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Unwarned Tornado Kills One in Sedgwick County
22 Jun
Summary
- An unwarned EF-2 tornado struck a home, causing a fatal collapse.
- The tornado lasted only two minutes and traveled just over a tenth of a mile.
- A severe thunderstorm warning was active, but no tornado warning was issued.
Tragedy struck Sedgwick County in the early hours of June 21 when an unwarned EF-2 tornado tore through the area. Emergency services responded around 2:15 a.m. to a report of a building collapse, discovering a home had been completely blown off its foundation. A lineman working nearby discovered the scene and alerted 911.
Sadly, one person was found deceased among the debris and was pronounced dead at the scene. The tornado, preliminarily assessed as an EF-2 with 135 mph winds, touched down just before 1:15 a.m. It remained on the ground for approximately two minutes, traveling just over a tenth of a mile with a maximum width of 50 yards, impacting only one structure.
Officials noted that a tornado warning was not issued because the "spin-up" tornado was too brief, lasting only a minute or two. The National Weather Service had issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the area prior to the tornado's formation, which expired at 1:45 a.m.
