F3 tornado — Sumner County, Kansas

F3 tornado in Sumner County, Kansas

Tornado May 29, 2004 · Sumner County, Kansas

Rating

2.5 mi

Path length

500 yd

Path width

$1.0M

Damage as recorded

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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

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.

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5390213. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

F3 tornado in Sumner County, Kansas

What the National Weather Service wrote

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

Tornadoes near your address