From April 13 to 16, 2012, a major tornado outbreak occurred across a large portion of the Great Plains region of the United States. The storms resulted in six tornado-related fatalities, all of which occurred as a result of a nighttime EF3 tornado that caused major damage in and around Woodward, Oklahoma. Numerous other tornadoes occurred, including a violent EF4 tornado that passed near Marquette, Kansas, and an EF3 tornado that caused major damage in Wichita.
Meteorological synopsis An impressive low pressure area and associated trough began tracking into the Great Plains on April 13, and a slight risk of severe weather was issued. The outlook mentioned the possibility of tornadoes, including the risk for isolated strong tornadoes. No strong tornadoes occurred, though an EF1 tornado caused considerable damage in Norman, Oklahoma.
For only the second time in history (previously for April 7, 2006; and not occurring again subsequently until March 15, 2025), a day two high risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center around 0600 UTC on April 13, 2012. This is also the first and only time a Day 2 High Risk was introduced for the 0600 UTC Day 2 Outlook, as other aforementioned Day 2 High Risk outlooks were upgraded at for the 1730 UTC issuance. In the discussion, the SPC stated that a major tornado outbreak was likely across central Kansas and north-central Oklahoma in the afternoon and night of April 14, with long-tracked violent tornadoes likely. It was later expanded to include a second high risk area across much of Nebraska, where a rare 45% tornado probability was given during the early morning update on April 14. In the morning of the 14th, the high risk area was expanded again to combine the two separate areas into a single large one. Later in the day, the 45% tornado probability was shifted from Nebraska south to Kansas and northern Oklahoma. A large outbreak of tornadoes impacted the Great Plains states on April 14, and several PDS tornado warnings were issued during the outbreak. Initially, most of the tornadoes were small or remained over open country, though more significant tornado activity began to develop throughout the day. A high-end EF2 tornado struck Creston, Iowa, flipping vehicles and causing major structural damage to homes and other buildings in town. Another EF2 wedge tornado struck Thurman, Iowa, damaging 75% of the town. In Nebraska, a strong EF2 tornado destroyed outbuildings and badly damaged a home near Cook, while a large and violent EF4 tornado leveled a home and debarked trees near Marquette, Kansas. Later that evening, a cyclic supercell thunderstorm developed in northern Oklahoma before moving into southern Kansas, producing multiple tornadoes along the way. This included a large EF3 wedge tornado that destroyed homes near Conway Springs. As this supercell moved into Wichita around 10:15 pm CDT (0315 UTC), another large EF3 wedge tornado touched down and caused major damage in the southeastern part of the city. Staff at the Wichita National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport were forced to hand over responsibility for their County Warning Area to the National Weather Service office in Topeka and take shelter at about 10:00 pm CDT (0300 UTC), returning to duty half an hour later. Another supercell thunderstorm also produced two EF3 wedge tornadoes that passed near Fellsburg and Hudson, causing significant damage.
Around 10:00 p.m. CDT (0300 UTC), a broken squall line began to form across the eastern portions of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles; a thunderstorm developed ahead of the northern line segment in northwestern Wheeler County, Texas, at approximately 10:30 p.m. CDT (0330 UTC), and began developing supercell characteristics as it tracked northeastward into the Oklahoma counties of Ellis and Roger Mills. A tornado warning was issued for Ellis, Harper and Woodward counties at 12:00 am CDT (0500 UTC) on April 15 after weather spotters reported a tornado spawned by this supercell located southeast of Gage in Ellis County. This high-end EF3 tornado later struck Woodward, Oklahoma, at 12:20 am CDT (0520 UTC), killing six people. Multiple homes and businesses were destroyed in Woodward, and all fatalities occurred as a result of destroyed mobile homes.The Oklahoman Additional weak tornadoes occurred on April 15 and 16 before the outbreak came to an end.
Confirmed tornadoes
Lyons–Kanopolis Lake–Salina, Kansas
The strongest tornado of the outbreak, was this long-lived and violent EF4 tornado that tracked across portions of central Kansas on April 14. At 5:30 pm, a supercell moved into Rice County, before dropping down a tornado in the northwest-central part of the county, northwest of Lyons at 5:33 pm. Along a long, northeasterly path southwest to east of Geneseo, the tornado stripped off the gutters and shingles off one home, snapped five power poles and launched them into a nearby field, and ripped two truck axles off a vehicle from an unknown location into the open farmland. Several large trees had their trunks snapped and twisted, including some cottonwood species. The tornado within Rice County at maximum, caused EF2 damage before moving into Ellsworth County.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's finalized damage survey by county:
Upon entering Ellsworth County at approximately 6:00 pm, south of the Kanopolis Lake area near Crawford, the tornado would parallel for most of its time the K-4 highway, located to the west of the tornado. Traversing a track in distance, the storm impacted one farmhouse just south of Kanopolis Lake and K-4 highway, near Langley. The violent tornado, now at EF4 intensity, completely leveled the home off its foundation, leaving only the staircase in the center of the residence behind in the process. A section of gravel road at the farm was scoured away at a depth of while nearby trees were snapped, shredded, and in some instances debarked by the intense winds with debris from the destroyed farmhouse strewn into a tree line to the northeast. A car was flipped and tossed upside down as well, before the tornado exited Ellsworth County at 6:09 pm.
Now in McPherson County, northwest of Marquette, the tornado abruptly weakened to EF0 intensity along its track in the extreme northwestern corner of the county, as trees were mainly damaged at this level of intensity. After spending 4 minutes within McPherson County, at 6:13 pm the storm left for neighboring Saline County. It entered through the southern portion, southwest of the Smoky Hills Weapons Range, or southwest of Falun. The tornado began to head more north-northeast at this point, heading right for regions west of the large city of Salina. In the city, a stop sign from the Kanopolis Lake area, was found from its origin point. Near Smolan, the tornado impacted one farmhouse and across parts of Saline County, major damage to trees was noted. The tornado along the path across the county, only at its strongest was at EF2 intensity. Southeast of Culver, the tornado would dissipate south of the Saline–Ottawa County line at 6:36 pm.
The long-track, violent tornado, tracked a distance long and wide. The tornado lasted for 1 hour and 3 minutes, and at its strongest caused EF4 damage at a farmstead in Ellsworth County. No injuries or fatalities were reported by this event. This was the first time a violent tornado occurred in the state of Kansas, since the EF4 tornado that struck Manhattan on June 11, 2008. It would be the last until 2016, as a long-lived and powerful EF4 tornado passed near areas of Chapman. This event would also be the final tornado rated EF4 during the 2012 season, with other violent tornadoes preceding it in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky in February and March.
Greensburg–Macksville–St. John–Raymond, Kansas
During the evening of April 14, a cyclical supercell produced a tornado family, predominantly consisting of two large and powerful tornadoes in southwest to central Kansas. The first one of what the National Weather Service in Dodge City, Kansas refers as the Big Two tornadoes, initially formed to the west of Greensburg, in west-central Kiowa County at 8:27 pm. The tornado was quoted by the National Weather Service as being "eerily similar" to the EF5 tornado that occurred prior on May 4, 2007, as well as even crossing the path of that particular tornado as it was northwest of the city.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's finalized damage survey by county:
Across a section in parts of northern Kiowa County, the tornado intensified to EF3 strength, as well as growing to wide. North of Greensburg, the intense tornado caused damage to farm outbuildings and machinery, areas with trees, power lines, and irrigation pivots. Approaching the county line with Edwards County, at 8:40 pm, an EF1 satellite tornado touched down on the eastern flank of the primary tornado. The secondary tornado caused minor damage to trees and a mobile home, before dissipating at 8:43 pm. Meanwhile, the tornado caused instances of ground scouring in fields south of the border before leaving the area one minute earlier, at 8:42 pm.
Crossing over into Edwards County, south-southwest of Fellsburg, the twister grew to wide as it tracked a path through the eastern portions of the county. In its wake, the storm caused EF3 damage to a farmhouse, as well as more trees, powerlines, and more farm machinery and outbuildings. In one wheat field, considerable ground scouring was noted to have occurred as it passed in between Fellsburg and Trousdale. Later, the tornado then entered Stafford County, south-southwest of Macksville at 9:01 pm, shifting a little more to the east as it began heading towards areas east of the city. Along the track across Stafford County, EF2 damage was noted, with such level of damage occurring to trees, irrigation pivot sprinklers and outbuildings. Being on the ground for 8 minutes afterwards, the first EF3 tornado dissipated west-northwest of Dillwyn at 9:10 pm.
Immediately after the occlusion of EF3 Fellsburg tornado, the parent storm put down an even larger tornado, the second of the Big Two, to the east of Macksville at 9:10 pm. The "monster" tornado rapidly widened in width and headed northeast, directly for St. John before abruptly making a more northern turn. The northern outskirts of St. John were impacted as the tornado continued north, before returning to a northeasterly course. Several farmsteads and rural homes were impacted as the tornado moved towards and passed east of Hudson. To the southeast of the main vortex, another instance of a satellite tornado, rated EF1 after damaging power poles and trees, touched down at 9:23 pm to the south of Hudson. The satellite only lasted for 7 minutes, before dissipating at 9:30 pm.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's finalized damage survey by county:
The massive tornado, which already was wide, persisted as it headed northeast, before then encroaching into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Afterwards, the tornado exited Stafford County and entered the western sections of Rice County at 9:45 pm. At this point, the tornado began to shrink in size and weaken, down both to and EF1 intensity, as it traversed past Raymond to the east. A large metal machine shed was destroyed, with sheet metal debris launched and wrapped around trees and fence posts. Windows at a nearby farmhouse were blown out, with a section of a metal fence tossed into the home's window. At approximately 10:01 pm, the second EF3 St. John tornado dissipated northeast of the Raymond, becoming the final lasting tornado of the family.