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F3 tornado in Sumner County, Kansas

Tornado May 29, 2004 · Sumner County, Kansas

F3
Rating
2.5 mi
Path length
600 yd
Path width
1
Injury
$17.8M
Damage as recorded
$100K
Crop damage
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. 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

The following were destroyed: 15 farm dwellings and service buildings, 25 pieces of farm machinery and equipment, many miles of transmission line, with most of wheat a total loss. (This portion of narrative courtesy of USDA Flash Situation Report.) In addition, major damage to several homes along highway 49. One modular was completely removed from over a viewout basement. A teenage boy sought refuge under the staircase in the basement only to watch a car thrown overhead. He escaped unharmed. However, one woman wasn't so fortunate; the resident of a mobile home that was completely destroyed. The only recognizable parts were the steel girders that ran along the base of the home. She had sought refuge in the bathroom and was holding on to the commode. She was thrown several feet from the homestead and received several injuries. Fortunately, none were serious.

Began near Conway Spgs (38.0667, -97.9500).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

F3 Sumner CountyF2 Harper CountyF1 Sumner CountyF1 Harper CountyF1 Harper CountyF1 Sumner CountyF0 Harper CountyF0 Harper CountyF0 Sumner County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5390212. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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