Tornado Activity in Western, KS???? (Wichita, Topeka: best town, house, live in)

[jscottyray]

Hi To All:

My wife and I are considering a move to Western, KS (Goodland or St Francis) upon retirement. But tornadoes scare me to death. However, we're told that there is not the normal tornado activity in western part of state as in other areas. We would appreciate any info/suggestions/help/guidance.

Thank You

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by jscottyray

Hi To All:

My wife and I are considering a move to Western, KS (Goodland or St Francis) upon retirement. But tornadoes scare me to death. However, we're told that there is not the normal tornado activity in western part of state as in other areas. We would appreciate any info/suggestions/help/guidance.

Thank You

If you are considering western KS I would strongly recommend you visit Hays first. It is the best town in the region IMHO and also has good healthcare ammenities along with FHSU cultural ammenities. The town is about 19-20K in size and has a good number of retirees.
Western Kansas is in tornado alley, but I wouldn't let that concern you that much. I would invest in a NOAA weather radio that alerts you when a weather warning has been issued by the NWS. You can program the radio so that it only goes off if a tornado warning is issued. Also, the Wichita media market covers severe weather outbreaks fairly well.

[jscottyray]

Thanks very much for reply and info.

[Gunluvver2]

jscottray,
I was born in St. Francis and grew up in the area. Tornados are common but in that part of the country they are easy to spot in the daytime. At night the radio alert system is a good idea. We had a storm cellar that we would go to if there was a tornado anywhere close. I still have relatives and friends in the area and I have never heard of any fatality or serious injury from a tornado in Cheyenne County.

GL2

[jscottyray]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

jscottray,
I was born in St. Francis and grew up in the area. Tornados are common but in that part of the country they are easy to spot in the daytime. At night the radio alert system is a good idea. We had a storm cellar that we would go to if there was a tornado anywhere close. I still have relatives and friends in the area and I have never heard of any fatality or serious injury from a tornado in Cheyenne County.

GL2

We're still undecided about where to relocate, but St Francis area seems really nice. Thanks for your reply and information.

[city_data_poster]

In northwestern Kansas....I'd be more concerned about springtime blizzards (and blizzards in the fall as well) than tornados. There's a better chance that you might find yourself stuck in your home for several days because of a monster snowfall...than having your home wiped out due to a tornado.

[TinaMcG]

Here is an image showing the number of tornadoes by county from 1950 to 2007. It's just historical and doesn't predict what will happen in the future of course, but it's interesting -- less than one a year for most Kansas counties.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/gld/T...01950-2007.png

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by jscottyray

Hi To All:

My wife and I are considering a move to Western, KS (Goodland or St Francis) upon retirement. But tornadoes scare me to death. However, we're told that there is not the normal tornado activity in western part of state as in other areas. We would appreciate any info/suggestions/help/guidance.

Thank You

I agree with others posted that tornadoes aren't that big of a deal. But then, I grew up in Hays. You should expect to hear the sirens at least a couple of times a month in the Spring and Summer. Anytime a storm system has the potential to drop a tornado, they have to run the sirens. It rarely means a tornado is actually approaching you.

Personally, I wouldn't consider relocating to Kansas to retire, but not because of tornadoes, more because of the weather in general. Winter really sucks in NW Kansas. It gets bitterly cold and wind chills reach 40 below. The constant wind, even when it's otherwise nice outside gets old really fast. Summers are hot (you will get several weeks of 100+ days) and of course it's windy.

Another major consideration in retirement age is health care. If I were you, I would want to be close to Wichita or KC or at least Salina or Topeka for health care. People will tell you that Hays has great health care. It doesn't. (I grew up there and my parents are still there, so this is not sour grapes or making stuff up.) The hospital caters to specialists, making it difficult for GP's to practice. Consequently, there aren't many GP's. There are a few specialists who are good docs, but the hospital itself has had several cases of staph infections (that means it's not as clean as it should be.) Personally, I wouldn't have a wart removed in Hays. But that's just me. I have lived near KC for 20 years now and this has raised my standards.

Unless you have some family or other compelling reason to want to retire there, I can't imagine choosing it.

But I realize that not everyone likes the same things I do nor is as concerned about the things I am, so to each his own. But I would definitely recommend spending a full year there before committing to home ownership. Resale of a house could be tough if you decide in short order that you agree with me.

[jscottyray]

Originally Posted by city_data_poster

In northwestern Kansas....I'd be more concerned about springtime blizzards (and blizzards in the fall as well) than tornados. There's a better chance that you might find yourself stuck in your home for several days because of a monster snowfall...than having your home wiped out due to a tornado.

The blizzards I can handle. We're just fininshing our 6th winter in central interior of Alaska.. We can handle snows and being stuck at home.
I see you're in Bowling Green....wife and I are originally from Louisville. Did you live in KS at some point?

[jscottyray]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

I agree with others posted that tornadoes aren't that big of a deal. But then, I grew up in Hays. You should expect to hear the sirens at least a couple of times a month in the Spring and Summer. Anytime a storm system has the potential to drop a tornado, they have to run the sirens. It rarely means a tornado is actually approaching you.

Personally, I wouldn't consider relocating to Kansas to retire, but not because of tornadoes, more because of the weather in general. Winter really sucks in NW Kansas. It gets bitterly cold and wind chills reach 40 below. The constant wind, even when it's otherwise nice outside gets old really fast. Summers are hot (you will get several weeks of 100+ days) and of course it's windy.

Another major consideration in retirement age is health care. If I were you, I would want to be close to Wichita or KC or at least Salina or Topeka for health care. People will tell you that Hays has great health care. It doesn't. (I grew up there and my parents are still there, so this is not sour grapes or making stuff up.) The hospital caters to specialists, making it difficult for GP's to practice. Consequently, there aren't many GP's. There are a few specialists who are good docs, but the hospital itself has had several cases of staph infections (that means it's not as clean as it should be.) Personally, I wouldn't have a wart removed in Hays. But that's just me. I have lived near KC for 20 years now and this has raised my standards.

Unless you have some family or other compelling reason to want to retire there, I can't imagine choosing it.

But I realize that not everyone likes the same things I do nor is as concerned about the things I am, so to each his own. But I would definitely recommend spending a full year there before committing to home ownership. Resale of a house could be tough if you decide in short order that you agree with me.

Thanks much for your reply and info. The weather is really not a concern to us. We're just finishing our 6th winter in Alaska and experience 21 hrs of darkness along with 40-50 below. The heat will be tough getting used to though we both grew up in Ky with heat/humidity.
We live in a town of 300, 80 miles from a hospital. The fact that St Francis, Goodland and Hayes have a doctor is a big plus for us.
I do appreciate your info/honesty.