Tornado, Rainbow, Lightning: The Legendary Mulvane Trifecta (June 12, 2004)

Legendary Trifecta Moment

Tornado, rainbow, and lightning all appear in one frame.

This moment is widely regarded as one of the most photogenic in tornado history.

This footage has become a staple in tornado media and storm chasing lore, with Eric Nguyen’s photographs from the day considered among the best ever taken. The video is both a tribute to nature’s power and a memorial to Eric’s legacy.

NWS Wichita:

Another round of tornado producing supercells moved across areas just south of Wichita on June 12th, 2004. Five confirmed tornadoes skipped along the Sumner/Sedgwick and Butler/Cowley county lines during the early evening hours.

The supercell thunderstorms formed along a dry line in Southern Kansas in Harper County, Kansas. Radar signature shows the dry line and initial thunderstorm development.


The storms rapidly intensified once they moved into northeastern sections of Sumner County, with the first touchdown reported at approximately 7:10 pm just southwest of Mulvane. The supercell thunderstorm continued to cycle, or strengthen and weaken, as it moved slowly east, producing and dissipating tornadoes as it went. At approximately, 7:25 pm the supercell produced a longer track tornado that produced damage at the Mulvane Saddle Club as it crossed Kansas Highway 15 near Greenwich Road.


The Damage at this location was rated F1 and F2 respectively. The tornado continued eastward causing very little damage in it's path, until it began to drift southeast. At this time the tornado produced significant damage as the white rope tornado leveled a frame house in which 2 occupants survived by taking shelter under the basement stairs. The tornado was rated as a strong F3.

Three other tornadoes in Cowley county produced little damage, however, the tornado near Rock was quite picturesque with the sun setting off on the western horizon. The other two tornadoes were just south of Atlanta and were rated an F0.

As the supercell continued on into Elk County, it produced two very weak rope tornadoes that only caused damage to a corn crop.

https://www.weather.gov/ict/event_200...