Power Outage in Topeka, KS

Power out, estimated 60 to 65 mph wind gusts.

Tree limbs 3 inches in diameter broken, power poles broken.

This segment of the tornado track moved through rural northern Shawnee County beginning just ENE of Rossville and tracking NNE doing damage to tree limbs and power poles along a narrow path as it moved into southern Jackson County.

Social media pictures of multiple business signs and power poles down on 29th street between Fairlawn and Wanamaker.

A 20 inch diameter tree limb fell on a house and took a power line down.

Downed powerlines reported by citizens.

Power was out.

Several large limbs down in Topeka some which damaged power lines.

Three power poles leaning over onto Carlson Rd.

Wind gusts around 60 mph caused large trees and power lines on Hwy 24 near Silver Lake and in Rossville. Tree limbs, power lines, and signs down in Topeka.

Concentrated area of wind damage including 2 foot diameter trees snapped and power lines down. A large tree fell on a car...trapping people. No injuries were reported.

Power line down at 2000 block of se Iowa ave.

Tree branches and power line down at 17th and Washburn.

A significant downburst occurred near Forbes Field in South Topeka causing damage and power outages. The ASOS at Forbes Field measured a 79 mph wind gust while several residents and city officials also reported 70 to 80 mph winds. Several large trees were either uprooted or broken, and several street signs were damaged from this wind. The most significant damage occurred on US 75 where two tractor-trailers were overturned due to the high winds. Both big rigs struck other vehicles in the accident. One of the drivers of the two overturned trucks had to be extricated from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries.

At least 5 residences sustained minor damage from a microburst. Part of a roof was damaged and power linew sere down at 83rd and NW Topeka Boulevard. One home had an enclosed porch collapse, and several trees were damaged.

Broadcast media and Emergency Managers in Shawnee County reported several 60 to 70 mph wind gusts. Power outages were reported from Willard, Rossville, Silver Lake, and north Topeka.

Broadcast media and Emergency Managers in Shawnee County reported several 60 to 70 mph wind gusts. Power outages were reported from Willard, Rossville, Silver Lake, and north Topeka.

Signifigant microburst occurred across portions of Topeka. Roof damaged at 21st and Wanamaker Road. Power lines and light pole were snapped at 29th and Gage as well as large tree limbs down. Shingles blown off of houses and 3 inche tree limbs down at 29th and Auburn Road. Large tree down, roof removed from barnd, and power lines down near 23rd and Croco Road.

Signifigant microburst occurred across portions of Topeka. Roof damaged at 21st and Wanamaker Road. Power lines and light pole were snapped at 29th and Gage as well as large tree limbs down. Shingles blown off of houses and 3 inche tree limbs down at 29th and Auburn Road. Large tree down, roof removed from barnd, and power lines down near 23rd and Croco Road.

Reports of one quarter inch of ice accumulation were received from an off duty NWS employee in southwest Shawnee County. This was mainly on elevated surfaces from freezing rain. Shawnee County also reported 1500 customers without power due to lines falling due to the weight of ice and stress of wind. In addition, heavy snow fell between 4pm and 9pm when around 5 inches accumulated with near whiteout conditions observed during that time.

The ASOS at Philip Billard Airport reported a 62 mph wind gust. Damage to large trees also occurred in the city of Topeka and near the airport. A large tree also fell on a power line creating a brief power outage.

The ASOS at Philip Billard Airport reported a 62 mph wind gust. Damage to large trees also occurred in the city of Topeka and near the airport. A large tree also fell on a power line creating a brief power outage.

Trees and powerlines were downed across the road.

A quarter of an inch of ice accumulated on trees, powerlines, and other suspended objects across mainly the southeastern half of Shawnee County. Sleet and snow mixed into the freezing rain toward the end of the event time. Several vehicle slide-offs were reported by local law enforcement, and by the local media, but no injuries or deaths occurred as a result of the weather event.

Powerlines were downed by non thunderstorm winds at 33rd and Adams st. in Topeka.

A lightning strike at the Indian Hills substation caused a power loss to approximately one thousand customers for just over two hours. Businesses along the Wanamaker corridor in Topeka were most adversely affected.

Damage reports came in from spotters and amateur radio operators across Topeka. A wind gust to 60 mph was reported at the intersection of 34th and Croco Roads, and near the intersection of 46th and Meriden. Trees were blown down onto 21st street near the intersection of 21st and Arnold. Nearly six thousand Topeka residents lost power as a result of the storm.

Two power poles down at the intersection of 105th and Stubbs Road.

Tree limbs and power lines were reported down across the city. Westar energy reported that up to 860 residences were without power in Shawnee County.

A storm total 2.63��� of precipitation was reported at the NWS in Topeka. Ice accumulations ranged from around half of an inch up to nearly an inch across the county. One quarter of residents in Rossville lost power, and one hundred and fifty homes in Silver Lake lost power. Westar Energy���s largest plant, Jeffery Energy Center, was shut down because it had no place to send power. Four and a half days passed before the plant was operating again. Downed tree limbs and power lines littered city and county roads. Only two traffic accidents were reported during the day of the 11th, and officers noted that for the most part people had heeded local warnings and stayed home and off the icy city streets of Topeka. Agriculture Hall at the Kansas Expo Center was opened as a shelter for those without electricity, and other emergency shelters were opened across the county. Schools across the county were closed for several days due to lack of power as well as hazardous roadways. Minor roof leaks were also reported at a few locations, including several schools across the Topeka area.

Large branches and traffic signals blown down. Local power out.

A power pole was partially blown down and into the street near the intersection of 52nd and Topeka Blvd. Six inch tree limbs knocked down powerlines at 57th and Topeka Blvd. Large limbs downed onto mobile homes.

A power pole was partially blown down and into the street near the intersection of 52nd and Topeka Blvd. Six inch tree limbs knocked down powerlines at 57th and Topeka Blvd. Large limbs downed onto mobile homes.

The mix of strong winds and wet snow led to power outages across Shawnee County. Up to 14,000 homes were affected, with 7,000 of those in the Topeka area alone.

Damage to several trees. Damage to outbuildings 10500 block of Indian Hills Rd. Also downed power lines at 29th and Wanamaker.

Strong winds moved across Topeka doing considerable damage. Numerous large tree branches were blown down. A K-DOT communications tower was blown down onto an apartment complex, but no injuries were reported. But significant damage was done to the apartment complex. Downed tree limbs damaged power lines and power transformers resulting in power outages to 26 thousand Topeka residents. On the outskirts of Topeka crops suffered considerable damage. Although 64 knots was officially measured at Topeka Billard Airport there were unofficial reports of much higher gusts across the city. It was the worst storm to hit Topeka in a number of years.

A tornado touched down south of Topeka and moved to the eastnortheast for about a mile before lifting. A building and a shed were damaged. Power lines were downed and an unoccupied vehicle was rolled over.

Strong winds knocked down trees and limbs onto power lines causing some damage.

Lightning struck a power line causing power outages for about a half hour.

Strong winds knocked down trees onto power lines and disrupted power for a time.

Strong winds downed power lines near Pauline.

Lightning struck a power line causing about 1,800 customers of KPL to lose power for about an hour.

Lightning struck the water treatment plant in Topeka causing power to be knocked out until around 00:30 on the 21st. As a result water supplies ran low in Topeka and some surrounding areas. The problem was corrected about midday on the 21st.

Lightning struck electrical equipment and knocked out power to about 200 customers in Topeka for a time.

A mix of snow, sleet and mainly freezing rain fell across all of the area during the early morning hours of January 17th. Most observation sites measured anywhere from two tenths to nearly four tenths of flat ice accumulation from this event. Impacts did include some sporadic power outages and hazardous travel conditions. However, air temperatures rose to above freezing by mid to late morning on January 17th mitigating more severe impacts.

During the early morning hours of the 8th a powerful storm developed in north central KS. As it moved southeastward it began to strengthen as it approached I-70. It then proceeded to move across Topeka causing 70 to 90 mph winds and damage to trees and power lines.

On the afternoon of Oct 1st a very unstable air mass as well as favorable winds moved into northeast KS. Several disturbances in the mid levels caused severe supercell thunderstorms to develop along a cold front draped across the region. These storms produced hail larger than golf balls and went through populated cities. There were also damaging winds mainly to trees. Luckily the lowest level winds were not stronger otherwise tornadoes would have been a possibility. ||The next morning a severe storm formed in central KS and moved eastward through northeast KS. This storm had damaging winds and large hail. Several cities reported significant damage including power poles and lines down, roof damage, and broken windows from this storm.

On the evening of July 7th a very unstable air mass was in place as a line of thunderstorms formed in southern Nebraska. These storms were responsible for 70 to 80 mph winds across a large portion of northeast Kansas. Many trees and power lines fell down in several local towns and cities. In some cases these large trees damaged homes and vehicles.

On the morning of June 5th a weakening MCS moved into eastern KS. As it did a particularly strong wake developed on the trailing edge of the light rain. The strong winds did damage trees and power lines across a widespread area.

On the afternoon of April 2 a warm front was lifting into southern Kansas as mid level flow switched to the southwest. Warm moist air pushed northward up and over that front where steep mid level were in place. Elevated thunderstorms began to develop in this unstable environment. Large hail the size of quarters and golf balls were common with the storms that afternoon and evening. A few storms later that night were able to generate severe damaging winds down to the surface. This is very uncommon and these winds damaged several barns, trees, and power lines over a few counties.

On July 12, 2011 scattered thunderstorms produced very strong winds across portions of northeast Kansas. The worst damage took place across Riley and Pottawatomie Counties where power poles and large structures were destroyed in that area.

During the day on Sunday, temperatures warmed to record highs across northeast Kansas before a powerful storm system moved through Sunday afternoon and evening. Several locations reported hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds of 70-80 mph with a few reports of structural damage due to straight line winds. Thunderstorms initiated late in the day behind a sharp cold front and quickly went severe. A well formed gustnado developed along the frontal boundary and rear flank boundary intersection near Williamstown on Highway 24. NWS survey crew identified areas of enhanced wind damage from a well formed gustnado in Williamstown. Two center pivot irrigations were flipped over, a large outdoor shed was destroyed and several tree limbs were snapped.

Much of Northeast Kansas received a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow during the day of February 24th. The heaviest ice accumulation occurred across Jackson, Jefferson, Brown into Shawnee and Wabaunsee Counties where amounts to around one quarter inch were common on trees and power lines. Several thousand residents of NE Kansas were without power for a time Thursday night February 24th due to power outages. Of note, the heaviest snows occurred between 4pm and 9pm on the evening of February 24th when thundersnow was reported in the Topeka area with visibilities of less than one eighth of a mile to near zero at times. Snowfall rates of 1 to as high as 2 inches per hour were common during this period of time.

A slow moving cold front moved into an extremely hot and unstable airmass across central and eastern Kansas on Friday, August 13th, and sparked thunderstorms along a line from Salina to Seneca. The airmass feeding into these storms was extremely unstable, with temperatures in the 100 to 106 degree range and dewpoint temperatures in the 60s and 70s. This led to rapid storm intensification, with the first severe thunderstorm warning being issued less than 30 minutes after the storms formed. ||The Manhattan airport tower measured a wind gust of 93 mph at the peak of the storm, with similar wind speeds in the 70 to 95 mph range from southern Manhattan through Ogden and other parts of southern Riley county. The storm complex tracked eastward across southern Pottawatomie, northern Wabaunsee, southern Jackson, northern Shawnee and Jefferson counties. While it weakened a bit as it pushed east, the storms left a swath of wind damage.||Additional severe thunderstorms developed along the front to the northeast and southwest of the initial complex, bringing repeated rounds of damaging winds of 50 to 70 mph, a few reports of hail larger than quarters, and intense cloud to ground lightning. As the event wore on into the evening hours, thunderstorms continued to produce wind damage, with a truck being blown off the road and power lines down in Lyon county.

The afternoons of August 10th and 11th 2010 brought many short-lived thunderstorms to portions of northeastern Kansas. These storms were short-lived, however, when they collapsed they produced strong gusts of wind which caused damage to numerous trees and structures. ||On Tuesday August 10th, Pottawatomie County Emergency Manager was taking shelter from the storms in one of the the structures damaged by 70 to 80 mph winds when the roof was blown away. Near Louisville, 6 power poles were damaged or broken by the strong winds. Aside from the damage in Pottawatomie County, trained spotters throughout the area reported 60 to 70 mph winds from these short bursts of wind.||On Wednesday August 11th, another round of thunderstorms kicked off in the mid afternoon. More tree and power pole damage was reported in downtown Lawrence. A telephone pole was snapped near the Coffey County Airport and broken tree limbs did vehicle damage in Burlington.

A storm system moved out of the Rockies and across the state of Kansas on Sunday, February 21. As this storm system approached from the southwest, a cold airmass with sub freezing temperatures had already moved south across much of the area. This provided the setup for a variety of wintry precipitation types as warm moist air moved north over the cold air at the surface. Across east central Kansas a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow fell with some areas accumulating more than a 1/2 inch of ice on trees and power lines. A little further north of the ice, a swath of snow ranging from 5 to 8 inches fell across areas from Wabaunsee County through Shawnee, Jackson, and Jefferson Counties.

A complex weather event took shape over northeast Kansas, with the expected type of accumulating hydrometeor at the forefront of the challenge. Originally, the airmass over northeast Kansas looked capable of supporting snow through the duration of the winter weather event. But, a belt of strong moist southerly flow continuously advected into the region, and a warm moist midlevel layer supported more of a sleet or freezing rain type scenario over mainly east central Kansas. Snow was the predominant precipitation type further west, and was eventually seen in every county of the NWS-Topeka warning area, but sleet and ice accumulations played a larger role than originally thought. Several road crews were noted to say though that because of the heavy, wet nature of the snow, it had been easy to remove. Power outages were noted across portions of the region, notably in Dickinson and Geary Counties. Several road slide-offs were reported across the area, but no injuries or fatalities. Many of the accidents occurred on bridges and overpasses.

A line of thunderstorms with embedded supercells developed along a dry line and cold front during the late aternoon hours of June 5th, and raced eastward across the forecast area. Favorable shear profiles allowed storms to quickly become severe, and several tornadoes were reported across the warning area. Damage up to the magnitude of EF-1 was noted by storm surveyors, with damage to homes, outbuildings, and power poles noted across Clay, Marshall, and Brown counties. Strong winds also caused damage across other portions of the forecast area. Newspapers reported that nearly 6,000 Topeka residents lost power at some point the night of the 5th as a result of the storms. Nearly 6,500 people lost power in the town of Junction City in Geary County. In Clay County, 15 farms were damaged by the three tornadoes. Beyond the tornado damage, hail also caused problems by denting siding and crushing crops. Local newspapers reported that several farmers were reported to say they may need to replant portions of their corn and soybean fields. A threatening forecast calling for a widespread severe weather outbreak came to fruition. Beforehand, counties across northeast Kansas prepared for the worst. Shelters were set-up, specifically in Shawnee County, for residents who wanted to take early shelter from the storms.

A cluster of robust, intense severe thunderstorms developed during the morning horurs of June 2nd. Exceptional updrafts evident within these storms and high reflectivities through a deep layer within the thunderstorms (70 dbz to nearly 50,000 ft)produced hail up to the size of softballs at several locations across the county warning area. The stones caused the most damage on the southwest side of the city of Manhattan, where the airport, numerous businesses, and hundreds of vehicles were pummeled with the large stones. Residents noted that it was so dark under the storms, that they needed a flashlight to see. A newspaper interview noted that one resident reported that gravel was shooting ten feet in the air, driven by the large hail. Farm fields across portions of Franklin County also showed extensive damage. Small animals that were unable to seek shelter also fell victim to the hail stones. One Manhattan resident reported dead rabbits, squirrels, owls, and quail in his neighborhood. ||The somewhat discrete storms congealed into a convective line as they pushed southeastward across the county warning area, and the primary severe weather threat became strong winds. Residents and law enforcement officers across portions of Douglas, Franklin, Anderson, and Jefferson Counties reported wind gusts in the 60 to 70 mile per hour range. Two individuals in Shawnee County measured wind gusts of 80 miles per hour. Power outages were reported across the city of Topeka, with some residents left without power through that evening.

Thunderstorms developed along a dryline during the late afternoon of May 1st, and sustained as the synoptic cold front dove through the region later that evening. Two tornadoes touched down and caused damage in portions of Osage and Douglas Counties. One residence in Douglas County was almost completely demolished by one of the tornadoes, rated an EF-2. Hail from the size of quarters to the size of golfballs was also reported across portions of northeast and east central Kansas. After 11pm CST, the severe weather threat focus turned to strong winds. Trees were damaged across portions of the warning area, as was property including homes, outbuidings, power poles, and transformers. The Emergency Manager from Osage County reported that property damage estimates were around $100,000. Spotters estimated wind speeds up to 70 mph, and a measured gust of 71 mph was reported by the ASOS at the Lawrence Municipal Airport.

Two rounds of severe weather defined the evening hours of April 10th. Discrete thunderstorms developed out ahead of a surface front during the late afternoon. Large hail, up to one inch in diameter, was the primary reported event with this convection. Convection redeveloped across east central Kansas during the evening, into a line segment that lifted to the northeast. This line of storms produced strong, damaging winds with estimated wind speeds up to 80mph. Damage mainly impacted tree branches and powerlines. But, several reports of building damage came in as well, and one tractor trailer was blown off the roadway.

A cold front that passed through the central plains the 8th and 9th left behind a chilly, shallow arctic air mass across northeast Kansas. A strong upper level storm system lifted northeastward from the desert southwest, and supplied ample large scale forcing and energy to sustain widespread lift across northeast Kansas. Southerly mid-level wind flow allowed for substantial warm and moist air advection throughout the 10th and 11th. During the twenty-four hour period between around noon the 10th and noon the 11th, significant ice accumulations were reported across northeast Kansas. Counties from Morris and Dickinson northeastward to Nemaha and Brown were coated with between three quarters of an inch and one and a half inches of ice. These counties were the hardest hit across the local area. Surrounding sites generally saw accumulations between one quarter and three quarters of an inch thick. Regardless, vehicle accidents were reported across the region, homes and businesses were left without power, and the structural integrity of trees, power lines, as well as some buildings and homes were severely compromised by the weight of the ice. Ten to twenty mile per hour winds on the tail of the system exacerbated the structural problems and caused further damage, as did melting and refreezing of the ice over the next several days. Thousands of trees were reported to be damaged or down. President Bush issued an emergency disaster declaration for the state the 12th. Forty-five emergency shelters were opened in Clay, Washington, Dickinson, Marshall, Riley, Geary, Morris, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee, Brown, Jefferson, Jackson, Shawnee, and Coffey Counties to assist those without electricity and heat to their homes--temperatures during this time frame only reached a few degrees above freezing for a brief time during the afternoon. Schools and businesses across northeast Kansas were closed the 11th and 12th, some for several days after that as well, through the weekend of the 15th and 16th. Kansas State and Washburn Universities closed their campuses in the midst of finals week���prompting students to make alternate preparations for their exams. Businesses across northeast Kansas were left without power. As a result, several lost money and residents who hadn���t previously loaded up on provisions were left unable to do so. Refrigerated sections of stores posted the biggest losses. Electricity-wise, the morning of the 12th, Westar Energy reported seventy-six thousand customers were without power. Seven hundred tree trimmers and three hundred linemen went to work restoring power. More and more outages were reported as ice began to melt and stressed trees and tree limbs eventually gave out over the course of the next week. Nearly eight-thousand Kansas residents were still without power from Westar Energy a week after the event. Bluestem Electric reported that 60% of their customers in an eleven county area in northeast Kansas were without power as of the afternoon of the 11th. Sixty to seventy percent of all power poles were down in Wabaunsee, Jackson, and Pottawatomie Counties. The afternoon of the 13th, one hundred and thirty thousand residents still did not have power. The evening of the 14th one hundred and six thousand Kansas residents were still without power. The ice storm was projected to cost the Leavenworth-Jefferson Electric Coop nine million dollars, its��� biggest storm loss ever. Westar Energy stated that this ice storm may go down as the largest event to task their system thus far. Westar linemen from twenty-one other states totaling one thousand, nine hundred and fifty workers assisted Kansas crews to fix their two thousand power poles that fell. Two hundred poles fell in Marshall County alone. Westar repairs totaled more than forty million dollars. Kansas Electric Cooperatives turned to more than one thousand linemen from nine other states for support to get power back on for many Kansas residents. It was reported that mainly wooden poles and not metal poles were affected by the accumulated ice. Broken poles will be replaced by more wooden poles. Two-thousand, five hundred power poles were reported down by Westar, and five thousand for other cooperatives with seven thousand spans of lines down, and nine thousand disabled service lines running from transformers to homes. Three linemen were injured during the reconnection/rebuilding process. Two slipped on ice (broken ankle, broken elbow) and a third was hit in the face by a tool. Three thousand, two hundred Kansans were still without power eleven days after the storm.

Strong sustained gradient winds knocked down trees, tree limbs, and power lines across Northeast Kansas beginning the early morning hours of the 6th, and continuing through the morning of the 7th. Several locations reported property damage and power outages. The peak wind speeds measured by the Concordia (Cloud County) ASOS topped out at 54mph. In Topeka (Shawnee County), Billard Airport measured a gust of 41mph, and Forbes Field 47mph. Manhattan (Geary County) and Lawrence (Douglas County) each measured gusts up to 45mph.

A late season snow fell across NE Kansas, as a deep low pressure system slid across the Central Plains and dragged cold northerly air southward.|Although most snowfall reports were under two inches, the gusty winds combined with the wet snow caused scattered power outages. A number of accidents occurred due to the hazardous conditions. A few schools were also closed. Some locally heavier amounts of snow did occur...|mainly to the west and north of Manhattan.

An arctic cold front stormed across NE Kansas, which brought freezing surface temperatures to this part of the state. The cold air aloft was slow to follow, which left a nose of warm air a few thousand feet off the surface. Ice crystals fell through the warm layer, melted, then refroze near the surface. As a result, precipitation beginning Friday morning, the 12th, through early Sunday morning, the 14th, was a mix of freezing rain and sleet. Around 1/2 an inch of sleet was reported across north central Kansas, but up to 4 of sleet was reported in the east central part of the state. Sunday morning, and into Sunday afternoon, the mix of precipitation had changed over to all snow. Up to 4 of snow was reported along the Nebraska border, while lesser amounts were reported further south. Extremely hazardous driving conditions caused numerous accidents across the northeast corner of the state, and many injuries were reported. A few power outages inconvenienced customers as well. Hospitals reported many people coming in to be treated after slipping and falling on icy sidewalks.

Afternoon high temperatures across the area rose above 100 degrees at many locations during the 5 day span. Heat Index readings climbed to 105 to 115 degrees at some locations. Topeka reached 100 degrees on the 16th for the first time in three years. Two Westar Energy transformers exploded on the 16th in Clay Center. About 5000 people lost power. Electricty usage had a record one day peak in Northeast Kansas according to Westar Energy on the 17th. Newspapers reported that crops were feeling extreme stress because of the heat. Railroad tracks near St. Mary's (Pottawatomie County) buckled in the heat on the 17th, and 30 cars derailed. On Tuesday, the 18th, twelve railroad cars derailed nine miles east of Emporia due to buckling of the rails. Concordia in Cloud County reported a record high temperature of 109 degrees on the 19th which broke the previous record of 108 degrees set in the dust bowl year of 1934. On the 20th, Topeka set a record high minimum temperature of 82 degrees. Only three persons were specifically mentioned as needing medical treatment for heat-hyperthermia during the event. However, several newspapers were less specific about actual numbers but indicated "several" or "a handful" of people were treated for heat related illnesses at area hospitals.

This hail and wind storm covered a wide area. The governor even declared a state of disaster for Douglas, Osage and Shawnee counties. There were widespread power outages due to downed lines and poles...as well as property damage from downed trees and limbs.

A widespread severe winter storm overspread northcentral, northeast and eastcentral Kansas during the morning and afternoon hours of January 4, 2005. Freezing rain began about 10 AM over central Kansas and spread east and north during the afternoon, reaching the Missouri and Nebraska borders by about 4-5PM. Significant and heavy icing began to occur during the afternoon hours. The freezing rain changed to or mixed with sleet along and north of Interstate 70 during the evening of the 4th, and to heavy snow along highway 36 from Belleville to Hiawatha, also during the evening. The freezing rain was heaviest and caused the most tree and property damage generally along and north of Interstate 35 from Emporia to Ottawa, and south of Interstate 70 from Lawrence to Topeka to Abilene. Snowfall amounts near the Nebraska border ranged from 3 to 6 inches.The counties of Osage, Lyon, Morris, southern Waubansee, southern Douglas and northern Franklin reported the most severe and widespread damage. Many areas particularly in the hardiest hit counties experienced widespread tree damage and long lasting power outages. An estimated 10,000 customers at one time were with out power, with some outages in rural areas lasting for nearly a week. Several counties were declared disaster areas by the Kansas Emergency Management agency. Total storm dollar damage in the NWS Topeka area of responsibility reached around $6.2M. Some specific county damage amounts included: Lyon county: $2.8M, Osage county: $1.15M, Wabaunsee county: $686K, Shawnee: $590K and Franklin: $353K.

Strong non thunderstorm winds spread over the mentioned counties and did considerable damage. A few shingles were blown off a house near Dwight. Street signs were blown over in Scranton. Power lines were damaged near Leonardville. Power lines were blown down near Auburn and signs were blown onto a road. In a 20 mile long path from near Alta Vista to near Eskridge roof and siding damage occurred to houses, and loose objects were blown around.

A winter storm produced slick roads and streets leading to numerous school closings and event postponements. Glazing accumulated 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick on power lines and trees in the area. Power line damage in the area caused power outages to about 30,000 customers. The icy roads lead to 3 vehicle accidents (discussed separately). The sleet and freezing rain was followed by snow which accumulated from around 1 inch south of Interstate 70 up to 6 to 8 inches in Republic and Washington counties. In addition strong winds produced considerable blowing and drifting of snow which led to whiteout conditions at times mainly near the Nebraska border.

A winter storm brought 2 to 5 inches of snow to areas along and north of an Abilene to Manhattan to Horton line. South of that line freezing rain and sleet produced glazing of 1/4 to 1/2 inch except in an area from Carbondale to Big Springs and Williamstown where 1/2 to 1 inch of glazing was reported. Downed power lines in the glazing area produced power outages for a time.

A winter storm spread west to east over north central and northeast Kansas beginning the afternoon of the 15th before ending the morning of the 16th. Over north central Kansas snow was preceded by freezing rain which caused icy roads. The icy conditions caused a number of vehicle accidents resulting in a few injuries and fatalities (discussed separately). Snow accumulations varied from 3 to 8 inches in most areas. The greatest amount reported was 11 inches at Centralia in Nemaha county. In areas north of Interstate 70 many schools were closed for a time. Total damage to vehicles from collisions and slide offs was estimated at 22,500 dollars with another 500 dollars estimated damage in Manhattan when a vehicle collided with a power pole damaging the pole and vehicle.

A major winter storm struck all of north central...northeast and east central Kansas in late January. Freezing rain mixed at times with sleet occurred across east central Kansas from the early evening of January 29 into the morning of January 31. The freezing rain accumulated as much as an inch and a half of glaze which caused considerable power line and tree damage. Many residents remained without power well into February. Several buildings collapsed under the weight of the ice doing considerable damage to the contents. A boat marina at Lake Perry collapsed under the weight of the ice and damaged or destroyed 19 boats. Northeast Kansas received mostly snow from the night of the 29th into the early afternoon of the 31st, although some sleet and freezing rain was mixed in at times. Snow fell across north central Kansas from the late morning of the 30th into the late afternoon of the 31st. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches occurred over north central and parts of northeast Kansas. The area in between the heavy glaze and heavy snow, roughly from Manhattan and Herington east to Topeka, received a heavy mixture of sleet mixed with freezing rain and snow. Many businesses, schools, colleges, and even the State Legislature were closed for several days because of the storm. Preliminary damage estimates are around 8 million dollars.

Strong winds associated with an intense low pressure system reached speeds over 80 mph at times and did extensive damage over the area that was estimated in the millions of dollars. Most of the damage occurred to homes, power lines and businesses. Near Ottawa the winds blew the roofs off of 2 barns and destroyed several farm sheds. Also near Ottawa a barn was blown onto highway 68 as winds of 85 mph were recorded at the Ottawa airport. Traffic lights were blown down in Topeka. Windows were blown out of many homes across the area. Large trees were severely damaged and vehicles were overturned on area roads. Three semi tractor trailers were overturned on Interstate 70 between Topeka and Maple Hill. A semi was overturned on Interstate 70 13 miles east of Junction City along with several other vehicles. Power outages occurred from downed power lines. It was the worst windstorm over a widespread area in many years.

A winter storm spread snow across the area and resulted in power outages in some areas. Several colleges in the area were closed for a time and a number of activities cancelled. Several roads were closed from the drifting of snow. Roads that remained open were slick and resulted in a number of accidents. Blizzard conditions (discussed separately) occurred in parts of the area. Snowfall amounts varied from as much as 15 inches in Republic county down to 4 inches in Emporia. Some actual amounts include: 12 inches in Seneca, 8 inches in Concordia and Manhattan, 7 inches in Junction City, 6 inches in Abilene, and 5 inches in Topeka. The heavier amounts were over northern counties while lesser amounts were to the south.

Low pressure over the Plains region spread a wintry mix of precipitation across the area. A band of snow with amounts of 6 inches and more extended from near Belleville and Minneapolis east to the Hiawatha area. Ten inches of snow was measured at Kackley. Snow amounts tapered off further to the south where a mixture of sleet and freezing rain was the main culpret. Freezing rain accumulated on power lines and resulted in power outages at some locations for a time including Sabetha and Topeka. The icy conditions produced slick roads that resulted in a number of vehicle accidents.

A strong low pressure system spread high winds over all the area from late on the 7th to the early evening of the 8th. The strong winds downed a number of power lines and power poles and resulted in 5 thousand customers in Topeka alone to be without power for a time. A barn near Lawrence had its door blown off its hinges and damaged it as it was blown into a nearby fence. Another barn near Lawrence had the north wall burned by a grass fire spurred on by the high winds. A leaning concrete and tile silo east of Holton was blown over. Winds clocked at 52 mph damaged a business sign in Ottawa.