Kansas, 1997

Tornado and Damaging Wind in Kansas, October 8, 1997

October 8, 1997 · NWS EAX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:20 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Atchison

When
October 8, 6:18 PM CST to 6:23 PM CST
Where
Atchison County, Muscotah to 2 mi N of Muscotah
Rating
F1
Path length
9 mi
Path width
400 yd
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
39.570, -95.550

An F1 tornado touched down in Northeast Jackson County then tracked northeast through Western Atchison County south of Route 9 to 2 miles northwest of Muscotah. Spotters then tracked the tornado northward along Highway 159 to 2 miles south of Horton in Brown County which is 7 miles north of Muscotah. The tornado was estimated to be traveling at a speed of 40 to 45 MPH. Numerous power lines were reported blown down and two farm outbuilding were destroyed 2 miles northwest of Muscotah. The path of the tornado was based on the track through Atchson County only.

Thunderstorm Wind, Atchison

When
October 8, 6:54 PM CST
Where
Atchison County, Cummings
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates
39.470, -95.250

A trained storm spotter reported a 70 MPH wind gust during a severe thunderstorm at Cummings.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1997Warnings in Kansas, October 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5586377, 5586376.