TL;DR

Three tornadoes were reported across the Plains and Southwest on August 10, 2026: two landspouts in Nebraska and Arizona, and one debris-lofting tornado in South Dakota. The day's severe weather was dominated by widespread damaging winds, with 562 wind reports and 42 hail reports spanning 22 states as powerful thunderstorm complexes raked the Midwest and Ohio Valley.

What happened on August 10

August 10, 2026 brought a geographically diverse severe weather day, with three confirmed tornadoes touching down in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Arizona amid a much larger outbreak of damaging winds across the eastern two-thirds of the nation.

The tornado reports included two brief landspouts—short-lived tornadoes that form along boundaries without a traditional mesocyclone—and one stronger vortex in western South Dakota that lofted visible debris. Meanwhile, severe thunderstorm complexes produced destructive straight-line winds from Iowa to the Mid-Atlantic, with the National Weather Service logging 562 wind reports by the end of the day.

Tornado reports: Nebraska, South Dakota, and Arizona

The first tornado of the day touched down at 2257 UTC (4:57 PM local time) approximately six miles south of Sidney, Nebraska. The National Weather Service in Cheyenne classified it as a landspout in a delayed report. No damage details were provided, and the tornado appears to have been brief.

Just over an hour later, at 0015 UTC, a second landspout was reported roughly seven miles south-southwest of Concho, Arizona. Video captured the funnel approximately one mile to the east of the observer. The NWS Flagstaff office noted the tornado lasted around one minute before dissipating. This tornado developed in the Mogollon Rim region as monsoonal moisture and an inverted-V thermodynamic profile supported isolated severe thunderstorms across the Arizona high country.

The most significant tornado of the day occurred at 0317 UTC (9:17 PM local time) about eight miles south-southwest of Faith, South Dakota. A spotter on Highway 73 reported a tornado with full condensed ground contact and visible debris being lofted around the base. The NWS in Rapid City confirmed the report. No EF rating has been issued at this time, and damage surveys are typically conducted in the days following a tornado to assess intensity.

All three tornadoes occurred in relatively rural areas, and no injuries or structural damage have been reported as of this writing.

The bigger story: A widespread severe wind event

While tornadoes grabbed headlines in three states, the dominant severe weather story on August 10 was damaging straight-line winds. The Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 outlook highlighted the potential for severe thunderstorms from eastern Iowa into the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians, driven by an embedded impulse in west-northwest flow and an overnight mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) moving into Iowa from Nebraska.

According to the SPC's morning outlook, "environmental parameters (e.g., very rich moisture, steep 700-500 mb lapse rates, adequate deep-layer shear) will strongly favor the development of mature/severe linear clusters/bows with the more intense storms."

That forecast verified across a broad swath of the Midwest and Ohio Valley. The NWS received 562 wind reports spanning 22 states, including:

  • Iowa: Farley reported 80 mph winds at 1251 UTC, while Dyersville saw estimated gusts to 85 mph along the backside of storms under the rear inflow jet at 1301 UTC. Numerous trees were downed and power outages were widespread.
  • Ohio: Multiple communities reported trees down, including a large uprooted tree and snapped power pole in Rocky River at 1225 UTC. Zanesville reported downed trees and a tree on a house at 1239 UTC.
  • Indiana: North Judson reported 2.25-inch diameter hail at 0020 UTC, accompanied by widespread wind damage. Richmond, Gaston, and Royerton all reported wind damage or measured gusts exceeding 59 mph.
  • Pennsylvania and West Virginia: Trees and power lines were downed across multiple counties as the squall line pushed east through the afternoon.

The Dubuque Regional Airport in Iowa recorded a 65 mph gust at 1306 UTC, while Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport measured 59 mph at 1236 UTC. The widespread nature of the wind reports—from the northern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic—underscores the scale of the convective system that developed.

Hail across the Northern Plains and Midwest

In addition to the wind and tornado reports, 42 hail reports were logged across the northern Plains and Midwest. The largest hailstone of the day measured 2.75 inches in diameter and fell 11 miles west of Bison, South Dakota at 0148 UTC. A trained spotter relayed the report, with timing estimated based on radar.

Other notable hail reports included:

  • 2.25-inch hail in North Judson, Indiana at 0020 UTC, documented with a photo and tape measure
  • 2.00-inch hail near Prairie City, South Dakota at 0134 UTC along Highway 75
  • 1.75-inch (golf ball-sized) hail at the Mason County Fairgrounds in Point Pleasant, West Virginia at 2230 UTC
  • 1.50-inch hail near Alliance, Ohio and multiple locations in North Dakota and South Dakota

The hail reports were concentrated in two regions: the northern Plains, where supercells developed in steep mid-level lapse rates and strong instability, and the Midwest/Ohio Valley, where embedded supercells rode along the leading edge of the larger convective system.

Atmospheric setup: MCS evolution and supercells

The Storm Prediction Center's Day 1 outlook described the forecast as "uncertain and inherently complex," noting that an overnight MCV moving into Iowa from Nebraska was aiding MCS (mesoscale convective system) development over eastern Iowa by morning. The outlook stated, "While the exact evolution of a potential severe MCS moving across the Midwest is uncertain, a possible scenario is the thunderstorm activity over IA either merges with additional storms developing ahead of it or it continues to intensify into the main severe-wind producing MCS."

That scenario largely played out. Thunderstorms over Iowa intensified through the late morning and moved into northern Illinois, eventually organizing into a severe wind-producing squall line that tracked east-southeastward into the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians. The system moved along a large CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) gradient reinforced by early morning convection, with very rich low-level moisture and steep mid-level lapse rates supporting intense downdrafts.

Meanwhile, in the northern Plains, isolated supercells developed by early evening in the western Dakotas and parts of Nebraska. The SPC outlook noted that "elongated hodographs favorable for splitting cells with an accompanying risk for large to very large hail" were forecast, and the large hail reports from South Dakota confirmed that environment materialized.

In Arizona, the landspout tornado near Concho developed in the Mogollon Rim region as monsoonal moisture and an inverted-V thermodynamic profile supported isolated severe thunderstorms across the Arizona high country.

Context: Landspouts vs. supercell tornadoes

Two of the three tornadoes reported on August 10 were classified as landspouts, a term that describes tornadoes that form along boundaries or areas of converging winds without the rotating updraft (mesocyclone) typical of supercell thunderstorms. Landspouts tend to be weaker and shorter-lived than supercell tornadoes, though they can still cause localized damage.

The tornado near Faith, South Dakota, which exhibited visible debris lofting, may have been associated with a supercell given the favorable wind profiles across the northern Plains that afternoon. The NWS will typically conduct damage surveys to determine whether a tornado was produced by a supercell or formed through a different mechanism, and to assign an EF rating based on observed damage.

Landspouts are most common in the High Plains and Southwest during the summer months, when strong surface heating and monsoonal moisture create favorable conditions. The two landspouts reported on August 10 fit that pattern, occurring in Nebraska and Arizona during the late afternoon and evening hours.

No injuries reported

As of this writing, no injuries or fatalities have been reported in connection with the tornadoes or severe weather on August 10. The rural locations of all three tornadoes likely reduced the risk of structural impacts, though damage surveys may reveal additional details in the coming days.

The widespread wind damage across the Midwest and Ohio Valley did result in numerous downed trees, power outages, and at least one report of a tree striking a house in Zanesville, Ohio. The full extent of damage is still being assessed by local emergency management agencies and the National Weather Service.

Ongoing severe weather threat

The severe weather threat continues today, August 11, with the Storm Prediction Center highlighting an Enhanced Risk across northern Illinois into the Ohio Valley. Damaging wind gusts remain the primary concern as additional thunderstorm complexes develop and move east-southeastward through the day.

Residents in the Enhanced Risk area should monitor local NWS forecasts and have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings. Severe thunderstorm and tornado watches remain in effect across portions of the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Great Lakes as of this writing.

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.