EF3 Tornado — Republic, Kansas

2008-05-29 · near Courtland, Republic, Kansas

Event narrative

The tornado crossed from Jewell County into Republic County 4 miles South Southwest of Courtland. There, tree damage was noted, and several outbuildings were destroyed at a residence. An old rock home was also destroyed. Significant tree, power pole, and power line damage was reported along the path. Several of these trees had been uprooted and thrown for several hundred feet. Irrigation units were destroyed. Several homes, a newspaper reported at least six, were damaged along the path. The home that sustained the most significant damage had portions of the roof removed, and it's eastern wall blown out. Barns, outbuildings, and grain bins were destroyed at the residence as well. The old Union Valley Schoolhouse was demolished, and several headstones and trees in the Union Valley Cemetary were blown down. The tornado was rated EF-3 when it entered the county. Local Emergency Management reported that several residents had to be rescued after the tornado because of debris and damage to their homes. Highway 36 was closed through Friday morning because of power poles and power lines on the roadway. Between Hwy 81 and a point two miles south of the state line along the path, EF-2 damage was surveyed. Thereafter, EF-1 damage was noted. The tornado exited Republic County and entered Thayer County 5 miles west northwest of Narka.

Wider weather episode

A supercell that tracked across much of north central Kansas spawned a long-lived tornado that tracked from Jewell County, KS (Hastings CWA) into Republic County, KS (Topeka CWA) into Thayer County, NE (Hastings CWA) and finally into Jefferson County, NE (Omaha CWA) before dissipating. The bulk of the damage that occurred in Republic County happened within a few minutes of crossing the county line. Damage there was rated EF-3. Six residences were reported to have been significantly damaged. A few residents of these homes needed to be rescued, as they were trapped by debris. Other damage occurred to trees, power lines, and farm related buildings.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.7333, -97.9330)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 102015. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.