PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
835 PM MDT FRI JUN 10 2005
..PRELIMINARY GRAHAM COUNTY KANSAS TORNADO SUMMARY
AT 420 PM CDT THURSDAY JUNE 9 2005...A STRONG TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN
APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES SW OF HILL CITY KANSAS...TRAVELED 9.5 MILES
NORTHEAST...AND LIFTED APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES ESE OF HILL CITY AT 448
PM CDT. THIS INFORMATION IS BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL
RESIDENTS...RESULTS OF A DAMAGE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND AS WELL AS DOPPLER RADAR DATA. THIS
TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 28 MINUTES AND HAS BEEN RATED AS A LOW
END F2 TORNADO ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE...A SCALE WHICH RANGES
FROM 0 (WEAK) TO 5 (VIOLENT). THIS RATING IS BASED ON STRUCTURAL
DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES NEAR HIGHWAY 283 SOUTH OF HILL CITY...AS
WELL AS WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO UTILITY POLES...SIGNS AND TREES IN THE
VICINITY. SPOTTERS AND STORM CHASERS REPORTED AT THE TIME THAT THE
TORNADO BECAME RAIN-WRAPPED DURING A PORTION OF ITS LIFE CYCLE. NO
INJURIES OR FATALITIES OCCURRED WITH THIS TORNADO.
THE TORNADO BEGAN NORTH OF ROAD J NEAR ROAD 220 SW OF HILL CITY AND
MOVED NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH INITIALLY OVER OPEN FIELDS. AS THE
TORNADO NEARED HIGHWAY 283 NEAR ROAD M...TWO HOMESTEADS RECEIVED
WIDESPREAD MAJOR TREE DAMAGE...ROOF DAMAGE AND A LARGE DETACHED
GARAGE AT ONE RESIDENCE WAS DESTROYED. SURVEY RESULTS INDICATE THAT
THESE HOMES WERE ON THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE TORNADO
CIRCULATION. MAJOR UTILITY POLE DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG THIS STRETCH
OF ROAD 260 SOUTH OF THESE HOMES WHERE 26 POLES WERE EITHER PUSHED
OVER OR SNAPPED OFF ABOVE THE GROUND. AS THE TORNADO CROSSED
HIGHWAY 283 APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILES SOUTH OF HILL CITY IT DESTROYED
A HANGAR AND TOSSED STORAGE ITEMS INSIDE ANYWHERE FROM 100 TO 1200
YARDS. A MOTORBOAT...A 4-WHEELER AND A LARGE TRAILER WERE EITHER
HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. AS THE TORNADO PROGRESSED NORTHEAST
IT RETURNED TO OPEN PASTURELAND WHERE IT LIFTED NEAR ROAD 300 TO THE
NORTH OF ROAD O.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND WOULD LIKE TO THANK GRAHAM
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THE GRAHAM COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE AND
LOCAL RESIDENTS FOR ASSISTING IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT.
THIS REPORT...INCLUDING DAMAGE AND TORNADO PHOTOS AND A MAP OF THE
TORNADO TRACK WILL BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB PAGE MONDAY MORNING AT
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/GOODLAND.
DAVID FLOYD
WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND, KS
