March 1990 Central US Tornado Outbreak - Overview

Overview

The Central U.S. tornado outbreak of March 13, 1990, was one of the most violent outbreaks March has ever seen (second only to the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965 in terms of violent tornadoes, and the March 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence in terms of the total number of tornadoes reported). Numerous tornadoes touched down across Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa. Two tornadic thunderstorms with exceptional life spans/tornado families were observed; one produced an F4 tornado in Eastern Nebraska that was on the ground for over 100 miles. The other produced an extensive tornado family in southern Kansas that included two F5 tornadoes. The first of these struck the town of Hesston, Kansas, and was one of the most photographed and documented violent tornadoes in history.

(based on NOAA Storm Data)