PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT ...CORRECTED... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD 137 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2010 /1237 PM MDT MON MAY 24 2010/ ...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FROM THE MAY 22 TORNADO EVENT... PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM NWS STORM SURVEY DAMAGE TEAM ALONG WITH EYEWITNESS AND MEDIA REPORTS INDICATE THAT A PRELIMINARY TOTAL OF SEVEN TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS OCCURRED ON 22 MAY 2010. ...WALWORTH COUNTY... THE FIRST CONFIRMED TOUCHDOWN APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN ROUGHLY 3 MILES SOUTH OF AKASKA. THIS WAS A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN AND NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF0 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 65 TO 85 MPH. THE NEXT TOUCHDOWN TOOK PLACE ROUGHLY 2 MILES SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 12 ON STATE HIGHWAY 47. THERE WERE 5 TO 7 WOODEN POWER POLES THAT WERE KNOCKED DOWN. THE TORNADO THEN LIFTED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF1 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 86 TO 110 MPH. THE TORNADO RE-FORMED ABOUT 4 MILES WEST OF BOWDLE ON HIGHWAY 12. THE TORNADO CAME DOWN ON A FARMSTEAD ON THE NORTHSIDE OF THE ROAD...OR FORMED IMMEDIATELY TO THE SOUTH OF THE FARMSTEAD AND TRACKED THROUGH THE YARD. SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED...WITH THE RESIDENCE SUSTAINING SIDING AND ROOF DAMAGE BUT STILL HABITABLE. A STOCK TRAILER WAS THROWN ABOUT 75 YARDS FROM ITS INITIAL POINT. TREE DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE PROPERTY...WITH FALLEN TREES LEANING TO THE WEST. ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE PROPERTY DEBRIS WAS SCATTERED TO THE NORTHEAST. THE TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING NORTHEAST CROSSING INTO EDMUNDS COUNTY AT THE INTERSECTION OF 133RD STREET AND 323RD AVE. THE DAMAGE SUSTAINED AT THE FARMSTEAD IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF2 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 111 TO 135 MPH. ...WEST AND CENTRAL EDMUNDS COUNTY... THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK NORTHEAST THROUGH WESTERN EDMUNDS COUNTY...STRIKING A FARMSTEAD NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 132ND STREET AND 323RD AVE. SEVERAL LARGE COTTONWOOD TREES WERE UPROOTED ALONG WITH DAMAGE TO SEVERAL TRAILERS. 3 GRAIN BINS WERE DESTROYED WITH DEBRIS LOCATED SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS TO THE NORTHEAST. THE RESIDENCE SUFFERED SOME SHINGLE DAMAGE AND ANTENNA DAMAGE. THE MAIN TORNADO TRACK WAS SOUTH OF THIS LOCATION...AND DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF1 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 86 TO 110 MPH. THE TORNADO TRACKED TO A LOCATION ABOUT 1.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BOWDLE. THE RESIDENCE IS LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF 132ND STREET AND 325TH AVENUE. SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS AT THIS LOCATION WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...WITH WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE ON THE PROPERTY. THE MAIN HOUSE AT THIS LOCATION SUFFERED NO DAMAGE. SEVERAL GRAIN CARS WERE ROLLED ABOUT 100 YARDS INTO THE TREES BEHIND THE HOUSE. DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF3 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 136 TO 165 MPH. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK NORTHEAST TO A LOCATION ABOUT 1 MILE NORTH OF BOWDLE ON 132ND STREET. THE MAIN LIVING RESIDENCE SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE TO WALLS WITH PART OF THE ROOF STRUCTURE REMOVED. WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED...WITH MANY OF THE TREES COMPLETELY DEBARKED WITH ONLY STUMPS OF THE LARGEST BRANCHES REMAINING. 2 LARGE GARAGES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH THE CONCRETE SLAB WIPED CLEAN. THE VEHICLES IN ONE GARAGE WERE ROLLED/TOSSED FROM 25 TO 100 YARDS AWAY. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ONE VEHICLE FLEW THROUGH THE AIR 75 TO 100 YARDS RESTING IN THE TREE SHELTER BELT TO THE NORTH OF THE RESIDENCE. SEVERAL OTHER OUTBUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF4 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 166 TO 200 MPH. LOCATED JUST NORTH OF THIS RESIDENCE...SEVERAL METAL POWER TRANSMISSION TOWERS WERE TOPPLED. ONE TOWER WAS SHEARED OFF FROM THE CONCRETE FOOTINGS AND TRAVELED AN ESTIMATED 400 YARDS AWAY. THERE WERE 6 TO 8 OF THESE TOWERS TOPPLED. GROUND SCOURING WAS VISIBLE ALONG THE PATH OF THESE TOWERS. THE DAMAGE TO THE TOWERS IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF4 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 166 TO 200 MPH. THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION...CROSSING OVER STATE HIGHWAY 47 JUST NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION WITH 132ND STREET. A STATE RADIO TOWER WAS TOPPLED AT THIS LOCATION...AND IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF2 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 111 TO 135 MPH. THE TORNADO LIFTED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. ANOTHER BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED 6 MILES WNW OF ROSCOE, OR ONE-HALF MILE NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 12 AND STATE HIGHWAY 253. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE REPORTED WITH THIS BRIEF TOUCHDOWN...AND IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF0 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 65 TO 85 MPH. ...NORTHEASTERN EDMUNDS COUNTY... THE INITIAL TORNADO TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED IN NORTHEASTERN EDMUNDS COUNTY NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROADS 128TH STREET AND 360TH AVE WHERE SECTIONS OF ROOF WERE REMOVED FROM A BARN. THE TORNADO THEN TRACKED NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH PRIMARILY CROPLAND AND PASTURE LAND FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES TO NEAR DEERFIELD COLONY. SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE ALONG WITH WOODEN POWER POLES SNAPPED OFF WERE ALSO OBSERVED ALONG THE TORNADO PATH...CONSISTENT WITH AN EF1 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 86 TO 110 MPH. ..SOUTHEASTERN MCPHERSON COUNTY... EYEWITNESS REPORTS INDICATE THE INITIAL TORNADO TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED IN SOUTHEASTERN MCPHERSON COUNTY NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROADS 122ND STREET AND 366TH AVE WHERE BARN...TREE...AND POWER POLE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. THE TORNADO THEN TRACKED EAST/NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN MCPHERSON COUNTY TEARING A ROOF OFF A TURKEY BARN...AND CAUSING SPORADIC TREE AND POWER POLE DAMAGE. PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ESTIMATES ARE CONSISTENT WITH AN EF1 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 86 TO 110 MPH. ...NORTHERN BROWN COUNTY... THIS TORNADO TRACK WAS NOT COMPLETELY SURVEYED. SEVERAL EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS INDICATE THAT A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES WEST AND 1 MILE SOUTH OF HECLA NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 105TH STREET AND 396TH AVE. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED DAMAGE TO ONE FARMSTEAD INCLUDING TEARING A ROOF OFF AN OUTBUILDING AND THROWING GRAIN BINS 100 YARDS OR MORE. TREE DAMAGE WAS ALSO NOTED. PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE INDICATES AN EF1 TORNADO RATING WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 86 TO 110 MPH. THE ABOVE DAMAGE SURVEY AND RATING ASSESSMENTS ARE PRELIMINARY. A FINAL RATING OF ALL TORNADOES WILL BE ASSIGNED PENDING FINAL DATA REVIEW. $$