Medicine Lodge Tornado 12 May 2004

Medicine Lodge Tornado - 12 May 2004
by Frederick C. Kruse III


Tornado in southeast Barber county, looking southeast from 5 miles west of Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Tornado at 714 pm about 5 miles south of Medicine Lodge

Same Tornado at 720 pm

Tornado with dust column at 722 pm


Chase Discussion

 

Kyle Poage, a forecaster at Topeka, Kansas, and I chased these thunderstorms and tornados on the early evening on 12 May 2004.  This one lasted from 714 pm to 722 pm and was estimated about 5 miles south of Medicine Lodge, Kansas.  After this tornado dissipated we then went north from Medicine Lodge and followed a large thunderstorm and lowering north toward Pratt.  Needless to say we did not see anymore tornados and missed several that formed near Sharon, Kansas and Attica, Kansas later after our first tornado.   There was a tongue of high dewpoints that were pooling along a stationary cold front with 35 to 45 knots at mid levels.  The storms were slow movers maximizing mid level storm relative shear.

    


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