6-04-05 Brown County KS

Featured with Mike Peregrine's video on the Katrina fundraiser:

Click here for video

Sometimes everything just falls into place.  After most chasers dumped this cell to head south to Manhattan, KS, this cell decided it meant business.  For those who stuck around, we were rewarded by witnessing one of the most spectacular tornadoes of 2005.

As seen on:

Awesome CG pounds the earth as I move into position on the wall cloud.

Cell starting to get it's act together just south of Powhattan, KS in Brown County.

Just when the storm would start to look good, it would go back to junk.

Only to tighten up and again look like a good super cell.

This time it was obvious the cell meant business with strong inflow and a thick stinger.  Note corn leaning towards the wall cloud.

Wall cloud start to develop as the cell moves towards me from the southwest.

Close up of the wall cloud and tail feeding the action area. 20kt infow at this time.

After a quick repositioning, initial touchdown occurs near Powhattan as the meso goes absolutely nuts.

Tornado rapidly grows in size and strength to my west.  Very obvious this tube is moving north east and not east.

Vid capture of the tornado picking up forward speed with a fair amount of debris present.

Video capture of tornado shows violent rotation at this point throwing large pieces of debris well away from the funnel.

Video capture of CG hitting behind the tornado.  Awesome site to behold as the tube continues to grow in size.

Tornado makes a jog to the north east.  Beautiful stove pipe.

More debris as the tornado strikes some kind of structure  to the southwest of Pocahontas KS.

Ben Leitschuh, who was also there for the entire life cycle, snapped this pic.  Thanks Ben!

Jogs straight east and rapidly grows in size. Crosses the road less than a mile away.  Yes, I was aware of the RFD and the poles.

Vid capture of a large tree going for it's last ride in the foreground.

Video capture showing the tornado and wall cloud about as wrapped up as possible before it starts to occlude.

Vid capture showing copious amounts of debris as the twister strikes a farmstead in Brown County.

Tornado rapidly dissipates as the occlusion is complete and cuts off the inflow.  Awesome tornado with a significant track.

This rope was extremely unstable with the ground contact sweeping several hundred yards back and forth in a N/S orientation.

The end of the show.

I usually refrain from posting personal loss photos, but this is a reminder of the power and devistation tornados leave on peoples lives.  The farmer who lived here was OK but lost most of his out buildings.  I stayed with him until the deputies arrived to help.  Testament to how fickle these can be....it left the house but leveled his barn to the concrete about 100 feet away.  Amazing.

The dark area I'm driving over is the actual damage path.  Notice the gravel has been scoured off the road and the vegetation has been ripped out of the ground.  Also, no power lines in the one area where the tornado crossed the road.  Lucky for us.

This one was for you Alex...thanks for the help.

Alexander John Sahlberg August 22 1986 - April 13 2005

Ben and I lost the cell in the riverbottoms near White Cloud Kansas.  The cell did go on to produce more tornadoes in Missouri. John and Jamie Wetter, Scott Woelm, and Shaun Kelly shot some impressive video.  3 different tornado touchdowns near highway 169.

2005 Chase Home