F3 Tornado — Sumner, Kansas

2004-05-29 · near Conway Spgs, Sumner, Kansas

Event narrative

Considerable damage to two homesteads; the first being a sturdy brick home. All exterior walls ripped from the home, only leaving only the interior. Home owner ran down the stairs as the tornado hit and avoided injury. Further southeast, a modular home was completely removed from above a viewout basement. It was here that an amazing survival occurred. The homeowner sought refuge in a safe room in the basement and was unharmed, despite the fact a propane tank landed in the basement and began to leak. Breathing became difficult as fumes permeated the saferoom. At the same time, the saferoom began to flood, however the rising water levels dissipated the fumes. In addition, a semi-truck was thrown approximately 100 feet.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.0833, -98.3333)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5390213. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.