Here are details on tornadoes that struck two Kansas towns. How strong were they?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Two EF3 tornadoes struck Grinnell and Plevna, causing severe damage.
- Grinnell tornado destroyed up to 20 homes with peak winds reaching 140 mph.
- Kansas recorded 19 tornadoes Sunday; no injuries or fatalities were reported.
The tornadoes that struck the Kansas towns of Plevna and Grinnell on Sunday were EF3s, the National Weather Service says.
No injuries or deaths were reported.
Kansas saw 19 tornadoes Sunday: 2 EF0, 1 EF1, 9 EF2 and 7 EF3, according to a weather service tornado outbreak report.
The enhanced Fujita scale says an EF3 tornado can cause severe damage, including destroying houses, overturning trains, debarking trees, lifting cars off the ground and blow away structures with weak foundations.
The Grinnell tornado was initially rated an EF2, but was upgraded to an EF3 on Wednesday.
That tornado formed about 6:35 p.m. from a storm that started in northeastern Kearney County, tracked across Scott County and entered Gove County. The tornado, 230 yards in width, tracked 7.7 miles with peak wind speeds of 140 mph, according to an NWS preliminary report.
The tornado lasted for about 29 minutes and struck Grinnell at 7:04 p.m. before dissipating. Roughly 15 to 20 homes were destroyed and the city lost its power.
“Trees are deleafed, power lines are snapped off, roof blown off Catholic church,” Gove County Sheriff Shawn Mesch said in a phone call Monday. “There’s like maybe three homes left standing in the area.”
Grinnell is a city of just over 250 and 256 miles northwest of Wichita.
Plevna tornado
A mile-long EF3 tornado with peak wind speeds of 145 mph struck Plevna at 11:50 p.m., damaging several homes, trees and utility poles.
A storm formed south of Greensburg in Kiowa County, moved into Pratt County where a tornado formed, and entered western Reno County at 11:25 p.m., the NWS previously said.
The tornado tracked 21 miles and continued to cause damage approximately 5 miles north and east of Plevna before dissipating at 12:15 a.m.
Plevna, with roughly 85 people, is 67 miles northwest of Wichita.
This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM.