Tornado hit Andover, Kansas days after the anniversary of the 1991 deadly twister
A tornado hit Andover, Kansas, on Friday evening, damaging a YMCA and an apartment complex. Only minor injuries were reported although 966 houses were damaged or destroyed in the community of about 15,000 people.
The storm comes days after the 30th anniversary of a deadly F5 tornado that killed 17 people in Witchita and Andover.
How big was the 1991 tornado?
On a Friday in 1991, 55 tornadoes touched down from Texas to Minnesota, with the strongest forming in Kansas.
An F-5 tornado with winds estimated at 260 mph hit a Wichita suburb and Andover, Kansas, killing 17 people. The vortex was on the ground for 69 miles and was about a third of a mile wide.
More: Dozens of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed from Kansas tornadoes. See damage in Andover.
How did the April 26, 1991 Wichita-Andover tornado form?
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado formed south of Clearwater about 20 miles from Wichita at 4:57 p.m. local time.
The tornado was between F2 and F3 in intensity as it hit Haysville Kansas. When the tornado hit McConnell Air Force Base at 5:29 p.m., it destroyed the school on base, a hospital and some housing, causing $62 million in damage. It just missed hitting 10 B1 bombers which were worth $280 million each at the time, according to the National Weather Service.
More: NWS issues tornado warning for Topeka, Kansas. See damage from touchdown in Andover
After hitting the Air Force Base, the tornado intensified into an F4 vortex. At 6:35 p.m. the tornado reached F5, now east of Wichita. The tornado hit Andover where it devastated a mobile home park, killing 13 people.
The vortex continued on to El Dorado, weakening to an F2 or F3 before dissipating over El Dorado Lake.
What is the Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale?
The Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale assigns tornadoes ratings based the estimated wind speeds and damage, according to the National Weather Service.
The damage from the tornado is surveyed after the storm and the damage is evaluated to help estimate the wind speed the tornado produced. The
From that, a rating (from EF0 to EF5) is assigned.
What are the wind speeds of the Enhanced Fujita Scale?
The Enhanced Fujita scale classifies tornadoes from zero to five based on damage and estimated wind speeds.
EF-0 is the weakest rating and classifies a tornado with wind speeds between 65-85 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
An EF-1 tornado has wind speeds between 86-110 mph and is associated with moderate damage, such as roof surfaces peeled off or vehicles pushed off a road.
An EF-2 tornado has wind speeds between 111-135 mph and an EF-3 has wind speeds of 1356-165 mph. Both are considered “strong” tornadoes, according to NWS. These are associated with considerable to severe damage, including roofs torn from homes, mobile homes demolished and trees uprooted.
The most severe tornadoes are EF-4 and EF-5s, which have wind speeds of 166-200 mph and wind speeds over 200 mph, respectively. These tornadoes can create devastating damage, NWS says.
Cecelia Hanley, the manager of the Plains Digital Optimization Team. Reach her at chanley@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @CHanley_Digital.
Elisabeth Smith is a digital producer within the USA Today Network. You can follow her on Twitter @elisabethsmith0 or reach her at elisabeth.smith@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Here's what to know about the deadly Andover, Kansas, tornado in 1991
