May 16th 2017 Pawnee & Barton county EF-3 tornado

Overview

Storms developed over western Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle during the afternoon hours of May 16th. One supercell thunderstorm tracked northeast out of far southwest Kansas and persisted for a few hours. This storm rapidly intensified as it approached southwest Barton County producing a tornado that struck Pawnee Rock and eventually produced EF3 damage west and northwest of the Great Bend Airport. This storm continued to the northeast producing additional damage before lifting northwest of Hoisington. Another brief tornado occurred northeast of Susank; this tornado touched down in an open field and did not produce any damage.

Tornado
Radar

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Pawnee & Barton counties

Date	5/16/2017
Time (Local)	7:59pm
EF Rating	EF3
Est. Peak Winds	165
Path Length	27 miles
Max Width	300 yards
Injuries/Deaths	2 minor injuries
Summary: Tornado began 3 E of Larned in Pawnee County and tracked northeast for five more miles in the county. The tornado continued for another 22 miles in Barton County and ended 2 NW of Hoisington. There was EF-2 damage found in Pawnee Rock in Barton County and high end EF-3 damage west and northwest of the Great Bend Airport.

Track Map

Epic grainy phone shot of a brief tornado NW of Hoisington, KS on 5/16/17, I'm too lazy to edit the DSLR ones. pic.twitter.com/evTYEsZUYM — Jason Keller (@jasonkellerpt) May 17, 2017	@ReedTimmerAccu tornado on the ground near Great Bend Kansas pic.twitter.com/9Jy0hqpjGn — Brandon L (@BrandonLaBrie) May 17, 2017
		High end EF3 damage around 2 miles northwest of Great Bend Airport	EF3 damage around 2 miles west/northwest of the Great Bend Airport


EF2 damage on west side of Pawnee Rock	EF1 damage in Pawnee Rock State Park	EF2 damage in Pawnee Rock	EF3 damage 2 W of Great Bend Airport


Before and after picture of home 2 W of Great Bend Airport	Bark stripped off of trees 2 W of Great Bend	EF3 damage 2 W of Great Bend Airport	Damage 2 W of Great Bend Airport
EF-3 tornado tracked 27 miles across central KS Tuesday! Today: HIGH RISK for parts of the plains. Video:Barton County, KS via Travis Kaiser pic.twitter.com/R6umhmm3do — Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) May 18, 2017

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Radar:


Radar image from the Dodge City radar from around 8:05pm	Storm relative velocity image from Dodge City radar from around 8:05pm just as it was about to move into southern Barton County	Storm relative velocity image from Dodge City's radar around 8:12pm	Dual-pol product (Correlation Coefficient) from around 8:12pm, showing debris being lifted by the tornado.

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