Hallam, Nebr.,Survey: 2.5 Miles Wide at Times!!!

[Guest]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
400 PM CDT TUE MAY 25 2004

... DAMAGE SURVEY REPORT ON THE HALLAM NEBRASKA TORNADO ...

A SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN VALLEY,NE
OF THE TORNADO THAT STRUCK HALLAM ON SATURDAY,MAY 22ND. THE
FOLLOWING IS AN OVERVIEW OF DAMAGE ALONG THE TRACK.

THE TORNADO STARTED 2 MILES NORTH OF DAYKIN,NE AND TRAVELED
EAST-NORTHEAST TO ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTH OF WESTERN AND CONTINUED TO
ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF SWANTON. THE TORNADO WAS RATED F0 TO F1 ON
THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE IN THIS SECTION. MUCH OF THE DAMAGE WAS DUE
TO FARM OUTBUILDINGS,GRAIN BINS AND TREES. THE TORNADO REMAINED F0
TO F1 UNTIL IT STRUCK THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF WILBER WHERE IT
STRENGHTHENED TO F2. ROOFS BLOWN OFF OF HOMES OCCURRED JUST
SOUTHEAST OF WILBER.

THE TORNADO FROM WILBER TO NORTH OF CLATONIA TO HALLAM GREW TO ITS
MOST INTENSE STAGE. THE TORNADO'S PATH WIDTH ALSO INCREASED TO AN
UNPRECIDENTED TWO AND ONE-HALF MILES. THE F-SCALE RATING FOR THE
STORM WAS F4 FROM ABOUT CLATONIA TO HALLAM. MANY WELL-BUILT HOMES
WERE DEMOLISHED. GRAIN BINS,FARM SHEDS AND OUTBUILDINGS,AND TREES
WERE DEMOLISHED ALONG THIS SECTION OF THE PATH. HALLAM ITSELF
ESCAPED THE STRONGEST WINDS OF THE STORM,WHICH WERE SOUTH OF THE
TOWN. NEVERTHELESS,MANY OF THE STRUCTURES IN HALLAM WERE RATED F2
TO F3. THE STORM ALSO TOPPLED HOPPER CARS FROM A FREIGHT TRAIN ON
THE WEST SIDE OF THE TOWN.

THE TORNADO THEN TRACKED EAST FOR SEVERAL MILES PRIOR TO TURNING
NORTHEAST AGAIN. THE STORM NARROWED TO ABOUT A MILE WIDE AS IT
PASSED JUST NORTH OF CORTLAND AND ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF FIRTH. THE
NORRIS SCHOOLS NORTH OF FIRTH RECEIVED SEVERE DAMAGE WITH THE ROOF
OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM COLLAPSED AND SEVERAL WALLS CAVED
IN. SCHOOL BUSSES WERE TOSSED. SEVERAL HOMES NORTHEAST OF THE
SCHOOLS WERE FLATTENED WHERE THE STORM WAS AGAIN RATED F4.

DAMAGE CONTINUED NORTHEAST TO HOLLAND AND 2 MILES NORTH OF PANAMA.
THE TORNADO WAS SLGHTLY WEAKER IN THIS SECTION (F2 AT THE MOST) AND
BEGAN TO NARROW. THE TRACK THEN CURVED MORE TO THE NORTH, JUST TO
THE SOUTH OF BENNET WHERE SOME HOMES RECEIVED F3 DAMAGE. AFTER
PASSING TO THE SOUTH OF BENNET, THE STORM MOVED BACK TO THE
NORTHEAST AND BEGAN TO WEAKEN TO F0 TO F1 STRENGTH. THE TRACK ALSO
WAS BECOMING NARROWER. THE TORNADO THEN DISSIPATED 1 MILE WEST OF
PALMYRA.

IN SUMMARY.

F-SCALE RATING: F4
PATH LENGTH: 52 MILES
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 2 1/2 MILES
THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE IS AS FOLLOWS:

F0 LESS THAN 73 MPH CHIMNEYS DAMAGED, TREES BROKEN

F1 73-112 MPH MOBILE HOMES MOVED
OFF FOUNDATIONS OR OVERTURNED

F2 113-157 MPH CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE, MOBILE HOMES
DEMOLISHED, TREES UPROOTED

F3 158-206 MPH ROOF AND WALLS TORN DOWN, TRAINS
OVERTURNED, CARS THROWN

F4 207-260 MPH WELL-CONSTRUCTED WALLS LEVELED

F5 261-318 MPH HOMES LIFTED OFF FOUNDATIONS
AND CARRIED SOME DISTANCE, CARS
THROWN A LONG DISTANCE.

MORE INFORMATION AND PICTURES WILL BE POSTED ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE WEB SITE AT http://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/OAX/

BRIAN E. SMITH
WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE

[george_r_1961]

Wow...one hell of a wedge!

[Josephine96]

Thanks for that Brian.. I actually heard about it on the weather channel this morning

[wx247]

Holy cow!!!!

[Guest]

Holy cow!!!!

You can say that again? I always thought that 1 to 1.5 miles wide or so was rediculous!

[Brent]

OMG... 2 1/2 miles????

I thought a mile was insane.

[Guest]

OMG... 2 1/2 miles????

I thought a mile was insane.

And to think that thing was on a beeline for the Omaha Metro area where I reside... It made a hard right turn at about the Hallam area and spare the big metro area. Still, though, it is a tragedy when a town is pratically demolished, especially wehen there are fatalities involved.

[senorpepr]

And to think that thing was on a beeline for the Omaha Metro area where I reside... It made a hard right turn at about the Hallam area and spare the big metro area. Still, though, it is a tragedy when a town is pratically demolished, especially wehen there are fatalities involved.

WOW. I remember watching this cell w/ you on radar and talking about where in the metro that would hit. I know my heart was racing after hearing the initial reports of out Hallam via 96.9FM. Imagine if that cell hadn't turned. That same cell produced over 100mph winds in Union, which caused a great deal of damage. That wouldn't have been pretty here in Omaha.

[Guest]

That wouldn't have been pretty here in Omaha.

Nope!

[CaptinCrunch]

SUPER TORNADO, up up and AWAY!!

[AirmaN]

2 1/2!? Let's put it this way... I always hated running the mile at school, I would die running 2 1/2

[vbhoutex]

I thought I was being bsed when I first heard that!!! I figured I heard wrong too!!! INCREDIBLE!!!! Thank goodness it didn't make it into a heavily populated area!!

[Suzi Q]

I've got more video from David Drummond on Hallum. One he shot that night when he got in as a First Responder (after almost being eaten by another tornado) and another when they let him in the next day. If ya'll want it, I'll post it here. According to him and his chase partner, they were almost in tears driving through the town. The destruction was unlike anything they had ever seen in all their years of chasing.

Your heart just breaks for those people. I cannot even imagine what it's like coming home to find you have no home anymore.

[Cumulonimbus]

If you can post the video I would like to see it. The damage is unbelievable and a tornado 2 1/2 miles wide is incredible. Looking at the pictures from the Omaha NWS website shows how complete the devastation is though. I am sorry for the loss of life but it is a miracle that more people were not killed. It must have been terrifying to go through that.

My thoughts are prayers are with them and all of you in the midwest and points east. The severe weather is not over yet. I live in Seattle so I don't experience it. Please take care and stay safe, everyone.

Alex

[isobar]

Needless to say, that's a P5 on the Pearson Scale.
Does anyone know its forward speed? I was just wondering about how much time it would take for that to pass over a certain location. If moving at 30mph, I think we're talking about 6 minutes. That's an unbelievably long time to be subjected to F4 winds. Beyond comprehension.

[vbhoutex]

Even if it was moving 60 mph you are still talking 3 minutes of F4 winds which is still BEYOND COMPREHENSION!!!!!

PLEASE do post the video Suz!!

I understand how david and partner felt going through there. I saw the same thing after Camille, as did my parents 2 weeks after Camille hit(mine was 2 months after). INDESCRIBABLE is the only way to express the thoughts, the feelings and the actual scene. I would never wish what I saw on my worst enemy!!!

[Santhony]

I have spent the last 4 days in down town hallam. I am with the Firth Fire and Rescue and was on the search and Rescue the following morning and Firth has provided EMS support for the town during clean up. I would just like everyone to know that yes it was 2.5 mile wide in some areas but the path goes for over 30 to 35 miles and effected 8 different towns and destroyed the school that all the towns share. The destruction can not be written nor photographed to share what real feelings are felt when a family return to the desturction of there life. Homes, cars and for this town the churches. Everyone gather around the church as they lifted the bell from the pile. No one was strong enough to keep the feelings back. God Bless them. I am proud to say that I am of these people.

[vbhoutex]

Santhony, thank you for your response. Also thank you for helping those poor people even as your life has also been disrupted. May God's many blessings be visited on these people as they continue to recover from this tragedy!!

[Suzi Q]

Ok all per your request. The first one is THAT NIGHT after the tornado struck Hallum. The second one is damage to his van. The third one is the next day, and is about 8 minutes long but worth the wait to see.


http://wx5tvs.com/chasephotos/2004/2004 ... Damage.wmv

http://wx5tvs.com/chasephotos/2004/2004 ... asevan.wmv

http://www.wx5tvs.com/chasephotos/2004/ ... lam_NE.avi

Suz

Dang, I meant to tell ya'll that part of his chase video was on ABC World News Tonight Last night. It was at the end of the broadcast with Peter Jennings commenting "Don't try this at home". If he only knew.........

[Cumulonimbus]

Again tonight, more severe thunderstorms and tornados are breaking out in the midwest, Texas and the Ohio Valley. I live in Seattle and all I keep hearing about is that the current trough over us now is headed east which will cause another severe outbreak Saturday and Sunday. A front just moved through us with an ugly sky, followed by heavy rain showers for about a half hour.
I again want to let you know..more severe weather is on the way. PLEASE stay safe and pay attention to the forecasts. For a spring that began slowly, things have picked up very rapidly. To the people affected by the severe weather my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Take care.

Thanks for the video too.

Alex