Power Outage in Russell, KS

Extreme non-thunderstorm winds up to 100 mph downed several power poles and as the poles and lines hit the ground sparks were produced and caused the start of the Four County Wildfire. With the strong winds, the fire quickly moved east ahead of any possible fire suppression causing damage and evacuations along the way. ||The number of communities evacuated, 4 (Paradise, Waldo, Fairport, and a portion of Luray). |Estimated number of structures damaged by fire, 50 plus.|Estimated number of structures destroyed by fire, 70 plus.|Estimated number of injuries/fatalities, 4 injuries.|Estimated number of acres burned was 121,000.|Estimated number of livestock killed, over 1000.|Estimated number of livestock relocated due to loss of grazing, over 1000.||In addition to these numbers, hundreds of miles of fencing were damaged, a significant number of bales of hay was lost in the fire.

Widespread non-thunderstorm winds wreaked havoc across the county. Sustained wind speeds routinely ranged between 40 to 50 mph with gusts reaching well into the 70 mph range. One measured gust of 100 mph was noted at the peak. These wind speeds caused considerable damage countywide to structures, routinely caused reduced visibilities due to blowing dust, temporarily closed Interstate 70, blew down a significant number of power lines, and fueled the wildfires that were ignited. A roof was blown off of an outbuilding two miles S of Russell. In Russell, the west-facing windows were blown out in lots of homes, stoplights were blown down, and numerous trees were knocked down.||Non-thunderstorm wind gusts across the county.|Russell County Airport - 100 mph.|Two miles W of Bunker Hill - 75 mph.

A power pole was knocked down.

Several trees and tree limbs were knocked down. Power outages occurred in town.

At 455 AM CST, the Russell Airport ASOS measured sustained speeds of 40 mph with 58 mph gusts. The ASOS also reported heavy snow that, along with the strong winds, reduced visibilities to 1/4 mile. The Russell ASOS stopped reporting around 6 AM CST. In addition, at 400 AM CST, KSN Channel 3 relayed a report of power poles that were snapped that caused power outages in Russell. At 814 AM CST, I-70 was closed from Wakeeney to Russell. At 851 AM CST, a spotter estimated 3 to 4 inches of snow 7 miles SSE of Paradise. The spotter also reported that power was flickering.

Power lines were knocked down.

Twenty five to thirty power poles were knocked from the high winds. The poles were located along Highway 281.

Numerous trees were reported down across the city. A few power lines were also knocked down, which led to portions of town to be without power for a short time.

Several electric lines were blown down and a few power poles were snapped.

Measured at the Russell Airport. Several power poles and tree limbs were downed in Russell.

Winds estimated around 70 mph produced some damage near the Russell/Barton county line 6 miles north of Susank, including a blown over stock trailer and downed tree limbs and power lines.

A trained spotter estimated the winds, causing trees and power poles to be blown down.

Measured by ASOS equipment at the Russell Airport. Some power lines were downed in Russell.

At least 5 power poles were downed. The Salina Journal also contributed to this report.

Numerous power outages occurred from the high winds, likely due to downed power poles and lines. Meanwhile, a grass fire spread rapidly 2 miles southeast of Bunker Hill around 14:30 CST. Details remain unknown regarding the extend or severity of the fire.

One to two inches of ice accumulated across Russell County during the ice storm. This resulted in approximately 500 downed power poles and 2000 downed lines. Damage to the electrical infrastructure is estimated at $9.8 million. There was also widespread damage to trees but the cost of the damage is unknown.

Numerous tree limbs were downed and a few power poles were snapped across the city.

Power lines were downed in the city of Russell.

On January 3rd, a strong cold front surged south across Kansas & Oklahoma before stalling along/near the Red River during the afternoon of the 4th. A shallow layer of moist, sub-freezing air spread south over all but Southeast Kansas, as an 850-mb cold front, oriented in a southwest to northeast manner from the Oklahoma Panhandle to near Kansas City, teamed with an inverted 850-mb trof positioned over Western Kansas to enable much warmer, moisture-laden air to overrun the layer of sub-freezing air beneath.The result was what many consider to be the worst ice storm since 1982 to ravage all of Central & most of South-Central Kansas from the afternoon of the 4th thru the morning of the 5th, coating almost the entire warning area with 1/2 to 1 inch of ice. Although freezing rain was the primary culprit, the winter storm was magnified considerably by periods of sleet that accumulated to depths of 1 to 2 inches. In Central Kansas, the situation was further worsened by periods of light snow that accumulated to 3 to 5 inch depths in Russell, Lincoln, and Saline counties.Damage to trees and power lines was major! In the latter case, the damage resulted both from heavy ice accumulations as well as from trees and limbs that fell onto the power lines in question. Trees as tall as 22 feet were split and either fell or were eventually felled, and limbs of 6-12 inches were downed at many locations. In some cases, the downed trees and limbs blocked roads and highways. No doubt, power outages were widespread, with many areas experiencing multiple outages. A few areas were without power for 1 1/2 weeks. Countless residents were forced to evacuate their homes, seeking refuge in designated shelters. Fires posed major problems, and were ignited primarily by power lines falling onto trees and houses.Particularly hard hit were Butler & Sedgwick counties. In Butler County, the ice storm caused $8,552,945 in damage. Monetary breakdown for Butler County: The Rural Electric Cooperative: $5.5 million; Incorporated towns: $2,424,545; Townships: $567,900; Public Works: $40,500; and communications: $20,000. At El Dorado Lake, a large tree fell onto a 5th wheel camper. As of Saturday evening, January 8th, approximately 3,000 WESTAR clientele in El Dorado were still without power.In Sedgwick County, an estimated $15 million damage was inflicted; $7.5 million upon Wichita alone. WESTAR Energy, assisted by power companies from 15 states, provided an estimated 360,000 electrical service restorations to 211,000 customers; 121,000 in Wichita. On January 4th, Sedgwick County Communications was deluged by 561 calls between 12 noon and 12 midnight, an average of 1 call every 77 seconds for 12 consecutive hours. On January 4th, WESTAR Energy received around 104,000 calls. Typical call volume is around 8,000. On January 6th, more power outages resulted as melting ice fell from power lines, causing them sag further then whip or snap, as well as from damaged limbs that thawed and fell onto power lines. As of Saturday evening, January 8th, approximately 30,300 WESTAR clientele in Wichita were still without power.Other counties experiencing $1 million or more in damage: Harvey: $3,300,000; Harper: $1,730,420; Kingman: $1,199,000.Obviously, countless accidents occurred, and were not only traffic-related, but also occurred during the extensive cleanup of tree damage. It was in Wichita that all three fatalities occurred. In South Wichita, a 63-year old woman succumbed to carbon monoxide after using a portable generator inside her home. Also in South Wichita, an unidentifed elderly man using a portable generator was found dead in his home. (Pending further details, his age listed at the end of this report is an approximation.) In West Wichita, an 80-year old man died outside his home while trying to remove downed tree limbs. As of this writing, it is not clear if his death was cold or health related. (Likely both.) Two people were seriously injured. A 39-year old man was listed in serious condition at Via Christi Regional Medical Center with head and neck injuries after a 15-foot tree limb fell as he was sawing it, and a power line crewman was listed in serious condition at Via Christi Regional Medical Center's burn unit when he came into contact with a 12,700 volt power line.Approximately 370 utility crews from 15 states assisted WESTAR Energy with power restoration. Working 12-16 hour days, the crews responded from as far as Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, South Texas, Tennesee, and West Virginia.Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebulius issued a declaration of state disaster emergency to 56 counties, of which 20 are in the Wichita County Warning Area, and a federal disaster declaration was expected to be issued.In addition to law enforcement, emergency managers and trained spotters provided numerous and timely reports during this event. The monetary narrative for Butler County was furnished by Butler County Emergency Management. Sedgwick County statistics were furnished by Kansas.com. Numerous area newspapers, most notably the Wichita Eagle, Hutchinson News, and El Dorado Times, contributed greatly to this narrative. The reports of one and all, be they law enforcement, emergency management, trained spotters or the print media, are truly appreciated, especially during very difficult circumstances. It is their dedication that made such a detailed narrative possible.

Power poles snapped with associated power lines obviously downed.

Extremely intense and deepening low pressure moving from northwest Kansas across Nebraska to Iowa produced widespread damaging 43-65KT southwest winds across central and south-central Kansas from late morning thru early evening. In extreme cases, buildings were completely unroofed. Among the casualties in this category were a restaurant in Arlington (Reno County), a recycling center in Newton (Harvey County), and two homes in southwest Butler County. Other extensive roof damage included the City Hall in Benton (western Butler County), an elementary school in Cottonwood Falls (Chase County) where half of the roof was blown off, a horse barn in Eureka (Greenwood County) where nearly half of the roof was blown off and the west wall partiallly dislodged, and in Pilsen (northeast Marion County) where the community center lost most of it's roof. In addition, roofs were blown off sheds and shingles peeled from countless homes.Driving was especially dangerous as least half a dozen tractor-trailers were overturned resulting in injuries to two people. One injury occurred 3 W Augusta in western Butler County when a tractor overturned and the driver was thrown. One man was injured on K-96 about 10 W Wichita when his tractor-trailer overturned. A total of five tractor-trailers overturned on I-235 in Wichita and on K-96 alone. One truck overturned on Highway 56 just north of Marion in Marion County.Damage to trees, power lines, and power poles was widespread and occasionally started fires. A few areas were without power thru the following morning. In addition, windows were blown out and many signs either blown out or blown over.Law enforcement, emergency managers, trained spotters, broadcast media, and area newspapers all contributed greatly to this report.

A winter storm crossing the southwestern U.S. lifted northeast across the central plains, bringing a mixture of freezing rain and sleet to all of central and south-central Kansas from the morning thru the afternoon of the 8th. The freezing rain and sleet was accompanied by north winds of 20-30 mph, resulting in ice accumulations of 1/4 to 3/4 inch across the region. Sleet reached depths of 2 inches. Power outages were widespread, with many central Kansas locales without power from the late morning of the 8th thru the morning of the 9th. During the afternoon of the 8th, the freezing rain and sleet changed over to snow, with a wide range of snow accumulations resulting. By the morning of the 9th, accumulations ranged from 2-8 inches with the greater amounts, generally 4-8 inches, burying central Kansas. As the storm continued it's northeast trek across the central plains, the north winds increased to 30-40 mph resulting in a blizzard across most of central Kansas. Drifts were so deep across Russell and Barton counties that in a few instances street signs were nearly obliterated. Accidents were numerous and although most involved vehicles sliding off highways, a few were serious with injuries resulting. Area newspapers contributed greatly to this report.

High winds associated with wake low whipped across central Kansas downing tree limbs and power lines.

Trees and power lines downed severing power to Russell for about an hour.

Intense low pressure crossing Nebraska induced widespread west to northwest winds of 40-60kts across central, south-central and southeast Kansas from mid-morning thru late afternoon resulting in damage to trees, roofs and power lines. The most significant structural damage occurred in northeast Wichita where a gust estimated at 70 mph (61kts) caused roof damage to one home. The most significant tree damage occurred at Cottonwood Falls in central Chase County where numerous pine trees were uprooted.

Severe thunderstorms that developed over the Western Plains evolved into a convective complex of storms as they surged east toward Central Kansas late that evening. One thunderstorm that moved east into Russell County, Kansas was especially powerful as it produced 2.00 and 2.25 inch diameter hail as well as 60 to 70 mph winds.

A few severe storms moved across central Kansas producing strong winds and causing damage to trees and power lines.

A squall line of thunderstorms moved across Central Kansas on June 8th, 2013. This rapid moving line of storms produced 60-70 mph wind damage in the town of Russell, Kansas. The strong winds produced widespread wind damage across Russell, Kansas with some power lines knocked down and some power outages. Some street flooding was also reported across town.