Wanda Poore and her husband were about to hop in the pickup and head to Colby for groceries Friday afternoon when she glanced in the back yard and spotted something unexpected.
A tornado.
In truth, the weak landspout was about four miles away in the rural northwest corner of Kansas, so Poore was more intrigued than frightened.
“It didn’t really move too much,” Poore said. “It just sat there and spun.”
Officially, the tornado touched down at 5:56 p.m. CDT nine miles northwest of McDonald in Cheyenne County, just south of the Nebraska state line, according to the Goodland branch of the National Weather Service.
Once it formed, it remained “nearly stationary,” according to observers. No homes or towns were threatened by the weak, short-lived tornado because that area is sparsely populated.
It’s at least 20 minutes to the closest grocery store, Poore said, though they typically travel even farther to shop.
The tornado was on the ground for about seven minutes before it dissipated, she said.
by Stan Finger
July 21, 2017
