NOAA National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Tornado Damage of June 4 2005

PERSONNEL FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA...ALONG WITH COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...CONDUCTED DAMAGE SURVEYS OF TWO OF THE TORNADOES THAT OCCURRED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING OF JUNE 4TH 2005.

ONE TORNADO OCCURRED IN BROWN COUNTY SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST OF HIAWATHA. THIS TORNADO STARTED ABOUT ONE HALF MILE WEST OF HIGHWAY 73 AT 420 PM...JUST TO THE EAST OF BAKER...OR ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTH OF HIAWATHA. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED EAST NORTHEAST 3 MILES...ENDING UP ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HIAWATHA. IT HAD A MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH OF 150 YARDS. THREE FARMSTEADS OR BUSINESSES SUSTAINED DAMAGE...WITH A TOTAL OF 15 BUILDINGS DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. SEVERAL CARS WERE ROLLED...AND A COMBINE WAS MOVED A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED F2 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.
 

Tornado South of Hiawatha

	Barn being destroyed and house damaged on U.S. Highway 73 5 miles south of Hiawatha.  Photo courtesy of chaser Dave Ewoldt.
	Tornado at its widest...about 5 miles south southeast of Hiawatha.  Photo courtesy of chaser Dave Ewoldt.

 

Damage South to Southeast of Hiawatha (click thumbnail for larger picture)

	House and tree damage at farmstead off of U.S. Highway 73 about 6 miles south of Hiawatha
	Barn damage at farmstead off of U.S. Highway 73 about 6 miles south of Hiawatha
	Damage to modular home and salvage area about 5 miles south southeast of Hiawatha
	Hubcap from automobile embedded in wall of modular home about 5 miles south southeast of Hiawatha
	Tree and outbuilding damage on farmstead about 6 miles southeast of Hiawatha
	Damaged cinder block structure and Van on farmstead about 6 miles southeast of Hiawatha

ANOTHER TORNADO OCCURRED OVER SOUTHWEST POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY AT THE LAKE ELBO COMMUNITY EAST OF MANHATTAN AT 530 PM. THIS TORNADO HAD A ONE HALF MILE LONG PATH LENGTH WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 100 YARDS.  MANY LARGE TREES WERE DAMAGED OR BLOWN OVER...POWERLINES WERE DOWNED...A BOAT BLOWN ACROSS THE LAKE AND AT LEAST FOUR BUILDINGS SUSTAINED DAMAGE...PRIMARILY FROM TREES FALLING ON THEM. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.

Damage near Lake Elbo, east of Manhattan (click thumbnail for larger picture)

	House and tree damage on west side of Lake Elbo.  Photo courtesy of Harry Willyard.
	More house and tree damage on west side of Lake Elbo.  Photo courtesy of Harry Willyard
	Large branches and trees down on east side of Lake Elbo
	Large tree uprooted on east side of Lake Elbo

NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED FROM THESE TORNADOES.