The May 4, 2003 tornado

F4Wyandotte, Platte and Clay counties, Kansas and Missouri

An F4 tornado on a 21.0-mile path that killed 2 and injured 30. It was one of 81 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 12 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Watch how it happened Part of the outbreak of May 4, 2003: 81 tornadoes in 9 states

F4 tornado · May 4, 2003

How it happened

Follow the tornado’s recorded path from touchdown to lift-off.

About this replay

Distance travelled—Historical replay — even pace

Distance—of 21.0 miles

Now in—

RatingF4

Path milestones

Damage pathDrawn at its recorded maximum width, 500 yards

TownsSized by population today; those within 3 miles flash as it passes

Counties on the pathLit as the tornado enters them

Source: Storm Prediction Center start and end points. Times along the path were not logged, so the replay moves at an even pace. Towns are today’s Census places.

The tornado

Rating: F4; Fujita scale
Path length: 21.0 mi; Width up to 500 yards
Killed: 2; Along the whole path
Injured: 30; Along the whole path
Date and time: Sunday, May 4, 2003; 3:18 PM CST
That day: 81; tornadoes in the U.S.; every one, with a replay of the day

The National Weather Service account

Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.

Tornado touched down just north-northwest of the Kansas Speedway around 318 pm CST. This tornado initially produced F0 to F1 damage, but produced F3 damage to 2 homes, just south of Parallel Parkway near I-435. The tornado grew to a width to near 500 yards in Kansas City, Kansas, where some marginal F4 damage was noted around 91st and Leavenworth Road. The tornado continued some F2 to F3 damage northeast near 84th Terrace north of Leavenworth Road. This is the location where an 82 year old man was killed in his residence. The tornado continued northeast through Wyandotte county, where another instance of marginal F4 damage was noted near 79th Street and Cernech. Considerable structural damage was noted in this location, along with four 150 foot-tall metal power poles engineered to withstand maximum winds over 200 mph. The tornado produced F1 to F2 damage up to the Missouri River before crossing into Platte county Missouri, near Riverside and Parkville around 335 pm CST.

The storm system that day

A dry line moved into eastern Kansas and initiated severe thunderstorm development the afternoon of May 4th. Several of the thunderstorms became tornadic in Miami, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties. The strongest tornado reached F4 intensity in Kansas City Kansas before moving into Missouri. This tornado killed an 82 year old man and injured 30 others. Wyandotte county also had $15.5 million dollars in damage, with 69 buildings destroyed, and 390 suffering damage. Leavenworth county had 9 homes destroyed, 8 with major damage and 17 with minor damage. Damage estimates for Leavenworth county are around $4 million dollars. This was the most significant tornado outbreak in the Kansas City Metropolitan areas, since the Pleasant Hill tornado outbreak of 1977. A 46 year old woman died from injuries received with this tornado on October 10th, 2003.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Counties on its path

Other notable tornadoes that day

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.