TL;DR

Twelve tornadoes were reported across Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and Wyoming on June 20, 2026, part of a widespread severe weather event that also produced 50 hail reports and 199 wind reports. Kansas saw the most tornado activity with eight confirmed reports, concentrated in the northwest corner of the state. No injuries or fatalities have been reported at this time.

What happened on June 20?

A multi-state severe weather outbreak unfolded across the central United States on Saturday, June 20, 2026, producing tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds from the Rockies to the Ohio Valley. The National Weather Service received 12 tornado reports, 50 hail reports, and 199 wind reports throughout the day and evening.

The tornado reports spanned four states: Kansas (8), Nebraska (2), Texas (1), and Wyoming (1). Most of the tornadoes occurred during the late afternoon and evening hours as supercell thunderstorms developed along a convectively reinforced front stretching from the central High Plains into the southern Plains.

According to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, the severe weather environment featured moderate instability combined with strong effective bulk shear, creating conditions favorable for supercell development. Enhanced low-level shear from an eastward-migrating low-level jet further increased the tornado risk across parts of the central Plains.

Kansas tornado activity

Kansas bore the brunt of the tornado activity, with eight separate reports concentrated in the northwest portion of the state. The first Kansas tornado was reported at 2207 UTC (5:07 PM CDT) approximately 1 mile west-northwest of Atwood, where multiple storm chasers observed a tornado crossing Highway 36.

Over the next several hours, additional tornadoes touched down in Rawlins County and surrounding areas:

  • 2210 UTC: Tornado 4 miles southeast of Ludell
  • 2219 UTC: Tornado 5 miles east-southeast of Ludell (tornadic debris signature observed on radar)
  • 2232 UTC: Brief tornado 6 miles south-southeast of Ludell, spotted by storm chaser
  • 2238 UTC: Brief tornado 6 miles south of Atwood, east of Highway 25
  • 2322 UTC: Tornado 13 miles southeast of Ludell near Achilles; an mPING report stated "Active tornado on the ground to the south of Achilles, Kansas it just hit my car and got thrown over 10 yards off the road and theres lots of debris"
  • 2346 UTC: Brief tornado 2 miles west of Selden, north of Rexford
  • 0003 UTC (June 21): Tornado 1 mile north-northwest of Seguin, confirmed by video on social media

The final Kansas tornado of the event occurred at 0618 UTC (1:18 AM CDT on June 21), approximately 6 miles east of Sedgwick in Harvey County. This tornado was confirmed by radar.

Nebraska, Texas, and Wyoming reports

Nebraska recorded two tornado reports, both in the southwestern part of the state near the Kansas border. At 2109 UTC (4:09 PM CDT), an mPING report described "a small tornado just touched the ground briefly for a few seconds then lifted and is trying to drop again just west of stratton on road 714," approximately 4 miles northwest of Stratton.

In Texas, a single tornado was reported at 1558 UTC (10:58 AM CDT) about 7 miles north of Tivoli in Refugio County. According to the National Weather Service Corpus Christi office, "multiple sources such as broadcast media, public, law enforcement, and emergency management have reported pictures and videos of a once tropical funnel cloud" that touched down.

Wyoming's tornado was a non-mesocyclone landspout reported at 1751 UTC (11:51 AM MDT) approximately 8 miles north-northeast of Marbleton. The National Weather Service Riverton office noted "multiple reports, pictures, and videos of a tall (high cloud base), non-mesocyclone (aka landspout) tornado to the north of Marbleton, WY. No known damage."

Significant hail and wind damage

While tornadoes grabbed headlines, large hail and damaging winds affected a broader swath of the central United States. The most significant hail fell across the Nebraska-Kansas-Colorado tri-state area during the late afternoon and early evening.

Near Stratton, Nebraska, multiple reports documented hail up to 3 inches in diameter at 2108 UTC. A storm chaser estimated 3-inch hail falling at 2 miles north-northwest of Stratton, with additional reports of 2.5-inch (tennis ball-sized) hail in the immediate area.

Baseball-sized hail (2.75 inches) was reported at 0000 UTC near Seguin, Kansas, with tennis ball-sized hail (2.5 inches) reported near Menlo, Kansas, at 2345 UTC.

Wind damage was widespread across 11 states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. The strongest measured wind gust reached 83 mph at 2000 UTC at a mesonet station near Moose, Wyoming. Casper, Wyoming's airport (ASOS) recorded an 81 mph gust at 2141 UTC.

Multiple reports documented downed trees and power lines across Florida and Georgia during the afternoon hours, while the central Plains and Rockies experienced primarily measured wind gusts from mesonet and ASOS stations.

Storm environment and setup

The severe weather developed in an environment characterized by a mid-level shortwave trough moving east-southeastward from Wyoming toward the central High Plains. Enhanced westerly flow aloft associated with this feature overspread the region through the day.

A convectively reinforced front extended from northwest Oklahoma into the central High Plains, with modest low-level upslope flow developing north of the boundary. According to SPC's Day 1 outlook, "moderate instability will develop with filtered daytime heating in the presence of steep mid-level lapse rates and strong effective bulk shear."

The outlook noted that "isolated supercells that can develop in this regime across eastern CO into western NE/KS should pose mainly a large to isolated very large (2+ inches) hail risk initially, before some clustering/upscale growth possibly occurs this evening."

Farther east, an MCS with a convectively augmented parent MCV moved from central Missouri into Kansas and Oklahoma during the morning hours, with trailing outflow serving as a focus for additional thunderstorm development later in the day.

No EF ratings yet

As of this writing, the National Weather Service has not released Enhanced Fujita Scale ratings for any of the reported tornadoes. NWS survey teams typically conduct damage assessments in the days following tornado events to determine intensity ratings.

Several of the tornadoes were described as "brief" in local storm reports, and multiple reports noted landspout or non-mesocyclone characteristics, which typically produce weaker tornadoes. The report from near Achilles, Kansas, which mentioned a vehicle being "thrown over 10 yards off the road," suggests at least some of the tornadoes may have been strong enough to cause damage, though official ratings will confirm intensity.

Context: Active June pattern continues

Saturday's tornado reports continue an active severe weather pattern across the central and eastern United States during June 2026.

The persistent pattern reflects favorable upper-level dynamics and ample low-level moisture across the central US, creating repeated opportunities for severe thunderstorm development.

Looking ahead

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 2 outlook (valid June 22) maintains a Slight Risk across portions of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi, indicating the potential for additional severe weather as the active pattern continues. Day 3 (valid June 23) shows a Slight Risk across parts of Georgia, Colorado, North Carolina, the central Plains, Midwest, and Southeast.

Residents across these regions should monitor local NWS forecasts and be prepared to take action if watches or warnings are issued for their area.

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