Damage Surveys

Conducted by Scott Currens

03/12/06 Marshall, MO area Tornadoes

01/28/06 Northern Kansas Tornadoes

05/12/04 F4 Tornado near Harper, KS

March 12, 2006 Marshall, MO area tornadoes

On Thursday March 16th, I conducted a detailed survey of the damage tracks near Marshall, MO. My main focus was accurately plotting each tornadoes path. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to cross the river to see if the paralleling tornadoes paths came together as suggested in the NWS survey. The line segments are based off of the NWS survey maps.

Length: Unknown

Max width: 1/4 mile (Tornado B)

Damage rating: Unknown, I focused on finding the damage path not the damage intensity. 

January 28, 2006 Northern Kansas Tornadoes

February 1st I surveyed tornado damage that occurred near Fact, KS on January 28th. The following images are in order from the beginning (SW) of the damage track to the end (NE).

Length: 0.8 miles

Max width: 75 yards

Maximum damage intensity: F1 (unofficial rating) based on tree damage. Normally I interpret ground scaring as evidence of a at least a strong tornado. In this case the tornado only removed unrooted dead grass that was coating in the ground, the rooted grass remained in place. Additionally, I believe the very dry condition made vegetation more susceptible to wind damage.

This vortex mark was the first sign of damage that I was able to find. It was unique in that it was shaped like an elongated arrowhead. It starts at a point on the right side of the image and grows wider towards the left side of the image. As the vortex mark got wider its effect on to ground became less pronounced. The vortex mark had no curvature to it, so it appears that it was a single vortex tornado at this point.

The remains of a windmill.

This field had two large piles of trees that were stacked for burning. The tornado's winds pulled them out of the piles and now they  point to the centerline. The tornado tracked through the middle of the image.

The tornado that I observed at 3:53 pm occurred in the highlighted area. This area is almost exclusively rangeland with only a few trees along riparian corridors. Several sites within this area had recent tree damage but nothing that could be definitively associated with a tornado.  The exact damage track of this tornado is unknown.

Length: unknown

Max width: unknown

Damage rating: F0 (unofficial) based on my observation of the tornado and minimal tree damage in the same area.

I would like to thank the Topeka National Weather Service for providing timely damage reports and radar images that helped make this damage survey possible.

May 12, 2004 Harper, Kansas (Under Construction) Aerial and ground survey images need to be added.