As we are now in the thick of "tornado season"- with severe storm chances locally late Wednesday-Thursday and again possibly Saturday- remember back nine years ago tonight:
I was on-duty- feeding a news/discussion forum I had on-line at that time "The Corner Coffee Shop."
Just before 10pm- Tonganoxie-KS in Leavenworth County was hit by a small tornado- and the storm cell responsible for the twister was moving across Wyandotte county toward Kansas City's Northland.
A Tornado Watch had been and remained in effect for Metro Kansas City until midnight that night.
In the time period between about 10:50 and 11:15pm- 2 K.C. TV meteorologists (I have both on video tape) state on the air that "the threat of tornadoes in the Metro appears to be over."
Yet at 11:25pm- the KC-MO Fire department dispatches companies to a "possible tornado strike at 40th Street and North Oak" just as the National Weather Service on the MERS radio channel is telling KC Fire of "strong rotation indicated by radar" in the area of the touchdown and that then NWS was issuing a tornado warning.
Indeed- a tornado- later rated only as "F-1" had touched down right on top of the Jay Wolfe car dealership- ripping the showroom building apart and tossing some cars in the lot.
This "threat" wasn't done yet.
Staying at mostly tree-top level- the funnel moved east generally along Parvin Road- tearing out treetops and sometimes roofing on homes along the way.
The funnel lifted back into the clouds near the Worlds of Fun area.
Fortunately- no one was hurt.
Below are some of the storm statistics from that day- along with the subsequent NWS storm survey results from a publication I'm working on preliminarily-titled "Metro Kansas City Extreme Weather Events Since 1950:"
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MAY 11, 2000... The Tonganoxie, KS and Kansas City, MO. -North Tornado ...
County: Jefferson 404 Grantville 05/11/2000 07:53 PM Tornado F0 0 0 1K 0
Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 07:53:00 PM CST Begin Location: 1 Mile South of Grantville Begin LAT/LON: 39°05'N / 95°34'W
End Date: 11 May 2000, 07:56:00 PM CST End Location: 1 Mile South East of Grantville End LAT/LON: 39°04'N / 95°33'W
Length: 1 Mile Width: 40 Yards Magnitude: F0 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 1.0K Crop Damage: $ 0.0
State: Kansas County: Jefferson
Description: A tornado formed just south of Grantville and moved east for a mile over open country doing minor power line damage before dissipating.
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County: Jefferson 405 Williamstown 05/11/2000 08:27 PM Tornado F1 0 0 108K 0
Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 08:27:00 PM CST Begin Location: 1 Mile North of Williamstown
End Date: 11 May 2000, 08:40:00 PM CST End Location: 8 Miles East North East of Williamstown
Length: 8 Miles Width: 75 Yards Magnitude: F1 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 108.0K Crop Damage: $ 0.0
State: Kansas County: Jefferson
Description: A tornado touched down just north of Williamstown and moved east until it crossed into Leavenworth county at 2040 cst. Windows were blown out of a house north of Williamstown. East of Williamstown it struck a farmstead where 2 homes were damaged, 5 pole barns destroyed and 2 others damaged. Metal from an outbuilding was carried 100 feet and hung in a tree 10 feet above ground.
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County: Leavenworth 406 Tonganoxie 05/11/2000 08:40 PM Tornado F1 0 0 2.6M 0
Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 08:40:00 PM CST Begin Location: 6 Miles West South West of Tonganoxie Begin LAT/LON: 39°05'N / 95°11'W
End Date: 11 May 2000, 09:12:00 PM CST End Location: 2 Miles North of Basehor End LAT/LON: 39°10'N / 94°56'W
Length: 16 Miles Width: 440 Yards Magnitude: F1 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 2.6M Crop Damage: $ 0.0
State: Kansas County: Leavenworth
Description: The tornado, which had formed in Jefferson County, entered southwestern Leavenworth County at around 9:40 pm CDT, 6 miles west-southwest of Tonganoxie. The tornado moved east-northeast and lifted 2 miles north of Basehor at 10:12 pm. The 16 mile long path was as wide as 1/4 mile at times, though the average was around 100 yards wide. In Leavenworth County, 200 homes were affected and six were destroyed. One apartment building suffered roof damage. Thirteen businesses were damaged, and two were destroyed. The Leavenworth County Fairgrounds in Tonganoxie suffered extensive damage, approaching a half-million dollars. Total damage was estimated by County Emergency Management officials at $2.6 million. Thunderstorms developed rapidly south of a cold front in eastern Kansas, and then tracked eastward. While the early evening storms were primarily hail producers, one late evening storm produced a tornado that tracked across southern Leavenworth County, resulting in damage in Tonganoxie.
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County: Clay 178 North Kansas City 05/11/2000 10:25 PM Tornado F1 0 0 5.0M 0
Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 10:25:00 PM CST Begin Location: 2 Miles North of North Kansas City
End Date: 11 May 2000, 10:32:00 PM CST End Location: 1 Mile North East of Avondale
Length: 5 Miles Width: 350 Yards Magnitude: F1 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 5.0M Crop Damage:$ 0.0
State: Missouri County: Clay
Description: The tornado formed rapidly in southwest Clay County in Kansas City, MO, causing considerable damage to two auto dealerships at 39th and North Oak Trafficway. A nearby apartment complex suffered roof damage. Many trees and power lines were downed as the tornado moved east, lifting near Parvin Road and Chouteau Trafficway. Thunderstorms that developed explosively in eastern Kansas tracked into western Missouri. While early evening storms were hail producers, a late night thunderstorm on the north side of Kansas City spawned a short lived tornado, which produced millions of dollars in damage in Kansas City's "Northland."
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A F-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BETWEEN 11:25 AND 11:30 P.M. CDT NEAR (N.) MAIN STREET AND 40TH STREET IN KANSAS CITY MO. THE TORNADO TRAVELLED EAST, LIFTING NEAR PARVIN ROAD AND CHOUTEAU TRAFFICWAY AROUND 11:35 P.M. CDT.
MOST SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS IN VICINITY OF (N.E.) 39TH AND NORTH OAK, TWO AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIPS WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. NEARBY APARTMENT COMPLEX SOME DAMAGE. MANY TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED, MOSTLY MINOR ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE FOUND.
DOLAR ESTIMATES ON THE DAMAGE ARE STILL BEING ASSESSED.
THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF TWO-TENTHS OF A MILE AND LENGTH OF 4.5 MILES.
A TORNADO, RATED F-1, MVD FRM SE JEFFERSON COUNTY INTO INTO SW LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS SHORTLY AFTER 9:40 P.M..
THE TORNADO STRUCK TONGANOXIE AT 9:57 P.M., DAMAGING APPROXIMATELY 100 HOMES, 10 BUSINESSES AND ONE SCHOOL. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. DAMAGE CONTINUED TO A POINT ON THE N SIDE OF BASEHOR, WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN.
THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 1/4-MILE WIDE AND THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 23 MILES IN LENGTH.
THE DEGREE AND AMOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM GRANTVILLE EASTWARD TO NEAR WILLIAMSTOWN NEARLY PARALLELING HIGHWAY 24 WAS VERY ISOLATED AND MINIMAL. THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF ISOLATED TREE LIMBS BEING DOWNED ALONG WITH A FEW POWER LINES. THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE IN THESE AREAS WAS ASSIGNED AN F-0 RATING ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE. IT APPEARED THAT THE TORNADO IN THESE AREAS ONLY TOUCHED DOWN VERY INTERMITTENTLY AND WAS ALOFT AS A FUNNEL CLOUD MOST OF THE TIME.
HOWEVER, EAST OF THESE LOCATIONS AT THE INTERSECTION OF WELLMAN ROAD AND 21ST STREET IN FAR SE JEFFERSON COUNTY, A SMALL AREA OF F-1 DAMAGE WAS IDENTIFIED.
HERE A HOUSE RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WITH PART OF THE ROOF TORN OFF. TWO OUT BUILDINGS EAST OF THE HOUSE, ONE CONSTRUCTED OF SHEET METAL, WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED WITH THE DEBRIS CARRIED TO THE E AND SE SOME 150 FEET. PART OF THE SHEET METAL WAS THEN WRAPPED AROUND THE TRUNK OF A TREE SOME 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND ABOUT 100 FEET FROM THE FOUNDATION. THREE LARGE TREES ON THE WEST AND NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE, WITH TWO TO THREE FOOT DIAMETER TRUNKS WERE ALSO SNAPPED OFF SOME TEN TO TWENTY FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. LARGE DEBRIS FROM ONE OF THESE TREES WAS CARRIED SOME 200 FEET TO THE EAST. DOWNED LIMBS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE HOUSE.
THE F-1 DAMAGE WAS NARROW, SOME 75 YARDS WIDE AND ABOUT A QUARTER TO AS MUCH AS A HALF A MILE LONG. WIND SPEEDS AT THIS LOCATION WERE ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100 m.p.h.. ...
A TORNADO, RATED A MAXIMUM OF F-1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE, MOVED FROM SE JEFFERSON COUNTY INTO INTO SW LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS SHORTLY AFTER 9:40 p.m..
THE TORNADO STRUCK TONGANOXIE AT 9:57 p.m., CAUSING DAMAGE TO APPROXIMATELY 100 HOMES, 10 BUSINESSES AND ONE SCHOOL. AGAIN, NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. DAMAGE CONTINUED TO A POINT ON THE N SIDE OF BASEHOR, WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN.
THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 1/4-MILE WIDE AND THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 23 MILES IN LENGTH.
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT ... NWS KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO ... 455 p.m. CDT FRI MAY 12 2000
...INITIAL STORM SURVEY RESULTS: CLAY COUNTY MO AND LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS TORNADOES MAY 11TH...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PLEASANT HILL CONDUCTED A STORM DAMAGE SURVEY ACROSS SW CLAY AND S LEAVENWORTH COUNTIES FROM THE LATE EVENING STORMS OF THURSDAY MAY 11TH.
AN EXAMINATION OF DAMAGE, COMBINED WITH EYEWITNESSES AND DOPPLER RADAR DATA, INDICATE THAT AN F-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BETWEEN 11:25 AND 11:30 p.m. CDT NEAR (NORTH) MAIN STREET AND 40TH STREET IN KANSAS CITY MO. THE TORNADO TRAVELLED EAST, LIFTING NEAR PARVIN ROAD AND CHOUTEAU TRAFFICWAY AROUND 11:35 p.m. CDT.
THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS IN THE VICINITY OF (NORTHEAST) 39TH AND NORTH OAK, WHERE TWO AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIPS SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. A NEARBY APARTMENT COMPLEX ALSO SUFFERED SOME DAMAGE. MANY TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED AND MOSTLY MINOR ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE WAS FOUND. DOLLAR ESTIMATES ON THE DAMAGE ARE STILL BEING ASSESSED.
THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF TWO-TENTHS OF A MILE AND LENGTH OF 4.5 MILES.
A DAMAGE SURVEY ACROSS LEAVENWORTH COUNTY INDICATES THAT A TORNADO, RATED A MAXIMUM OF F-1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE, MOVED FROM SE JEFFERSON COUNTY INTO INTO SW LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS SHORTLY AFTER 9:40 p.m..
THE TORNADO STRUCK TONGANOXIE AT 9:57 p.m., CAUSING DAMAGE TO APPROXIMATELY 100 HOMES, 10 BUSINESSES AND ONE SCHOOL. AGAIN, NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. DAMAGE CONTINUED TO A POINT ON THE N SIDE OF BASEHOR, WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN.
THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 1/4-MILE WIDE AND THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 23 MILES IN LENGTH.
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT ... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS ... 240 p.m. CDT FRI MAY 12 2000
...STORM SURVEY RESULTS: SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY KS...
METEOROLOGISTS FROM THE NWS IN TOPEKA CONDUCTED A STORM SURVEY THIS MORNING TO DETERMINE THE INTENSITY OF THE TORNADO THAT TRACKED ACROSS S JEFFERSON COUNTY LAST EVENING.
BEFORE GOING OUT ON THE SURVEY, RADAR DATA FROM THE EVENT WAS REVIEWED TO DETERMINE SPECIFIC LOCATIONS THAT WERE AFFECTED BY THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCED THE TORNADO. STORM REPORTS FROM JEFFERSON COUNTY WERE ALSO EXAMINED ALONG WITH THE RADAR DATA.
THE STORM SURVEY THEN FOUND THE FOLLOWING: THE DEGREE AND AMOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM GRANTVILLE EASTWARD TO NEAR WILLIAMSTOWN NEARLY PARALLELING HIGHWAY 24 WAS VERY ISOLATED AND MINIMAL. THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF ISOLATED TREE LIMBS BEING DOWNED ALONG WITH A FEW POWER LINES. THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE IN THESE AREAS WAS ASSIGNED AN F-0 RATING ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE. IT APPEARED THAT THE TORNADO IN THESE AREAS ONLY TOUCHED DOWN VERY INTERMITTENTLY AND WAS ALOFT AS A FUNNEL CLOUD MOST OF THE TIME.
HOWEVER, EAST OF THESE LOCATIONS AT THE INTERSECTION OF WELLMAN ROAD AND 21ST STREET IN FAR SE JEFFERSON COUNTY, A SMALL AREA OF F-1 DAMAGE WAS IDENTIFIED.
HERE A HOUSE RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WITH PART OF THE ROOF TORN OFF. TWO OUT BUILDINGS EAST OF THE HOUSE, ONE CONSTRUCTED OF SHEET METAL, WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED WITH THE DEBRIS CARRIED TO THE E AND SE SOME 150 FEET. PART OF THE SHEET METAL WAS THEN WRAPPED AROUND THE TRUNK OF A TREE SOME 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND ABOUT 100 FEET FROM THE FOUNDATION. THREE LARGE TREES ON THE WEST AND NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE, WITH TWO TO THREE FOOT DIAMETER TRUNKS WERE ALSO SNAPPED OFF SOME TEN TO TWENTY FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. LARGE DEBRIS FROM ONE OF THESE TREES WAS CARRIED SOME 200 FEET TO THE EAST. DOWNED LIMBS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE HOUSE.
THE F-1 DAMAGE WAS NARROW, SOME 75 YARDS WIDE AND ABOUT A QUARTER TO AS MUCH AS A HALF A MILE LONG. WIND SPEEDS AT THIS LOCATION WERE ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100 M.P.H..
... BARLOW/HOLDERBACH
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