April 13–16, 2012 tornado outbreak

April 13–16, 2012 tornado outbreak

File:April 14, 2012 Marquette, Kansas EF4 tornado.JPG An EF4 tornado near Marquette, Kansas
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	April 13–16, 2012
Tornadoes confirmed	114 confirmed, 183 reported
Max rating1	EF4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2	2 days, 16 hours, 37 minutes
Damage	At least $283 million (in Wichita, unknown elsewhere)
Casualties	6 fatalities
1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado

From April 13–16, 2012, a major tornado outbreak occurred across a large portion of the Central United States into the Great Lakes region. The storms resulted in 6 tornado-related fatalities, four of which occurred in a mobile home park in Woodward, Oklahoma and two others southeast of Woodward near Tangier, where an EF3 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale caused significant damage and leveled at least 10 homes.

Meteorological synopsis

An impressive low pressure area began tracking into the Central Plains on April 13, and a high-end slight risk of severe weather was issued with isolated strong tornadoes possible. Central Oklahoma was hardest hit with large hail, although one tornado was reported. It caused minor damage in Norman, Oklahoma, where there were unofficial reports of injuries.

File:Evolution of SPC Forecasts Leading to April 14, 2012.png

A montage of the Storm Prediction Center's severe weather outlooks leading up to the outbreak. The final image is a verification of the day one high-risk outlook with reported events.

For only the second time in history (previously for April 7, 2006), a day two high risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center. In the discussion, the SPC stated that a major tornado outbreak was likely across central Kansas and north-central Oklahoma during the afternoon and overnight hours of April 14. 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 late morning update on April 13. During the morning hours on 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.

Several PDS Tornado Warnings were issued in Kansas, being some of the first ever PDS warnings. Many tornadoes were reported, but most of them were in rural areas with little damage despite being considered "large and extremely dangerous".

An EF2 tornado struck and damaged the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, Iowa. The hospital was triaging and moving patients. A temporary hospital was set up at Southwest Community College.

At least four tornadoes were reported near Dodge City, in southwestern Kansas. Two were reported in Rush County.

Late in the evening, a potentially violent tornado tracked across a long swath of south-central Kansas and into Wichita around 10:15 pm CDT (0315 UTC). 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 offices in Topeka and take shelter at about 10:00 pm CDT (0300 UTC), returning to duty half an hour later.

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 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Gage in Ellis County. This tornado later struck Woodward, Oklahoma at 12:20 am CDT (0520 UTC), killing six people.

Tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating

EF0	EF1	EF2	EF3	EF4	EF5	Total
70	35	3	5	1	0	114

April 13 event

List of reported tornadoes - Friday, April 13, 2012
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Oklahoma
EF1	Norman area	McClain, Cleveland		2059	5.5 miles (8.9 km)	An EF1 tornado with winds estimated at 100 mph (160 km/h) tracked through downtown Norman, causing widespread damage. Many homes sustained varying degrees of damage. A paint store was destroyed by the tornado and many trees and power lines were downed. An apartment complex lost its roof as well. Twenty people were injured by the tornado, though only one required hospitalization.
EF0	NNW of Shawnee	Pottawatomie		2224	0.3 miles (0.48 km)	A small outbuilding was damaged.
EF0	SE of Blair (1st tornado)	Jackson		2310	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	SE of Blair (2nd tornado)	Jackson		2316	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	E of Blair	Jackson		2330	2 miles (3.2 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	SE of Cooperton	Kiowa		0025	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	S of Cooperton	Kiowa		0027	0.2 miles (0.32 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	Cooperton area	Kiowa		0028	5 miles (8.0 km)	A silo was damaged and another structure sustained minor roof damage.
EF0	NE of Cooperton	Kiowa		0052	6 miles (9.7 km)	Large tornado with no damage.
EF0	SSE of Carnegie (1st tornado)	Caddo		0136	2 miles (3.2 km)	No damage was reported with this tornado.
EF0	SSE of Carnegie (2nd tornado)	Caddo		0142	0.3 miles (480 m)	No damage was reported with this tornado.
EF0	SSE of Carnegie (3rd tornado)	Caddo		0150	4 miles (6.4 km)	No damage was reported.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 04/13/12, NCDC Storm Events Database

April 14 event

List of reported tornadoes - Saturday, April 14, 2012
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Oklahoma
EF1	NNW of Mustang	Canadian		0552	2 miles (3.2 km)	Four mobile homes suffered minor damage, with one structure sustaining major roof damage. Many trees, power lines, and fences were downed. Numerous homes sustained minor damage, mostly to roofs and siding, and garage doors and windows blown out. One home lost a large portion of its roof.
EF0	NW of Woodward	Woodward		2049	4 miles (6.4 km)	No damage was reported.
EF1	N of Woodward	Woodward, Harper		2059	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Brief tornado damaged a barn.
EF0	WNW of Freedom	Woodward		2126	0.2 miles (320 m)	No damage was reported.
EF0	NNW of Freedom	Woods		2133	0.3 miles (480 m)	No damage was reported.
EF0	SSW of Tangier	Woodward		2218	0.2 miles (320 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF0	SSW of Tangier	Woodward		2224	0.2 miles (320 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF0	NE of Mooreland	Woodward		2315	0.2 miles (320 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF0	ESE of Mooreland	Woodward		2350	0.1 miles (160 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF0	ENE of Mooreland	Woodward		2351	0.2 miles (320 m)	Brief multiple-vortex tornado with no damage.
EF0	SSW of Waynoka	Major		0001	0.1 miles (160 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF1	S of Waynoka	Major, Woods		0006	7.2 miles (11.6 km)	Equipment at an oil field was damaged, causing a fire.
EF0	SE of Waynoka	Woods		0019	1 mile (1.6 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	E of Waynoka to NE of Hopeton	Woods		0030	9 miles (14 km)	No damage was reported.
EF1	W of Cherokee	Alfalfa		0047	10 miles (16 km)	Large and visually intense tornado avoided well-built structures. Farm equipment and several outbuildings were damaged. Two large steel barns were destroyed.
EF0	NW of Cherokee to NW of Amorita	Alfalfa		0057	12 miles (19 km)	Tornado occurred simultaneously with the previous tornado. Several trees and outbuildings were damaged.
EF1	E of Byron to NE of Danville, KS	Alfalfa, Grant, Harper (KS)		0119	36.6 miles (58.9 km)	Large stovepipe tornado. Several homes and outbuildings were damaged and vehicles were destroyed. Numerous trees and power poles were also downed.
EF3	N of Arnett to Woodward	Ellis, Woodward		0442	31 miles (50 km)	6 deaths – See section on this tornado
Kansas
EF1	NW of Burdett	Pawnee		1638	4.1 miles (6.6 km)	A house suffered roof damage and an outbuilding was damaged.
EF1	Rush Center to ESE of Loretta	Rush		1714	17.2 miles (27.7 km)	A pivot sprinkler and a few outbuildings were damaged. Trees were downed.
EF0	S of Russell	Russell		1823	0.75 miles (1.21 km)	A barn suffered minor damage.
EF0	NE of Russell	Russell		1834	1.75 miles (2.82 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	WSW of Lucas	Russell		1843	3 miles (4.8 km)	No damage was reported.
EF1	NNE of Dodge City to W of Burdett	Ford, Hodgeman		1857	32.9 miles (52.9 km)	Long-tracked tornado remained mostly over open fields. The tornado remained on the ground for nearly one hour. A few structures suffered minor damage and trees were downed.
EF1	S of Tipton	Mitchell		1903	3 miles (4.8 km)	Five outbuildings were destroyed and several trees were uprooted.
EF1	E of Minneola	Clark		1924	6.3 miles (10.1 km)	Several trees were downed.
EF1	NE of Burdett to SSW of Rush Center	Pawnee, Rush		2024	4.7 miles (7.6 km)	Several trees were downed and an outbuilding was damaged.
EF1	SE of Lewis	Edwards		2028	9.4 miles (15.1 km)	Several trees and power lines were downed.
EF1	E of Coldwater	Comanche, Barber		2059	10.9 miles (17.5 km)	Several trees and power lines were downed and a barn was damaged.
EF0	ENE of Timken	Rush		2104	0.9 miles (1.4 km)	Brief tornado caused no damage.
EF1	ESE of Seward to NNE of Hudson	Stafford		2125	9.75 miles (15.69 km)	Several trees and power poles were downed.
EF1	Hudson area	Stafford		2135	14.4 miles (23.2 km)	A few trees and power poles were downed.
EF0	Sawyer area	Pratt		2144	2.3 miles (3.7 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	SSE of Ellinwood	Barton		2150	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF0	W of Penalosa	Kingman		2202	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Brief tornado touchdown.
EF0	ENE of Cairo	Pratt		2208	2.3 miles (3.7 km)	No damage was reported.
EF4	N of Lyons to SW of Salina	Rice, Ellsworth, McPherson, Saline		2232	40.25 miles (64.78 km)	Large wedge tornado. A house was swept off of its foundation, a gravel road was scoured and dug out at a depth of around 4 inches (10 cm), and trees were shredded and debarked in a rural area.
EF0	New Cambria	Saline		2350	0.25 miles (400 m)	Brief tornado touchdown with no damage.
EF0	N of Kingman	Kingman		2355	0.25 miles (0.40 km)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF1	NNE of New Cambria to SW of Manchester	Saline, Ottawa, Dickinson		2355	16.8 miles (27.0 km)	The roof was lifted off of a farm homes and surrounding buildings were destroyed. There was structural damage to a gas transfer station. Many trees and power poles were downed. Road signs were bent over and blown away near Interstate 70.
EF0	N of Pretty Prairie	Reno		0010	0.25 miles (400 m)	Brief tornado touchdown.
EF0	ENE of Manchester	Dickinson, Clay		0031	3 miles (4.8 km)	Tornado confirmed by storm chasers and remained over open country. Barely crossed into Clay County before lifting.
EF0	ESE of Moundridge	McPherson		0103	1 mile (1.6 km)	Brief touchdown in open country.
EF1	E of Moundridge to Goessel	McPherson, Marion		0105	7 miles (11 km)	Large stovepipe-shaped tornado reported by off-duty NWS employee. A farm sustained serious damage to buildings.
EF3	WNW of Greensburg to E of Macksville	Kiowa, Edwards, Stafford		0127	38 miles (61 km)	Large, long-tracked tornado with maximum width of 1 mi (1.6 km). A few homes and other buildings suffered significant damage and many trees were snapped and debarked. Power lines were downed as well.
EF1	NE of Greensburg	Kiowa		0140	4.9 miles (7.9 km)	Satellite tornado of the 0127 EF3. A few trees were downed and a mobile home was damaged.
EF1	Marion Reservoir to N of Lincolnville	Marion		0141	17 miles (27 km)	A barn was destroyed, several garages and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, and numerous trees were downed.
EF0	WNW of Burdick	Morris		0200	50 yards (46 m)	Brief tornado touchdown with minor tree damage.
EF3	E of Macksville to W of Lyons	Stafford, Rice		0210	42 miles (68 km)	Large, long-tracked tornado with maximum width of 1.5 mi (2.4 km) produced severe damage along its track.
EF3	SE of Freeport to W of Conway Springs	Harper, Sumner		0210	18 miles (29 km)	Several homes suffered minor to major roof damage and also damage to other parts of the houses. Other houses were completely removed from their foundations and numerous outbuildings were destroyed. Many trees were downed.
EF1	NE of Saint John	Stafford		0223	6.6 miles (10.6 km)	Satellite tornado to the 0210 EF3 in Stafford County. Trees and power poles were downed.
EF1	Milan to ENE of Conway Springs	Sumner		0232	7 miles (11 km)	A barn was blown away and many trees and power lines were downed.
EF3	SE of Haysville to SW of Andover	Sedgwick		0321	13.2 miles (21.2 km)	See section on this tornado
EF0	N of Lindsborg	McPherson, Saline		0344	10.5 miles (16.9 km)	Tornado caused several power flashes.
EF0	E of Andover	Butler		0349	1 mile (1.6 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	NE of Andover	Butler		0355	0.3 miles (480 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF1	SW of El Dorado	Butler		0355	4.5 miles (7.2 km)	Several horse barns were damaged.
EF0	Near Cassoday	Butler		0410	15 miles (24 km)	Tornado caused several power flashes, but no damage was found.
EF1	SE of Kanopolis	Ellsworth		0418	7.5 miles (12.1 km)	A house was damaged.
EF0	SW of Olpe	Lyon		0506	50 yards (46 m)	Storm chasers report brief touchdown in open field.
Nebraska
EF0	E of Hardy	Nuckolls		1910	3.1 miles (5.0 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	E of Deshler	Thayer		1930	100 yards (91 m)	Brief tornado kicked up debris.
EF0	N of Alexandria	Thayer		1956	0.3 miles (480 m)	A home and several small outbuildings sustained minor siding and window damage. A grain bin was destroyed, two irrigation pivots were overturned, and several trees and power poles were downed.
EF0	Sterling area	Johnson		2150	2.75 miles (4.43 km)	A concession stand and a few road signs were blown over. Several trees were downed as well.
EF2	WSW of Cook	Johnson		2156	5.75 miles (9.25 km)	One home sustained extensive damage with debris thrown up to a quarter mile away. A garage and a shed were destroyed, an irrigation pivot was overturned, and many trees and power poles were downed.
EF0	ESE of Cook	Johnson, Nehama		2207	3.75 miles (6.04 km)	A few outbuildings were damaged and irrigation pivots were overturned. Several trees were downed as well.
EF0	S of North Platte (1st tornado)	Lincoln		2218	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	No damage was reported.
EF1	NW of Nebraska City	Otoe		2221	2 miles (3.2 km)	Several homes and outbuildings were damaged. Trees were downed as well.
EF0	NNE of Dickens	Lincoln		2227	100 yards (91 m)	Thin rope tornado with no damage.
EF0	SSW of North Platte (1st tornado)	Lincoln		2228	100 yards (91 m)	Brief tornado with no damage.
EF0	SSW of North Platte (2nd tornado)	Lincoln		2232	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Tornado occurred over open rangeland with no damage.
EF0	S of North Platte	Lincoln		2232	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	No damage was reported.
EF0	SE of North Platte	Lincoln		2247	100 yards (91 m)	No damage was reported.
EF0	NNE of Oxford	Harlan		2316	1 mile (1.6 km)	Rope tornado destroyed a grain bin.
EF0	NW of Wellfleet to SW of Brady	Lincoln		2336	15 miles (24 km)	Tornado traveled over open rangeland with no damage.
EF0	NNW of Anselmo	Custer		0038	0.1 miles (160 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF1	NNW of Pleasant Dale	Seward		0426	2.3 miles (3.7 km)	Several outbuildings were destroyed. Homes suffered minor damage and trees were downed.
Iowa
EF0	NW of Castana	Monona		1928	0.4 miles (0.64 km)	Brief tornado with no damage.
EF2	Thurman area	Fremont		2235	10.8 miles (17.4 km)	Half-mile wide tornado damaged 75 percent of the town with many homes badly damaged; residents evacuated to a nearby town. Four people were injured, with one trucker on Interstate 29 severely injured. Extensive tree damage occurred throughout the town.
EF2	Creston area	Adams, Union		2355	16.6 miles (26.7 km)	Tornado started well to the southwest of town and clipped the northwestern part. The Green Hills Area Education Agency was destroyed. Several homes and apartment buildings were badly damaged and vehicles were flipped. Creston Medical Center and Southwestern Community College both sustained significant damage, and the hospital had to be evacuated. Numerous farm houses were also damaged. One poorly built home north of town was completely leveled. 10 people were injured.
EF1	E of New Virginia	Warren		0055	1 mile (1.6 km)	Short-lived tornado severely damaged a farm and flipped several trailers.
EF1	N of Oskaloosa	Mahaska		0223	1.3 miles (2.1 km)	Short-lived tornado caused scattered damage, most of which was associated with a gust front.
EF1	W of Martinsburg	Keokuk		0235	3 miles (4.8 km)	Several trees and power lines were downed. 10 homes and several other structures were damaged and a police car was flipped over.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 04/14/12, NWS Hastings, NWS Wichita, NWS Dodge City, NWS Topeka, NWS Omaha, NWS North Platte, NCDC Storm Events Database

April 15 event

List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, April 15, 2012
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Nebraska
EF1	N of South Bend	Cass, Sarpy		0518	1.9 miles (3.1 km)	Trees were downed and a few outbuildings were damaged.
EF0	W of Litchfield	Sherman		1648	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	A metal building was damaged.
EF0	ESE of Ord	Valley		1737	100 yards (91 m)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF0	NE of Ericson	Wheeler		1805	0.25 miles (0.40 km)	A pole barn sustained major damage and the roof of another structure was destroyed.
EF0	NNE of Bartlett	Wheeler		1855	0.15 miles (0.24 km)	Brief tornado touchdown with no damage.
EF0	SSW of Verdigre	Knox		1927	0.4 miles (0.64 km)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
EF0	WNW of Santee	Knox		1935	0.4 miles (0.64 km)	Brief touchdown near Lewis and Clark Lake with no damage.
Iowa
EF1	SW of McClelland	Pottawattamie		0555	1 mile (1.6 km)	Short-lived tornado damaged numerous trees and an outbuilding.
Oklahoma
EF1	SW of Skiatook	Osage		1049	4.2 miles (6.8 km)	A metal hanger was damaged and several trees were snapped or uprooted.
EF1	SSE of Tahlequah	Cherokee, Adair		1422	14.5 miles (23.3 km)	One mobile home was destroyed and several homes lost their roofs. A few outbuildings were also destroyed.
South Dakota
EF0	NE of Springfield	Bon Homme		1940	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Brief rope tornado with no damage.
Minnesota
EF0	ENE of Minneota	Lyon		2111	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Brief tornado with no damage.
EF0	SW of Brownton	McLeod		0024	150 yards (140 m)	Brief tornado with no damage.
Arkansas
EF1	SE of Morganton	Van Buren		2311	2.3 miles (3.7 km)	A few structures sustained minor damage and dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 04/15/12, NCDC Storm Events Database

April 16 event

List of reported tornadoes - Monday, April 16, 2012
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Texas
EF1	ENE of Portland	San Patricio		1023	2 miles (3.2 km)	Fifty homes and several vehicles damaged on the north side of Portland. Trees and fences were also downed.
EF0	NW of Ingleside	San Patricio		1050	1 mile (1.6 km)	A fireworks stand was flipped and an outbuilding was damaged.
EF0	NNW of Ingleside	San Patricio		1120	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Tornado damaged a few power poles.
EF0	NE of Riviera	Kleberg		1335	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	A County Official reported a tornado on the ground. No damage was reported.
EF0	S of Riviera	Kenedy		1337	0.8 miles (1.3 km)	No damage was reported.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 04/15/12, SPC Storm Reports for 04/16/12, NWS Corpus Christi

Notable tornadoes

Wichita area tornado

File:KansOklaRadar.gif

Series of radar images showing the entire life of the Wichita supercell

File:041412 Wichita Tornado Radar.png

Radar image of the supercell that produced the Wichita tornado at 10:20 pm on April 14, 2012.

The supercell which affected the Wichita area had a history of producing tornadoes as early as 6:15pm near Mooreland, Oklahoma, and the storm itself originated in the Texas Panhandle. The supercell tracked northeastward at a very quick pace, producing periodic tornadoes across north-central Oklahoma and south-central Kansas.

An intense tornado started at 55th & Broadway and tracked directly across the Wichita metropolitan area late in the evening of April 14 before following I-35 and dissipating near Cassoday, Kansas. The hardest hit areas were in the southern part of the city, near McConnell Air Force Base, as well as some of the southern suburbs, including Oaklawn-Sunview and Haysville and eastern suburb Andover before following the Kansas Turnpike northeast. A few of the homes in the Oaklawn area were completely leveled. Local NBC affiliate KSNW reported that a building at a Spirit Aerosystems plant on the western fringe of McConnell Air Force Base collapsed. Several hangars on the base were also damaged. The Wichita Eagle reported that 90 homes of the Pinaire Mobile Home Park, located in Oaklawn sustained damage of at least 50 percent. A gas fire was reported at the mobile home park, and several residents were trapped in the rubble, but were later rescued. A condominium was also badly damaged. The Preliminary assessments placed damage at $283 million.

While this tornado was on the ground, staff at the Wichita National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office on the western perimeter of the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport were forced to hand over responsibility for their County Warning Area to the National Weather Service offices in Topeka and take shelter at about 10:00 pm CDT (0300 UTC), due to the close proximity of the predicted tornado track to their location. While within their shelter room, the WFO Wichita staff used a laptop computer and personal smartphones to continue to monitor the tornado on radar. The tornado ended up passing within six miles of the facility at its closest point; the staff returned to duty half an hour later.

NWS surveys rate the tornado as an EF3, based on damage at McConnell and upward into Oaklawn. No fatalities occurred, despite the intensity and dense population, but 38 people were injured.

The path of this tornado bore a striking resemblance to the track of an F5 tornado that killed 17 people in Sedgwick and Butler counties on April 26, 1991.

Woodward tornado

The only killer tornado of the outbreak touched down 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Arnett in southern Ellis County, Oklahoma at 11:50 p.m. CDT on April 14. The tornado tracked northeastward into Woodward County, Oklahoma around 11:59 p.m. CDT, hitting the city of Woodward at 12:19 a.m. CDT on April 15. The most severe damage took place in Woodward, where major damage was reported in the western and northern parts of town, with 89 homes and 13 businesses reported damaged, and 10 houses were leveled. Vehicles were tossed and destroyed by the tornado as well. By the time the tornado lifted around 12:27 a.m. CDT approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Woodward in northwestern Woodward County, six fatalities were caused by the storm, four of which (one adult male and three female children between the ages of 5 and 10) occurred at the Hideaway Mobile Home Park on 26th Street on the northwest side of town; a sixth person died of his injuries on April 16. 28 additional people sustained injuries in the nighttime tornado.

The 20 outdoor warning sirens located around Woodward did not sound prior to the tornado due to damage sustained to a tower used to activate the electricity-powered system by a lightning strike; as a result, most Woodward area residents had to rely on warnings either from local television stations broadcasting from the Oklahoma City market through cable and satellite television or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. Damage surveys from the National Weather Service Norman Forecast Office have given the tornado an EF3 rating.

Aftermath

On April 15, 2012, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency for the entire state due to the tornadoes, straight-line winds, hail and flash flooding. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency the following day on April 16 for twelve Oklahoma counties (Alfalfa, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Ellis, Harper, Jackson, Kiowa, Logan, Oklahoma, Woods and Woodward).

On April 18, Fallin filed a federal disaster declaration request for Woodward County with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, seeking government funding to provide temporary housing, low-interest loans, disaster unemployment assistance and disaster expense grants for people and businesses affected by the storms; officials for the Governor's office stated that if the request is granted, additional Oklahoma counties currently included in the state of emergency declaration may be added to the federal disaster declaration.

On April 19, 2012, FEMA announced that the southwestern Iowa counties of Union and Fremont that were also affected by the tornadoes would not qualify for federal assistance, both counties also received state disaster declarations by Governor Terry Branstad. FEMA denied the disaster declaration request for the twelve Oklahoma counties the following day on April 20. The Small Business Administration accepted a separate disaster declaration request filed by Governor Fallin for Woodward County on April 26; the declaration will allow the SBA to provide low-interest disaster loans for renters, homeowners, business owners and non-profits to repair or replace storm-damaged property not covered by insurance or other federal assistance programs.

See also

• Tornadoes of 2012

External links

For the latest severe weather information:

• National Weather Service
• Storm Prediction Center

Storm Reports:

• Time lapse visualization of the April 14th tornado outbreak
• 97 tornadoes leave a mess across Kansas, list of damage, links to photos; KWCH tv; April 15, 2012.
• EF-4 Tornado levels Ellsworth County home; KWCH tv; April 15, 2012.
• Storm slams into Saline County hog farm; KWCH tv; April 15, 2012.