Reno County tornado rated EF-3 (VIDEO)

The tornado that touched down in rural Reno County on Monday evening churned in place for a while – and then began moving the opposite direction of what most tornadoes do.

After assessing the damage caused by the tornado that touched down at about 6:30 p.m. in the rural area between Nickerson and Hutchinson, the National Weather Service rated the tornado an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. EF-3 tornadoes are rated “severe,” and the Nickerson tornado had wind speeds of 165 mph, according to the weather service.

On Twitter, the service said the path of the tornado was 5.3 miles long and 350 yards wide.

The tornado destroyed a cabin next to a lake, blew windows out of a house and caused other damage, Reno County Emergency Management director Todd Strain said Tuesday. There were no injuries.

“We were very, very fortunate,” Strain said. “We really weren’t anticipating anything” in terms of severe weather.

The tornado touched down from a rapidly developing thunderstorm just a couple of minutes after funnel clouds were first reported.

“It sat there for a while and then it slowly moved,” Strain said.

When it moved, it traveled to the southwest. Tornadoes typically move from the southwest to the northeast.

The Storm Prediction Center reported roof damage to a house three miles east of Nickerson.

Two tornado warnings were issued, said Jim Caruso, a meteorologist with the weather service. Residents near the tornado reported hearing no sirens just before or during the tornado’s life span.

Caruso said tornadoes in July are not unusual in Kansas. There was plenty of heat and humidity in place – Wichita logged a heat index of 110 earlier in the day Monday – and when that happens, all it takes is a small front to move through and a bit of instability in the atmosphere.

Those conditions came together to fire up a thunderstorm that produced a tornado.

This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Reno County tornado rated EF-3 (VIDEO)."