TL;DR

Five tornadoes were reported across Arkansas, Missouri, Wyoming, and North Dakota on Sunday, June 7, 2026, along with 100 wind reports and 22 hail reports. The tornadoes ranged from a brief rain-wrapped funnel in Arkansas to a radar-confirmed touchdown near Sparta, Missouri. No EF ratings have been assigned yet, and no injuries or fatalities have been reported.

A Scattered Severe Weather Day

Sunday brought geographically dispersed severe weather across the central United States, with tornado reports spanning from the Ozarks to the northern High Plains. The five confirmed tornadoes occurred in four states over a roughly six-hour window, reflecting the fragmented nature of the day's convective activity rather than a single organized outbreak.

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had highlighted multiple regions for severe weather potential in its Day 1 outlook, with the primary focus on the central Plains and Front Range. Supercell structures capable of producing tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds developed as forecast across several corridors.

Where the Tornadoes Touched Down

Arkansas

The first tornado of the day was reported at 2005 UTC (3:05 PM CDT) approximately 2 miles east of Nail, Arkansas. According to the National Weather Service office in Little Rock (LZK), a trained storm spotter reported a brief rain-wrapped tornado. Rain-wrapped tornadoes are particularly dangerous because they remain obscured by heavy precipitation, making visual confirmation difficult even in daylight hours.

Wyoming

At 2107 UTC (3:07 PM MDT), a landspout tornado was reported 8 miles north-northeast of Hillsdale, Wyoming. The NWS office in Cheyenne (CYS) noted this was a delayed public report discovered on Facebook, showing a landspout between Burns and Hillsdale. The location was estimated using radar velocity and reflectivity data. Landspouts are tornadoes that form along the leading edge of developing thunderstorms, typically weaker than supercell tornadoes but still capable of localized damage.

Missouri

Two tornadoes touched down in southwest Missouri during the evening hours. The first occurred at 2340 UTC (6:40 PM CDT) approximately 1 mile east-southeast of Battlefield. The NWS office in Springfield (SGF) confirmed tree debris from an EF0 tornado was visible along Farm Road 131 southeast of Battlefield, with an eyewitness account depicting the tornado as it crossed Plainview Road.

The second Missouri tornado was reported at 0050 UTC (7:50 PM CDT) about 1 mile east of Sparta. This was a radar-confirmed tornado that downed trees on roadways, according to NWS Springfield.

North Dakota

The final tornado of the day touched down at 0237 UTC (9:37 PM CDT) approximately 10 miles south of Berthold, North Dakota. The NWS office in Bismarck (BIS) reported a white rope tornado that remained on the ground for about 3 minutes, kicking up dust. The location was estimated based on spotter reports and radar analysis.

The Wind and Hail Story

While tornadoes captured attention, damaging winds were the dominant hazard of the day. Exactly 100 wind reports were logged across nine states, with the highest concentration in Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

Several locations recorded wind gusts exceeding 60 mph:

  • 70 mph near Redig, South Dakota (2340 UTC)
  • 68 mph near Ladner, South Dakota (2340 UTC)
  • 67 mph in Baker, Montana (0015 UTC)
  • 66 mph south-southeast of Billings, Montana (2333 UTC)
  • 64 mph near Buffalo Springs, North Dakota (0015 UTC)

The wind reports also included structural damage. Near Marshall, Missouri, the NWS office in Pleasant Hill (EAX) documented power outages, tree damage, uprooted trees, and buildings with roof damage in a swath roughly 1-2 blocks wide. In the Texas Panhandle near Reese Center, sheet metal was wrapped around utility poles.

Hail was less widespread but still significant, with 22 reports concentrated in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The largest hailstone measured 3.25 inches in diameter (larger than a baseball) and fell 5 miles north of Redig, South Dakota, at 0000 UTC. The observer noted the measurement was taken after some melting had occurred, meaning the stone was likely even larger at impact.

Other notable hail reports included:

  • 3.00 inches (baseball-sized) near Medora, North Dakota, and near Powderville, Montana
  • 2.75 inches (tennis ball to baseball) southeast of Sentinel Butte, North Dakota
  • 2.50 inches near Alzada, Montana, and multiple locations in South Dakota

What Drove the Severe Weather

Sunday's severe weather unfolded in multiple distinct corridors, each with its own atmospheric setup.

In the central Plains and Front Range, relatively fast southwest flow aloft combined with a surface low over southwest Kansas to create favorable conditions for supercell development. Easterly low-level winds transported moisture westward into eastern Colorado, where daytime heating destabilized the atmosphere. Thunderstorms initiated near the foothills in the afternoon and moved eastward into increasingly unstable air.

Farther north, the northern High Plains saw severe weather develop along the Montana-North Dakota border region during the evening hours. Steep mid-level lapse rates and sufficient shear supported rotating updrafts capable of producing tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds.

In the Ozarks, a cluster of intense thunderstorms moved from southwest Missouri into northwest Arkansas during the morning and early afternoon, producing the day's first tornado report near Nail.

Context: Part of an Active Pattern

Sunday's severe weather continues an active early June pattern across the central United States. This marks the third consecutive day with tornado reports in the region, following Saturday's more significant outbreak that produced multiple tornadoes and hundreds of severe weather reports across Arkansas and surrounding states.

The scattered nature of Sunday's activity—five tornadoes across four widely separated states—is typical of marginal severe weather days when atmospheric conditions support isolated supercells rather than a concentrated outbreak. Each tornado occurred within a different mesoscale environment, reflecting local variations in moisture, instability, and wind shear.

EF Ratings and Damage Surveys

As of Monday morning, no Enhanced Fujita Scale ratings have been assigned to Sunday's tornadoes. The NWS office in Springfield confirmed the Battlefield tornado as EF0 based on tree debris patterns, but the other four tornadoes remain unrated pending damage surveys.

EF ratings are assigned based on observed damage to structures and vegetation, using a scale from EF0 (65-85 mph winds) to EF5 (over 200 mph winds). Brief tornadoes in rural areas often go unrated if they produce minimal damage or occur in unpopulated locations.

Looking Ahead

The SPC outlook for Monday, June 8, maintains a Slight Risk across portions of the central Plains, with Enhanced Risk areas forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday across the Midwest and Mississippi Valley. The active pattern is expected to continue through midweek as upper-level energy moves across the region.

Residents in areas under Slight or Enhanced Risk should monitor local NWS forecasts and have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings. Nighttime tornadoes remain a particular concern during this pattern—most smartphone weather apps are silenced by Do Not Disturb mode overnight, though Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for tornado warnings still break through on most phones by default.

VORTEX is a free web app at vortexintel.app that monitors severe weather nationwide. Pro ($4.99/month) places phone calls to your phone when a tornado or flash flood warning is issued for a location you care about — calls can ring through Do Not Disturb once you enable Emergency Bypass for the number, unlike most third-party app notifications.