October 31, 2000
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| It looked more like June or July, but actually the date read October 31st. By the time trick-or-treaters were knocking on doors in the Goodland County Warning Area, the Goodland NWS was counting up the number of tornadoes that hit the area. Most of the tornadoes were observed in Wallace, Sherman, Thomas, Decatur Counties of northwest Kansas along with Red Willow County of far southwest Nebraska. A total of 10 Tornadoes were confirmed. Some caused more damage than others, but the most noticeable damage was found in Sherman County southwest of Goodland. The pictures below give you a good idea of how destructive twisters can be on the High Plains, especially so late in the year. The National Weather Service in Goodland issued a total of 16 Tornado Warnings on 10/31/00. |
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The pictures above show the Eddie/Monica Emig farm 4.5 miles south of Ruleton, KS. This F1 Tornado damaged the top of a barn, tossed a trailer over a pickup truck, split some trees, left debris in trees, broke windows, and took out a utility pole. The tornado just missed their home. No one was injured. The twister lifted just beyond the Emig property. |
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The images above are from an abandoned homestead about 20 miles southwest of Goodland near Wallace County, KS. There were 3 structures standing before the tornado blasted through. Trees were uprooted or snapped. Even part of a tree originally next to the residence was found over 1/4 mile away in a field. Much of the debris (wood, metal, and shingles) was found as far as one mile away from the abandoned home. Only twisted rubble remained around the property. This F2 Tornado had a path of nearly 12 miles. In addition, a before and after picture can be seen below of an old garage that stood next to the home. |
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| The left picture shows the garage intact but leaning (courtesy of Jennifer House). The right picture was taken during the damage survey as the garage was in the foreground with only a dirt foundation left. The remains of the house are in the background. |
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| From the Goodland WSR-88D standpoint, it quickly showed tornadoes developing within the Supercells. A total of 29 Warnings were issued based on signatures indicated on the radar. The times of the radar products correspond to when the tornadoes were reported on the ground in Sherman, Wallace, and Thomas Counties of northwest Kansas. Severe weather was also reported in far eastern Colorado, and eventually in extreme southwest Nebraska. Exact damages are unknown, but minor in most areas. |
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| Reflectivity and Velocity radar products from the Goodland WSR-88D at 2:13 PM MST. At this time, tornadoes were developing over northwest Wallace and southeast Thomas Counties of KS. Notice the gold rings and red triangles in the velocity image indicating the precise area of rotation and tornadoes. (Click on thumbnails) |
Reflectivity and Velocity products showing the locations of the tornadoes at 2:38 PM MST. This was around the time the Sherman County, KS tornado caused F2 damage at the abandoned homestead. (See pictures above) Again, note the signatures including the gold rings and red triangle southwest of Goodland. (Click on thumbnails) |
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To see the approximate paths two of these tornadoes took (both border crossers), Click Here. The F-Scale rating is listed next to each confirmed touchdown and path. Also, please take a look at the Press Release issued by NWS Goodland just after the event. This was one of the biggest severe weather events recorded so late in the season on the High Plains, but not the latest tornado(s) on record. The latest confirmed tornado in any year across the Tri-State Area occurred on November 4, 1922. |
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