Tornadoes and Strong Winds Hit Clay and Ottawa Counties June 5th 2008 - NWS Topeka, KS

The National Weather Service in Topeka, in cooperation with Ottawa and Clay County Emergency Management surveyed storm damage across portions of Ottawa and Clay County Friday, June 6th. A write up of their survey is available at the bottom of the webpage.

Below is an image take of the Clay County Tornado.  The image was taken by Maureen Pfizemaier just before she headed to her basement.

The table of images below were taken by the Storm Survey Team. The images are from the sites where tornado damage was rated EF-1.

Below is a write up on the storms.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
136 PM CDT TUE JUN 10 2008

...UPDATED PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS ON
THURSDAY JUNE 5TH...

OTTAWA COUNTY...

MINOR DAMAGE TO OUTBUILDINGS WAS NOTED AT TWO RESIDENCES IN EASTERN
OTTAWA COUNTY CONSISTENT WITH STRAIGHT LINE THUNDERSTORMS WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MPH. 

CLAY COUNTY...

A TOTAL OF THREE TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN CLAY COUNTY ON JUNE 5TH.

THE FIRST TORNADO BEGAN 1.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF OAK HILL WHERE A
RESIDENCE HAD DAMAGE TO A BACK PORCH...ROOF...WINDOWS AND TREES. TWO
OUTBUILDINGS WERE ALSO DESTROYED. THE TORNADO WAS 50 YARDS WIDE AT
THIS LOCATION. THIS TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING NORTHEAST...PRODUCING
DAMAGE ALONG ITS PATH BEFORE ENDING APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES NORTHWEST
OF CLAY CENTER. THE TORNADO CAUSED ROOF AND WINDOW DAMAGE TO A HOME
ON HIGHWAY 24 WEST OF CLAY CENTER AND ALSO DESTROYED THREE
OUTBUILDINGS AT THIS LOCATION. NEAR THE END OF THE TORNADOS
PATH...IT DAMAGED A RESIDENCE AND DESTROYED SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS. IT
ALSO OVERTURNED CENTER PIVOT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND DAMAGED
POWERLINES AND POWER POLES. DAMAGE WITH THIS TORNADO WAS CONSISTENT
EF1 WINDSPEEDS. THIS TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FROM 419 PM TO 433 PM
CDT AND IT WAS 100 YARDS WIDE AT TIMES.

THE SECOND TORNADO BEGAN AT 420 PM AND ENDED AT 432 PM CDT. THIS
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF CLAY
CENTER AND ENDED APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES WEST OF CLAY CENTER. THIS
TORNADO PRODUCED EF0 DAMAGE ALONG ITS PATH AND IT WAS 50 YARDS WIDE.
THIS TORNADO PRODUCED DAMAGE TO POWERLINES AND OUTBUILDINGS ALONG
ITS PATH.

THE THIRD TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILES NORTH OF CLAY
CENTER AT 433 PM AND LIFTED NEAR FACT, KS AT 454 PM CDT. THIS
TORNADO PRODUCED UP TO EF1 DAMAGE ALONG ITS PATH. RESIDENCES IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO HAD BROKEN WINDOWS, DAMAGE TO SIDING AND TREES
AND SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

WASHINGTON COUNTY...

A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN WAS REPORTED TO HAVE DAMAGED A BARN 2 MILES WEST
OF BARNES IN EASTERN WASHINTON COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF0.

MARSHALL COUNTY...

A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN WAS REPORTED TO HAVE DESTROYED SOME
OUTBUILDINGS 3 MILES EAST OF OKETO. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF0.

BROWN COUNTY...

A TORNADO WAS OBSERVED BY A STORM SPOTTER 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF
MORRILL. THIS TORNADO WAS A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN AND WAS RATED EF0.
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN THE TOWN OF RESERVE IN NORTH
CENTRAL BROWN COUNTY. THE DAMAGE AT THIS LOCATION WAS CONSISTENT
WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS FROM THUNDERSTORMS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

EF SCALE...

EF RATING               EXPECTED WIND SPEEDS
EF0                     65 - 85 MPH
EF1                     86 - 110 MPH
EF2                     111 - 135 MPH
EF3                     136 - 165 MPH
EF4                     166 - 200 MPH
EF5                     >200 MPH

$$