radar.
At 3:42 p.m., a tornado (Tornado A) developed southwest of Stanton, producing limited damage until crossing the Elkhorn River as it traveled northeast.
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At 3:51 p.m., an update to the previous warning was issued, indicating that there was now a confirmed spotter, a damaging tornado on the ground just two miles west of Stanton. That tornado would end up causing considerable damage to two properties.
Intensification continued north of Stanton with another farm completely destroyed. As it reached its peak intensity approaching Highway 275, more farms were completely destroyed and farm machinery was thrown considerably far away. NWS Omaha survey teams also noted trees cut at their bases in their summary of the event. That tornado caused more intense damage to more farms north of Highway 275 before dissipating at 4:11 pm CDT.
Before that tornado dissipated, the supercell spawned another tornado to the southeast. NWS Omaha says this second tornado was the most intense of the tornadoes produced by the supercell.
The community remembers Pilger EF4 5 years later
At 4:00 pm CDT, 11 minutes before the first tornado ended, a second tornado (Tornado B) touched down just six miles southeast of the town of Pilger, Nebraska.
At 4:03 pm CDT, the tornado warning in effect for Cuming and Stanton counties was again updated. This time, meteorologists noted that radar indicated the possibility of a second tornado developing just east of Stanton.
Read about how Pilger first responders made a life-saving decision during the tornado here
Just before 4:15 pm, when the initial tornado warning was to be allowed to expire, at 4:12 pm CDT, NWS Omaha issued a new tornado warning for a confirmed tornado on the ground just southwest of Pilger:
Initially, this tornado was relatively weak as it moved northeastward. However, as the tornado approached Pilger, it rapidly intensified. Taking a path directly through Pilger, the tornado caused substantial damage to homes and businesses, leaving some flattened or flattened. Brick buildings in downtown Pilger were severely damaged and some were completely destroyed. Trees were stripped of bark throughout the city, a barn was destroyed, and cars were thrown like toys and smashed.
Wisner-Pilger High School was irreparably damaged. St. John’s Lutheran Church was leveled and partially leveled, leaving only its steeple standing as the tornado finally left the city and moved northeast, weakening briefly before strengthening one last time as it began to turn further north. .
At 4:23 pm CDT, as Tornado B swept through Pilger, a third tornado (Tornado C) from the same supercell was confirmed to be on the ground four miles northwest of Wisner (Note: at this point only Tornado B and C were in Tornado A had already dissipated). This tornado and the ongoing Pilger tornado moved parallel to each other for several miles until the Pilger tornado turned further north. As Tornado B took that turn, Tornado C crossed in front of it. As that was happening, Tornado C’s circulation began to be absorbed by Tornado B’s, and Tornado C began to envelop Tornado B’s circulation.
Tornado C dissipated at 4:32 pm, while Tornado Pilger (Tornado C) remained on the ground a little longer before also dissipating at 4:39 pm CDT.
NWS Omaha Pilger Tornado Event Summary
The Pilger tornado caused one death and 20 injuries along its 18.41-mile path. Tornado C caused one death along its 11.84 mile path. Both were rated EF-4.
After tornadoes B and C dissipated, the supercell produced a final tornado about 10 miles south of the city of Wakefield and continued north. It barely missed Wakefield as the violent tornado produced substantial damage and destruction to the south/southeast of the city. Three farms were destroyed before the tornado crossed Highway 9 and dissipated north of Wakefield after remaining on the ground for 16.22 miles. Despite the violent damage, there were no injuries or deaths from the EF-4 tornado.
In total, the supercell that produced the Pilger, Nebraska, tornado produced five tornadoes, four of which were rated as violent at EF-4 strength.
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