BUTLER COUNTY —The National Weather Service preliminary damage estimate of Friday's tornado in portion of Butler and Sedgwick County indicates the tornado an EF-3.
The storm was on the ground from 8:10 to 8:31p.m. and moved from northeast from eastern Sedgwick County into Andover and then toward Benton.
The National Weather Service preliminary damage survey of Friday night's storm confirmed four tornadoes in Marion County. Two of them had an EF-1 rating.
At 7:57p.m. a Tornado was reported four miles north of Tampa. It had maximum wind gusts of 96 miles per hour (EF-1), a maximum width of 30 yards and traveled .9 miles.
At 8:03p.m. another a tornado hit three miles southeast of Durham. It had maximum wind gusts of 95 miles per hour (EF-1) a maximum width of 50 yards and traveled .9 miles. There were no injuries or deaths from these storms.
The storms in the Wamego, Belvue area indicates an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds at 93 miles per hour.
The tornado started at 8:03 p.m., traveled 11.48 miles and ended a ended at 8:18p.m. The tornado's maximum width was 100 yards. There were no injuries or death from the tornado, according to the National Weather Service.
The survey of damage in the Herington area shows the tornado that started at 8:06p.m. rated as an EF-1 with winds of 97 miles per hour. It was on the ground for 17 miles and ended at 8:28p.m. The storm had a maximum width of 75 yards. There were no injuries or deaths from this storm.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A tornado that barreled through parts of Kansas damaged multiple buildings, injured several people and left more than 6,500 people without power, officials said Saturday.
Officials said the suspected twister moved though parts of southeast Wichita and Andover on Friday evening. Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said during a news conference early Saturday morning that 50 to 100 buildings were damaged in Sedgwick County, though it was not immediately known how many buildings were damaged in Andover.
Russell said in some neighborhoods homes “were completely blown away.”
Officials said only a few injuries had been reported. In Sedgwick County, three people were injured, including one woman who suffered serious injuries. Russell said no injuries had been reported in Butler County, but a secondary assessment would be conducted Saturday morning.
He said some neighborhoods were “damaged enough that houses were completely blown down” and cited areas that suffered “very bad damage.”
City Hall also sustained damage, which hampered “some of our efforts,” Russell said. Other buildings reportedly damaged included the Dr. Jim Farha Andover YMCA and Prairie Creek Elementary School.
Gov. Laura Kelly declared a State of Disaster Emergency for the hardest hit areas. The declaration makes state resources available to help local jurisdictions with response and recovery efforts in areas impacted statewide.
In addition to the tornadoes, large hail was reported in several towns across the Plains. Hail the size of softballs was spotted near Holbrook, Nebraska, and Enterprise, Kansas, according to the National Weather Service and storm spotters.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A suspected tornado that barreled through parts of Kansas damaged multiple buildings, injured several people and left more than 6,500 people without power, officials said Saturday.
Officials said the suspected twister moved though parts of southeast Wichita and Andover on Friday evening. Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said during a news conference early Saturday morning that 50 to 100 buildings were damaged in Sedgwick County, though it was not immediately known how many buildings were damaged in Andover.
Russell said in some neighborhoods homes “were completely blown away.”
Officials said only a few injuries had been reported. In Sedgwick County, three people were injured, including one woman who suffered serious injuries. Russell said no injuries had been reported in Butler County, but a secondary assessment would be conducted Saturday morning.
Russell said that while it was not immediately known how many buildings had been damaged, more than 900 structures were in the suspected tornado’s path.
He said some neighborhoods were “damaged enough that houses were completely blown down” and cited areas that suffered “very bad damage.”
City Hall also sustained damage, which hampered “some of our efforts,” Russell said. Other buildings reportedly damaged included the Dr. Jim Farha Andover YMCA and Prairie Creek Elementary School.
Because of tornado damage in the Andover area, U.S. 54/400 is closed from 159th on the west to Santa Fe Lake Road on the east. Traffic is being diverted, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Several tornadoes were reported in Wabaunsee County on Friday evening. One home was was destroyed, according to the sheriff's office. There were no injuries.
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BUTLER COUNTY —The National Weather Service reported strong winds, four inch diameter hail and several tornadoes in Kansas on Friday evening.
From the hail in Phillips, Rooks and Smith counties to tornadoes in Dickinson, Butler Wabaunsee and Atchinson County, it was a busy weather night.
There were some reports of power outages and damage. There are no early reports of injuries. Check the Post for additional details as they become available.