Great Bend Post
A large portion of Great Bend remains without power more than 12 hours after a strong thunderstorm ripped through the area Sunday evening. At 2 a.m. Wheatland Electric reported all power had been restored, but most of the east side of Great Bend remains without.
At 4:22 p.m. Sunday evening, a severe thunderstorm moved into northern Russell County. The cell had produced a tornado warning in Osborne County earlier in the day. That storm appeared to be tracking east of Great Bend when another cell developed behind that. Golf ball-sized hail was reported just northeast of Great Bend at 5:59 p.m. The National Weather Service out of Wichita also had reports of up to 2.25 inch hail, and softball-sized hail was reported near the Great Bend Airport. At 6:15 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for Barton County as the storm moved across Great Bend.
By 6:30 p.m., the National Weather Service had canceled the Tornado Warning for Barton County as areas of circulation moved south into Stafford County.
A survey of damage reported to other media outlets include several power poles snapped near Hoisington, Great Bend, Larned, and Stafford County. Several large trees were uprooted within Great Bend city limits, and the large hail caused extensive damage, especially on the west side of Great Bend.