2011-05-21 REPORTS: KS

[Jordan Hartley]

***Mods please move to the correct area. I know this isnt where to post reports but for some reason have been stripped of my ability to post in the restricted area***
Video taken from skycam in Emporia,Ks of the first tornado http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=565821168055&oid=172815797189&comments

Edit- 1 fatality tonight in Reading and many injured. Thoughts and prayers going out tonight for the residents of Lyon County and the surronding area. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43124039/ns/weather/?ocid=twitter
What an incredible day, one that I will never forget! No radar, last minute late in the day/night time chase, 327 miles, 4 really good tornadoes! Problems with my main camera and havent had it fixed. THANK GOD I picked up a 27 shot film camera at the gas station there in Ermporia. Will post pictures Monday. Thanks to Mike Gribble for his nowcasting, who had I trusted more would have helped me bag more than what I saw today and navigated me safely out of harms way.

My chase started at 530pm when I woke from my nap. Stepped out side and noticed a cell had popped up a few miles to my north near Andover, KS. Said what the hell and drove to El Dorado then headed north on 77 hwy to Florence. Almost turned around but decided to punch through at Emporia. During this time the storm went nuts. Watched it split from the west coming into Emporia. After the split the southern updraft really got organized taking on the classic LP updraft/flying saucer look to it with plates stacking one right after the other as the updraft gained altitude. Just south of I35 on the E side of Emporia is where all hell started to break loose. Got to 135 and hwy 99 and parked it to allow the best area of low level rotation to pass just to my west. As it crossed 35 it really tightened up and at first what was rising scud eventually fattened up into a nice cone funnel. I wasnt sure if it was going to drop but it did. Classic elephant trunk tornado that lasted a good 10 minutes. Would say it never got wider than a few hundred yrds but it did do some damage as at times you would see it hit something and debris would fly everywhere. Very intense circulation that maintained a nice thickness to the tube from touchdown until it roped out. As the tornado roped out you could see the storm itself really intensify. Flew east to Lebo and parked it on a wonderfully high hill just off I35 and watch the insanity that followed. Witnessed a multi-vortex/wedge tornado for around 10-15 minutes as it tore through Reading, KS. It was very big at one point and the parent updraft was extremly scary. I went north on a paved road out of Lebo to get a closer look which was dumb. Ended up getting close enough to hear the roar of either the tornado or RFD and with it being really dark it scared the crap out of me. Dropped back south and jumped on I35 again blasting E towards Ottawa, Ks. Saw 2 other tornadoes between Lebo and Ottawa.

Ended a really bad chasing streak on a day that I thought was me just being stupid and wasting my money on nothing. Most of you have had a day like this if you have chased long enough. Just never thought id see an +EF3 tornado when I left the house today. 20 homes destroyed and 200 damaged in Reading, KS. Post office destroyed. I guess it went right through downtown. Ended the chase at 1230am and got back at 240am. WOOT! Getting up to do it again tomorrow!


Side note, was shocked out how late the tornado warning sirens sounded with the first tornado. I was shocked the storm wasnt tornado warned way before it ever was. Had low level rotation for 15 minutes prior to the first tornado touchdown. Then I realized I never called anything in until the tornado was on the ground. Ill never make that mistake again as I see now just how important my reports can be. Would have warned Emporia 5 minutes prior to the original warning had I only called in what I was seeing. Just glad the first tornado formed just outside Emporia.

 

[Jordan Hartley]

Got a really good lead on information coming out of Reading will post it and link.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_167674499960635

Damage Pictures courtesy of Matt Fowler via facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100199296540027&set=o.167674499960635&type=1&theater

Sunday, May 22, 2011
The City of Reading, Kansas has been heavily damage by a tornado on Saturday evening. Reading, Kansas has a population of 247 people and is located approximately 19 miles northeast of Emporia, Kansas.

Lyon County has established an Incident Command Post in response to the tornado in Reading, Kansas. The Incident Command Post is located in the City of Reading and a Local Disaster Declaration was signed by Lyon County Commission Chairman, Scott Briggs at 12:57 a.m. Sunday, May 22nd.

Emergency Management personnel are on site and no one will be allowed in the effected area unless requested.

• A secondary search has been completed. One person was transported by ambulance to Newman Regional Hospital in Emporia, Kansas. Five other people were treated on scene by ambulance personnel, one of which was transported by private vehicle.
• A shelter has been established at the Junior High School in Reading, KS, with a manager on site.

 

[J Holder]

I started a thread in Target area a few minutes ago.

I was able to get into Reading earlier tonight, I don't think you're going to see EF4 damage, probably closer to an EF2, maybe EF3 with most every home in the town taking varying degrees of damage. The town is about a half mile long and about 4 blocks wide and it appears the tornado hit it straight on.

 

[Jordan Hartley]

Can you confirm it being 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide by the damage you have seen in town?

 

[J Holder]

From what I saw in the dark, no way could I say half mile. I'd say _maybe_ 300, depending on how much damage I didn't see to the South. The town runs East-West about a half mile and then is about 4-5 blocks wide going North-South.

There were a large number of trees down and home damage on the North side of K-170. Going South from there, the block between K-170 and the "downtown" area had major structural damage to a number of houses and looking back to the South another block you could see that the grain elevator scaffolding was heavily damaged as well. Beyond that is the railroad tracks and another block. I couldn't see beyond the grain elevator.

The water tower, located nearly dead center of what I saw was the worst damage, is still standing. Much of the damage I saw was knock down, push over type damage without the stripping of trees bare and sweeping foundations clean you'd see from the stronger storms so I don't think you're going to see much higher than EF3 at best. Nevertheless it chewed the town up pretty good.

 

[Jordan Hartley]

Can we move this thread to the proper place? At one point it looked really big. Without radar I couldnt tell exactly where the tornado was. But at one point it either got pretty damn big there for a minute or just got wrapped up by the hook and I just thought it got that big.