F3 tornado in Ford County, Kansas

Tornado May 7, 2002 · Ford County, Kansas

Rating

8.5 mi

Path length

1,800 yd

Path width

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 1,800 yards (1.02 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

This tornado which developed in the same general tornadoes earlier, moved southwest and then finally turned south and southeast. It grew very large and at one time was 1 mile wide. Extreme damage was done to trees and irrigation pipe.

Began near Windthorst (37.7000, -99.5500).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

14 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

F3 Kiowa County F3 Ford County F2 Kiowa County F2 Pratt County F1 Kiowa County F1 Kiowa County F1 Pratt County F1 Ford County F0 Ford County F0 Edwards County F0 Edwards County F0 Clark County F0 Pratt County F0 Ford County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5300204. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.