Kansas, 2000

Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 11, 2000

May 11, 2000 · NWS TOP · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

2 tornado, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$111,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:53 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tornado, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Jefferson

When
May 11, 7:53 PM CST to 7:56 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County, 1 mi S of Grantville
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.083, -95.567

A tornado formed just south of Grantville and moved east for a mile over open country doing minor power line damage before dissipating.

Lightning, Pottawatomie

When
May 11, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County, 2 mi S of Onaga
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.379, -96.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning did minor damage to a home near Onaga.

Flash Flood, Pottawatomie

When
May 11, 8:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County, Southeast Portion
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.379, -96.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Minor low land flooding occurred in southeast Pottawatomie county.

Flash Flood, Wabaunsee

When
May 11, 8:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Wabaunsee County, Northeast Portion
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.953, -96.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Minor low land flooding occurred in the northeast part of the county.

Hail, Shawnee

When
May 11, 8:02 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County, 2 mi NE of Elmont
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.183, -95.667

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When
May 11, 8:17 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County, 2 mi E of Perry
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.083, -95.367

Strong winds blew down power lines east of Perry.

Tornado, Jefferson

When
May 11, 8:27 PM CST to 8:40 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County, 1 mi N of Williamstown
Rating
F1
Path length
8 mi
Path width
75 yd
Property damage
$108,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.067, -95.333

A tornado touched down just north of Williamstown and moved east until it crossed into Leavenworth county at 2040 cst. Windows were blown out of a house north of Williamstown. East of Williamstown it struck a farmstead where 2 homes were damaged, 5 pole barns destroyed and 2 others damaged. Metal from an outbuilding was carried 100 feet and hung in a tree 10 feet above ground.

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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2000Warnings in Kansas, May 2000

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: 5142316, 5142317, 5142318, 5142319, 5142320, 5142321, 5142405.