135
NOUS43 KGID 182200
PNSGID
NEZ047-087-191200-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
500 PM CDT MON MAY 18 2026
..NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR MAY 17, 2026 TORNADO EVENT
OVERVIEW
THREE TORNADOES OCCURRED ON SUNDAY IN SOUTH
CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF EACH EVENT.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE HOWARD
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER, THAYER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER,
SPOTTERS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND MANY OTHERS WHO PROVIDED
INFORMATION FOR THIS SURVEY.
RURAL SOUTHWEST HOWARD COUNTY TORNADO
RATING: EF-U
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: UNDETERMINED
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: BRIEF TOUCHDOWN
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: UNDETERMINED
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 5/17/2026
START TIME: 4:51 PM CDT
START LOCATION: 5 SSW DANNEBROG / HOWARD / NE
START LAT/LON: 41.0535 / -98.5843
END DATE: 5/17/2026
END TIME: 4:51 PM CDT
END LOCATION: 5 SSW DANNEBROG / HOWARD / NE
END LAT/LON: 41.0535 / -98.5843
SURVEY SUMMARY: THIS TORNADO WAS BRIEF AND REPORTED FIRST BY
LOCAL MEDIA, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A SECOND REPORT. NO DAMAGE
WAS FOUND OR REPORTED. A RATING OF EF-U WAS APPLIED DUE
TO THE LACK OF DAMAGE INDICATORS TO MAKE A WINDSPEED ESTIMATION.
SAINT LIBORY TORNADO
RATING: EF-3
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 160 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 6.09 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 350 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 05/17/2026
START TIME: 05:04 PM CDT
START LOCATION: 4 NW ST. LIBORY / HOWARD COUNTY / NE
START LAT/LON: 41.1288 / -98.4149
END DATE: 05/17/2026
END TIME: 05:15 PM CDT
END LOCATION: 4 NE ST. LIBORY / HOWARD COUNTY / NE
END LAT/LON: 41.1266 / -98.2994
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THIS PHOTOGENIC TORNADO TOOK A ROUGHLY WEST-TO-EAST TREK ACROSS
SOUTHEAST HOWARD COUNTY NORTH OF ST. LIBORY FOR ABOUT 11 MINUTES.
THE TORNADO CAME TOGETHER QUICKLY ON THE EDGE OF A FARMSTEAD WEST OF
HIGHWAY 281 WHERE SOME SMALL OUTBUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED AND MANY
TREES DAMAGED. AS IT MOVED EAST, IT QUICKLY SNAPPED POWER POLES
AND MOVED ACROSS HIGHWAY 281 ABOUT 1.9 MILES NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 58
INTERSECTION.
EAST OF HIGHWAY 281, THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT
ROLLED INTO A RURAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. FOUR DWELLINGS WERE
ESSENTIALLY DESTROYED. AT LEAST TWO MORE DETACHED GARAGE TYPE
STRUCTURES WERE DESTROYED. RESIDENTS WHO WHERE HOME AT THE TIME
TOOK SHELTER AFTER RECEIVING TORNADO WARNING INFORMATION AND
SEEING THE TORNADO APPROACH. VIDEO EVIDENCE SUGGESTS TWO HOMES
LIKELY TOOK A DIRECT HIT FROM THE TORNADO. POWER POLES WERE
SNAPPED AND A PIVOT NEARBY WAS TUMBLED OVER AND BROKEN INTO
SEVERAL PIECES.
FROM THERE, THE TORNADO POWERED EAST THROUGH A GROVE OF TREES WHILE
ALSO DAMAGING POWER POLES, FENCING AND EXHIBITING GROUND SCOURING.
EVENTUALLY, DAMAGE BECAME LESS WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE IN NATURE.
THE TORNADO LIFTED JUST PRIOR TO THE MERRICK COUNTY LINE ABOUT
4 MILES NORTHEAST OF ST. LIBORY.
THIS TORNADO WAS RATED A HIGH-END EF-3 WITH ESTIMATED MAXIMUM
WINDSPEED OF AROUND 160 MPH BASED UPON THE HOME DAMAGE.
HEBRON SOUTH SIDE TORNADO
RATING: EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 95 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 4.25 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 200 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 05/17/2026
START TIME: 06:42 PM CDT
START LOCATION: 3 SW HEBRON / THAYER COUNTY / NE
START LAT/LON: 40.1391 / -97.6398
END DATE: 05/17/2026
END TIME: 06:53 PM CDT
END LOCATION: 1 ESE HEBRON / THAYER COUNTY / NE
END LAT/LON: 40.1616 / -97.5665
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THE HEBRON TORNADO STARTED WITH ESTIMATED EF-0 LEVEL DAMAGE TO TREE
LIMBS NEAR THE SPRING CREEK, APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
TOWN. IT INTENSIFIED TO AN EF-1 AS IT MOVED EAST-NORTHEAST, CAUSING
TREES TO BE UPROOTED AND THE UPLIFT OF THE ROOF OF A GOLF CART SHED
AT THE HEBRON COUNTRY CLUB. THE TORNADO THEN WEAKENED AS IT TRAVELED
NORTHEAST, CROSSING OVER THE AIRPORT BEFORE ENDING ON THE EAST-
SOUTHEAST SIDE OF TOWN, WITH THE LOSS OF ROOFING MATERIAL ON A FARM
SHED AND ADDITIONAL TREE DAMAGE NEAR THE LITTLE BLUE RIVER.
THE PEAK WIND WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 95 MPH BASED PRIMARILY ON
THE TREE DAMAGE.
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0.....65 TO 85 MPH
EF1.....86 TO 110 MPH
EF2.....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3.....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4.....166 TO 200 MPH
EF5.....>200 MPH
NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.
NOAA/NWS/MORITZ
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