National Weather Service Raw Text Product

782 
NOUS43 KEAX 092242 CCA
PNSMCI

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
515 PM CDT FRI MAY 9 2003

...LIBERTY TORNADO RATED F2...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS COMPLETED ITS DAMAGE ASSESSMENT ON 
THE TORNADO THAT STRUCK LIBERTY MISSOURI SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE STORM 
HAD A MAXIMUM STRENGTH OF F2 ON THE FUGITA SCALE.  F2 HAS WINDS FROM 
113 TO 157 MPH.

THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN ALONG ROUTE 152 JUST EAST OF ROUTE 
291 AND MOVED EAST NORTHEAST.  THE TORNADO PASSED THROUGH DOWNTOWN 
LIBERTY AND WILLIAM JEWEL COLLEGE...AND CONTINUED ALONG COUNTY ROAD 
H TO JUST OUTSIDE THE LIBERTY CITY LIMITS.  THE TOTAL PATH LENGTH 
WAS APPROXIMATELY 3 AND ONE HALF MILES.  PATH WIDTH VARIED FROM 
ABOUT 75 YARDS TO A MAXIMUM OF APPROXIMATELY 500 YARDS IN DOWNTOWN 
LIBERTY.

F0 TO F1 DAMAGE (WINDS UP TO 112 MPH) OCCURRED IN DOWNTOWN LIBERTY 
WHERE THE STORM PATH WAS WIDEST.  F2 DAMAGE BEGAN ON THE EASTERN 
EDGE OF THE WILLIAM JEWEL CAMPUS AND CONTINUED ALONG EXCELSIOR 
SPRINGS ROAD (COUNTY ROAD H). THE PATH WIDTH EAST OF WILLIAM JEWEL 
COLLEGE WAS 100 TO 200 YARDS WIDE.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE TORNADO WEEKS IN SEVERAL YEARS.  
THE LIBERTY TORNADO WAS ONE OF 9 THAT OCCURRED SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE 
STRONGEST TORNADOES (F4) THAT DAY OCCURRED IN KANSAS CITY 
KANSAS...GLADSTONE MISSOURI AND KANSAS CITY MISSOURI. ON TUESDAY 2 
TORNADOES OCCURRED EAST OF KANSAS CITY IN JOHNSON AND PETTIS 
COUNTIES IN THE VICINITY OF WARRENSBURG AND SEDALIA. THURSDAY SAW 3 
MORE TORNADOES OCCUR...THIS TIME SOUTH OF KANSAS CITY. THE STRONGEST 
OF THOSE TORNADOES MOVED ACROSS RURAL LINN COUNTY KANSAS WEST OF 
MOUND CITY. THAT TORNADO LIFTED WEST OF THE MISSOURI LINE AND 
TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN NORTHWEST OF CLINTON FOR A BRIEF TIME. THE THIRD 
TORNADO LAST EVENING TOUCHED DOWN IN JOHNSON COUNTY N THE 
WARRENSBURG VICINITY.

MAXIMUK