TL;DR

A landspout tornado touched down in Arkansas Friday evening, while 198 wind damage reports and 20 hail reports spanned multiple states across the Northern Plains, Midwest, and East Coast. The most concentrated severe weather struck Nebraska, West Virginia, and the Central Plains overnight, with wind gusts reaching 70 mph near Omaha.

What Happened Friday

Severe thunderstorms erupted across a broad swath of the United States on Friday, June 12, producing one confirmed tornado, widespread damaging winds, and scattered large hail from the Northern Plains to the East Coast.

The tornado—a landspout captured by broadcast media—touched down approximately three miles south of Sisemore, Arkansas, at 2237 UTC (5:37 pm CDT). The National Weather Service in Little Rock (LZK) confirmed the report based on photographic evidence, with timing estimated from radar. No EF rating has been assigned at this time, and no injuries or structural damage have been reported in connection with the twister.

While the tornado count remained low, the wind threat dominated the severe weather narrative. A total of 198 wind damage reports flooded in from 22 states, making this one of the most geographically expansive severe weather days of the month. States affected by severe weather included Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Where the Worst Damage Occurred

Nebraska and the Omaha Metro

The most intense wind reports came from eastern Nebraska during the midday hours. At 1320 UTC (8:20 am CDT), a 70 mph wind gust was recorded approximately two miles northwest of Valley, Nebraska, just west of the Omaha metropolitan area. Additional gusts between 58 and 60 mph were reported in nearby Elkhorn and Valley, accompanied by dime- to quarter-size hail and downed tree limbs.

The National Weather Service in Omaha (OAX) documented multiple reports of wind-driven hail and structural impacts, including small limbs down near Bellevue at 1340 UTC.

West Virginia

West Virginia saw the highest concentration of wind damage reports in the eastern United States. Between 1830 and 2021 UTC (2:30 pm to 4:21 pm EDT), the National Weather Service in Charleston (RLX) received numerous reports of downed trees, power lines, and localized outages.

Multiple road blockages from downed trees were reported across the state, with power outages persisting into the evening as utility crews worked to clear debris and restore service.

Central Plains Overnight

Severe weather continued into the overnight hours across Kansas and New Mexico. At 0107 UTC (8:07 pm CDT), golf ball-size hail (1.75 inches) was reported in Elkhart, Kansas, in the state's far southwest corner. Additional reports of quarter- to golf ball-size hail came from near Richfield and Horace, Kansas, as well as near Roy and Moriarty, New Mexico.

In Moriarty, thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a barn at 0207 UTC, underscoring the intensity of the nocturnal convection.

The Broader Severe Weather Setup

Friday's severe weather unfolded in multiple waves, driven by a complex atmospheric pattern featuring residual mesoscale convective vortices (MCVs), a southwesterly low-level jet, and a southeast-moving cold front.

According to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC), early-day elevated storms developed across southeast Nebraska, southern Iowa, and northern Missouri, producing large hail and damaging winds as they spread east-southeastward. Meanwhile, decayed convective clusters and MCVs across Oklahoma and southeast Kansas inspired renewed convective development later in the day across the Ozarks and Mid-South.

By late afternoon and evening, strong diurnal heating and steepening low-level lapse rates ahead of the cold front supported scattered supercells across central and eastern Kansas, far southeast Nebraska, and western Missouri. The SPC noted that "all hazards seem likely including large hail, with damaging winds potentially evolving as the most prominent risk this evening, potentially including some significant (75+ mph) wind gusts."

While no 75+ mph gusts were officially confirmed in the storm reports, the 70 mph gust near Valley, Nebraska, and widespread tree damage across multiple states aligned with the SPC's forecast for a damaging wind threat.

Hail Across the Northern Plains and Appalachians

Twenty hail reports were logged Friday, with the largest stones measuring 2.75 inches in diameter—just shy of baseball size—near Taylor, Nebraska, at 0957 UTC (4:57 am CDT). The report, submitted via social media and confirmed by the National Weather Service in North Platte (LBF), marked the most significant hail event of the day.

Other notable hail reports included:

  • 1.75-inch hail in Elkhart, Kansas, and near Horace, Kansas
  • 1.50-inch hail in Sloan, Iowa
  • 1.25-inch hail near Mountain Home, North Carolina, and near Roy, New Mexico

Quarter-size hail (1.00 inches) was the most commonly reported size, with multiple mPING (Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground) citizen science reports contributing to the dataset from Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Arkansas Landspout: A Rare but Recognizable Phenomenon

Landspout tornadoes—sometimes called "non-supercell tornadoes"—form along boundaries such as outflow or frontal zones where vertical wind shear is present but rotating updrafts (mesocyclones) are absent or weak. Unlike classic supercell tornadoes, landspouts typically develop quickly, are short-lived, and are often weaker.

The landspout south of Sisemore, Arkansas, fits this profile. It occurred in an environment where scattered convection was ongoing across the Ozarks and Mid-South, likely along a differential heating zone or outflow boundary from earlier storms. Broadcast media captured imagery of the funnel, allowing the National Weather Service to confirm the tornado despite its brief lifespan.

Landspouts can still cause localized damage and pose a threat to anyone in their immediate path, though they rarely produce EF2 or stronger damage. No damage reports have been associated with Friday's landspout at this time.

Context: Another Active Day in a Relentless Pattern

Friday's severe weather marks the seventh consecutive day with at least one tornado report in the central or eastern United States, continuing a relentless early-summer severe weather pattern.

While Friday's tornado count was modest, the geographic scope of the wind threat—spanning 22 states—underscores the breadth of the active pattern. Residents from the Rockies to the Appalachians experienced severe weather impacts, with localized damage and power outages affecting thousands.

Lessons from a Widespread Wind Event

Friday's outbreak serves as a reminder that severe weather doesn't require tornadoes to be dangerous. Wind damage accounted for the vast majority of reports, with downed trees blocking roads, damaging homes, and cutting power to communities across the eastern United States.

Key takeaways:

  • Wind is the most common severe weather hazard. Even in tornado-warned storms, straight-line winds cause the majority of damage.
  • Overnight severe weather is harder to detect. Many of the Kansas and New Mexico reports came after dark, when visual confirmation is difficult and warnings rely heavily on radar.
  • Power outages compound the risk. In West Virginia, tree damage left hundreds without electricity, cutting off access to weather information for some residents.

For those in areas prone to nocturnal severe weather, having multiple ways to receive warnings is critical. Third-party weather apps are silenced by Do Not Disturb, though Wireless Emergency Alerts for tornado warnings still break through on most phones. VORTEX Pro takes an additional step by placing phone calls when tornado or flash flood warnings are issued—calls bypass Do Not Disturb, ensuring you're alerted even while asleep.

What's Next

As of Saturday morning, June 13, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center has issued an Enhanced Risk for portions of the Central Plains and Lower Missouri Valley, with scattered severe thunderstorms likely across parts of the central and southern Plains into the Missouri Valley and Middle Mississippi Valley. Damaging wind gusts, large hail, and a few tornadoes are all possible.

Severe Thunderstorm Watches remain in effect for portions of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri through late Saturday morning.

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.