This certainly was not the most intense tornado of the day. We do not have images along its entire path, which began near Peabody, KS and ended near Elmdale, KS (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Track of the tornado (solid line) and approximate path of the airbone house. The Gale farmstead from which the house came is indicated.
However, during the time it interacted with the Gale farmstead northwest of Peabody, the visual appearance of the tornado was sinuous and ropelike (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Photograph of tornado approaching the Gale farmstead.
The appearance of a tornado is not an unambiguous indicator of its intensity, but this appearance is not inconsistent with its known damage. In particular, the Gale farmhome was shown clearly to have become airborne during the twister (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. The Gale home, in flight.
The fact that the entire home was lifted off its foundation is almost certainly evidence of inadequate attachment of the home to its foundation (Marshall 1993). This evidence is bolstered by a number of flying objects during the event including a certain Ms. Gulch (Fig. 4), who was to be the tornado's only fatality.
Fig. 4. Ms. Gulch, as flying debris.
Ms. Gulch was crushed when the house finally descended. This fact was not recorded by Grazulis (1993); our explanation for this oversight is presented in the next section. Ms. Gale, who survived the fall of the house, was also injured by flying debris within the house when it was lifted off the foundation. Although she required no hospitalization, it appears that some of her experiences after the tornado struck her home are suggestive of lingering cerebral injuries that were not detected during her diagnosis.