National Weather Service Raw Text Product

000 
NOUS43 KEAX 082035 CCA
PNSMCI

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
335 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

...CORRECTED TORNADO LOCATIONS IN NORTHERN LEAVENWORTH COUNTY AND 
FIRST LOCATION OF F4 DAMAGE IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY...

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  
OFFICIALS OF FORT LEAVENWORTH IN OPEN COUNTRY ON BASE GROUNDS...AT 
APPROXIMATELY 3:45 PM.  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 PM...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 PM. 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 PM. THIS TORNADO INITIALLY PRODUCED 
F0 TO F1 DAMAGE BUT IT DID QUICKLY PRODUCE AN AREA OF F3 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 A SMALL INSTANCE OF MINOR F4 DAMAGE WAS NOTED AROUND 
91ST AND LEAVENWORTH ROAD.  DAMAGE OF F2 TO F3 INTENSITY CONTINUED 
NORTH AND EAST TO NEAR 84TH TERRACE NORTH OF LEAVENWORTH ROAD. THIS 
LATTER LOCATION WAS WHERE THE 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 PM. 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 PM. 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 PM...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 PM.

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 PM. 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