National Weather Service Raw Text Product

208 
NOUS43 KEAX 080458
PNSMCI
KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040-
043>046-053-054-081700-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1158 PM CDT WED MAY 7 2003

A DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN 
PLEASANT HILL, MISSOURI, HAS PERFORMED A SURVEY OF TORNADOES, WHICH 
STRUCK THE KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA ON MAY 4, 2003. RESULTS OF 
THE SURVEY INDICATE FIVE DISTINCT TORNADO PATHS IN PORTIONS OF 
LEAVENWORTH AND WYANDOTTE COUNTIES IN KANSAS, AND ACROSS PORTIONS OF 
PLATTE AND CLAY COUNTIES IN MISSOURI. TWO OF THE TORNADOES RECEIVED 
A MAXIMUM INTENSITY RATING OF F4 ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE, TWO A 
RATING OF F2, AND THE LAST A RATING OF F1.

THE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WAS NOTED IN LEAVENWORTH COUNTY BY 
SPOTTERS WEST OF THE CITY OF LEAVENWORTH, OR ABOUT 2 TO 3 MILES 
NORTH OF JARBALO, AT 3:34 P.M. THIS TORNADO MOVED NORTH-NORTHEAST, 
WITH LITTLE TO NO DAMAGE NOTED ALONG ITS PATH THROUGH RELATIVELY 
OPEN COUNTRY. THE TORNADO WAS APPARENTLY SPOTTED BY OFFICIALS OF 
FORT LEAVENWORTH IN OPEN COUNTRY ON BASE GROUNDS. DAMAGE OF F1 
INTENSITY WAS OBSERVED FROM THIS TORNADO ACROSS THE RIVER INTO 
PLATTE COUNTY, STARTING ALONG MISSOURI ROUTE 92, NEAR ITS 
INTERSECTION WITH NORTH FARLEY ROAD. THIS DAMAGE EXTENDED ABOUT ONE 
AND A HALF MILES TO THE EAST, WITH A WIDTH OF AROUND 50 YARDS. 
DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO THE NORTH OF ROUTE 92 TO TWO BARNS, ALONG WITH 
TREE AND FENCE DAMAGE. THIS DAMAGE APPEARED TO BE PRODUCED FROM 
DOWNBURSTS, WHICH LIKELY OCCURRED TO THE NORTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK, 
CLOSER TO THE UPDRAFT AND DOWNDRAFT INTERFACE OF THE STORM. TOTAL 
TRACK LENGTH OF THIS TORNADO WAS APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES.

A SERIES OF FOUR TORNADOES WAS EVIDENT FROM BOTH GROUND AND AIR 
SURVEYS ACROSS THE KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA, FROM THE SUPERCELL 
THUNDERSTORM WHICH TRACKED EAST-NORTHEAST ACROSS THE WESTERN AND 
NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE METROPOLITAN REGION.

THE FIRST OF THESE TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHERN LEAVENWORTH 
COUNTY, AT AROUND 3:54 P.M., NORTHWEST OF LINWOOD AND SOUTH OF THE 
KANSAS TURNPIKE, NEAR 198TH AND WOOD ANN. VIDEO SHOWS THE TORNADO 
CROSSED THE KANSAS TURNPIKE EAST OF THE EASTERN TOLL BOOTH, AND THEN 
PROCEEDED NORTHEAST TO WHERE IT LIFTED SOUTH OF BASEHOR AROUND 4:12 
P.M. TOTAL TRACK LENGTH WAS SIX MILES, WITH A WIDTH APPROACHING 200 
YARDS AT TIMES. THE TORNADO WAS GIVEN A MAXIMUM FUJITA INTENSITY 
RATING OF F2. THIS MAXIMUM DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO HOMES NEAR AND JUST 
NORTHEAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF 166TH AND KANSAS ROAD.

THE SECOND TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST NORTH-NORTHWEST OF THE KANSAS 
SPEEDWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 4:18 P.M. THIS TORNADO INITIALLY PRODUCED 
F0 TO F1 DAMAGE BUT IT DID QUICKLY PRODUCE AN AREA OF VERY 
ISOLATED F4 DAMAGE TO TWO HOMES, JUST SOUTH OF PARALLEL PARKWAY NEAR 
INTERSTATE 435. THE TORNADO GREW IN WIDTH TO NEAR 500 YARDS IN 
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, WHERE INSTANCES OF F3 DAMAGE WERE NOTED AROUND 
91ST AND LEAVENWORTH ROAD, AND AROUND 84TH TERRACE NORTH OF 
LEAVENWORTH ROAD. THE LATTER LOCATION WAS WHERE ONE FATALITY WAS 
OBSERVED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST THROUGH WYANDOTTE COUNTY, 
WHERE ANOTHER INSTANCE OF MARGINAL F4 DAMAGE WAS NOTED NEAR 79TH 
STREET AND CERNECH. CONSIDERABLE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN THIS 
LOCATION, ALONG WITH FOUR 150 FOOT-TALL METAL POWER POLES ENGINEERED 
TO WITHSTAND MAXIMUM WINDS OF OVER 200 MPH. THE TORNADO PROCEEDED TO 
PRODUCE F1 TO OCCASIONAL F2 DAMAGE UP TO THE MISSOURI RIVER. BASED 
ON AIR SURVEYS, THE TORNADO PASSED JUST NORTH OF THE POWER PLANT IN 
NORTHEAST WYANDOTTE COUNTY, SKIRTED ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER 
INFLICTING TREE DAMAGE ON BOTH THE WYANDOTTE AND PLATTE COUNTY SIDES 
OF THE RIVER, AND EVENTUALLY CROSSED EAST INTO PLATTE COUNTY NEAR 
RIVERSIDE AND PARKVILLE AROUND 4:30 P.M. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EAST, 
BUT WITH A SMALLER DAMAGE PATH THROUGH COMMERCIAL AREAS NEAR HIGHWAY 
9. THE TORNADO CROSSED INTERSTATE 635 NEAR MILE MARKER 11.8, AND IT 
PRODUCED F1 DAMAGE EAST OF THIS POINT UNTIL THE TORNADO APPARENTLY 
DISSIPATED AROUND 4:42 P.M. TOTAL TRACK LENGTH OF THIS TORNADO WAS 
NEAR 15 MILES.

THE THIRD TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN GLADSTONE, MISSOURI, APPARENTLY 
FROM A NEW CIRCULATION WHICH FORMED TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE ONE 
WHICH PRODUCED THE SECOND TORNADO, AROUND 4:45 P.M., AROUND THE AREA 
OF SHADY LANE AND ANTIOCH. TREE AND ROOF DAMAGE ACCOUNTED FOR F0 TO 
F1 DAMAGE IN THIS AREA. THE TORNADO QUICKLY INTENSIFIED, AND DAMAGE 
OF MARGINAL F4 INTENSITY WAS NOTED APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE NORTHEAST 
OF THIS AREA, NOTED JUST NORTHEAST OF THIS LOCATION, IN THE CARRIAGE 
HILLS SUBDIVISION, JUST SOUTH OF PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD NEAR NORTH 
BRIGHTON. AREAS OF F1 TO F3 INTENSITY DAMAGE WERE NOTED AROUND THESE 
SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CARRIAGE HILLS SUBDIVISION. THE 
TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST, BASED ON AIR SURVEYS, TO JUST SHY OF 
INTERSTATE 435 BEFORE DISSIPATING SHORTLY BEFORE 5:00 P.M.

THE FOURTH AND FINAL TORNADO IN THE SERIES THAT MOVED THROUGH THE 
METROPOLITAN AREA TOUCHED DOWN IN THE LIBERTY AREA. AIR SURVEYS 
INDICATED SPOTTY DAMAGE FROM MISSOURI ROUTE 291, SOUTH OF MISSOURI 
ROUTE 152, NORTHEAST TO NEAR DOWNTOWN LIBERTY. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE 
WAS NOTED NEAR THE SQUARE IN LIBERTY, AND TO WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE. 
THE TORNADO TRACKED EAST ALONG MISSOURI ROUTE H INTO RURAL PORTIONS 
OF CLAY COUNTY EAST OF LIBERTY, BEFORE THE TORNADO APPARENTLY 
DISSIPATED AROUND 5:15 P.M. MAXIMUM INTENSITY DAMAGE NOTED IN THIS 
AREA WAS F2, BASED ON AIR SURVEY AND INPUT FORM LOCAL EMERGENCY 
MANAGEMENT. 

DESPITE SPOTTER REPORTS DURING THE EVENT, NO EVIDENCE OF TORNADO 
TOUCHDOWNS WERE FOUND IN RAY OR JACKSON COUNTIES IN MISSOURI.

GRAPHICAL MAPS OF THESE TORNADO PATHS, ANNOTATED WITH FUJITA DAMAGE 
SCALE ASSESSMENTS, WILL BE POSTED ON THE PLEASANT HILL WEB SITE AT 
WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/EAX. ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE 
CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/ARX/TORNADO/FUJITASCALE.HTM.


$$

HUDSON/SCHMIT