Power Outage in Wichita, KS

Powerlines down and large tree limbs down on the 6100 block of E Douglas Avenue.

Power lines were reported blown down.

Power lines were reported down at the 2300 block of south Victoria in Wichita. The lines were down in a yard.

Wichita Eisenhower National Airport ASOS measured a wind gust to 58 mph about 30 minutes before the peak gust of 62 mph. A power pole was leaned over into the street near Clearwater as well.

Report on social media of downed power line on Orne and Oliver Streets.

Three inch tree limbs were blown down and several power poles were also blown down.

Widespread non-thunderstorm winds wreaked havoc across the county. Sustained wind speeds routinely ranged between 40 to 50 mph with gusts near 75 mph. Powerlines were reported down at 159th East and 21st Street North and at K96 and Hillside. ||Here are some specific wind gust reports.|Three mile SE of Maize - 72 mph.|Wichita Eisenhower Airport - 69 mph.|Colonel James Jabara Airport - 66 mph.|Near Goddard - 65 mph.|McConnell AFB - 63 mph.|Beech Factory Airport - 58 mph.

Strong winds were measured by ASOS and several other wind sensors for several hours across the county. The highest peak gust was measured at 66 mph. Reports of downed trees and power lines were also noted along with shingles being blown off of roofs.

Downed tree limbs landed on a power line at the intersection of Mansfield and Gilbert streets. The report was received via Twitter.

Large limbs were downed near the NW 21st/Tyler Rd. intersection. The report was received via Twitter. Downed power lines and power poles caused power outages to around 18 residences. Westar Energy and KSN Channel 3 contributed greatly to this narrative.

Downed trees, power lines, and power poles caused power outages to around 50 residences. Wester Energy contributed to this narrative.

Several large limbs and branches downed across town with many trees twisted and uprooted. Some of the downed limbs and uprooted trees likely fell onto power lines and power poles, resulting in power outages to perhaps 50 residences in and around Maize. Speeds were estimated at 85 mph. This was a delayed report. Westar Energy and KSN Channel 3 contributed greatly to this narrative.

Multiple limbs around 1 foot diameter were downed. Downed power lines and power poles caused power outages to perhaps 50 residences. Westar Energy and KSN Channel 3 contributed greatly to this narrative.

Power lines were blown down near the intersection of Illinois and Zoo Blvd.

Numerous power poles were reported blown down.

Widespread sleet and freezing rain made travel increasingly dangerous across the county. Very early on the morning of the 28th, law enforcement reported, via social media, that sleet and freezing rain were causing accidents across the Wichita Metro Area. The sleet and freezing rain had also coated trees and vehicles. Early on the morning of the 28th, 0.10 inch of ice had been measured at the forecast office 1 mile west of Eisenhower Airport in the past 18 hours and by that evening, accumulations had reached nearly 1/4 inch in several areas. On the morning of the 29th, an ice storm downed power lines 5 miles southeast of Eisenhower Airport near the South Hydraulic/I-135 interchange, severing power to around 100 residents. An electric utility in Cheney reported that an ice storm downed tree limbs onto power lines that eventually fell. Specifics regarding power outages weren't provided.

A channeled microburst began near the Kansas Heart Hospital with portions of the roof blown off. A tenth of mile of power poles were snapped off at the base along Webb Road, all leaning to the east. At Jabara Airport a large aircraft hanger was completely destroyed with debris from the hanger spread to the east. Aircraft that were located inside the hanger were also damaged.

Numerous power poles were snapped, and damage occurred to shingles and minor damage to roofs.

Power poles were knocked down near 21st Street and Interstate 135.

Dissipating thunderstorms produced a 59-mph gust that was measured at Mid-Continent Airport. Also, the strong winds caused downed power lines and power poles 2 miles west of Derby.

A power pole and power lines were downed near 79th Street and Hillside 2 miles west of Derby.

Wind gusts to 51 mph were also noted. Power lines were blown down and blocked a few lanes of traffic. Over 7000 people were without power.

A large tornado moved across rural areas in Sedgwick county causing damage to a few farmsteads. None of the major structures took a direct hit from the tornado. Most of the damage was limited to power poles, barns, silos, and farm equipment. A horse trailer was thrown for approximately 220 yards by the tornado. The Doppler on Wheels was also in the vicinity and recorded 155 mph winds at 70 meters above ground level. This would be an EF3, however, based on damage it did not appear that wind speeds at that level reached the surface. Hence the EF2 rating.

Fire department reports 1.5 miles of power poles snapped along 55th St. South between Maize and Tyler Rds.

Winds of 60 to 80 mph produced widespread damage from southwest to northeast across the Wichita Area, including: widespread tree damage, several downed power lines and damaged transformers, siding ripped off an apartment building near Pawnee and Broadway, roof and fence damage near Central and West, and railroad crossing gates blown over near K-15 and MacArthur. Property damage amounts are rough estimates. Additionally, roughly 14,000 Westar customers in the Wichita area were without power. The Wichita Eagle and Salina Journal contributed to this report.

Winds of 60 to 80 mph produced widespread damage from southwest to northeast across the Wichita Area, including: widespread tree damage, several downed power lines and damaged transformers, siding ripped off an apartment building near Pawnee and Broadway, roof and fence damage near Central and West, and railroad crossing gates blown over near K-15 and MacArthur. Property damage amounts are rough estimates. Additionally, roughly 14,000 Westar customers in the Wichita area were without power. The Wichita Eagle and Salina Journal contributed to this report.

Five power poles were blown down on MacArthur and Ridge roads.

Power lines were downed near the intersection of Highways 96 and 54.

High winds downed a power pole onto a car near the intersection of Central and Woodlawn in East Wichita. Another utility pole was downed over Northeast Wichita. Dozens of reports of downed power lines were received. Also reported was a large tree downed over West Wichita, which destroyed a gazebo. Another downed tree damaged a car and a house in Midtown Wichita. Additionally, a large tree was downed near the intersection of Maple and Maize in West Wichita. Property damage amounts are rough estimates. The Wichita Eagle contributed to this report.

Power lines were blown down on East Douglas. Property damage amounts are rough estimates.

Numerous tree limbs and power lines were downed throughout West Wichita. Westar Energy reported nearly 8000 residents without power.

Power lines and small tree limbs were knocked down.

Measured at the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. Two-inch diameter tree limbs were downed near the Maple and West intersection in Wichita. Nearly 4,000 residents were without power for a time in Wichita due to downed power lines.

A brief tornado touched down in a wheat field. The tornado also knocked down a few power poles.

High winds damaged several power lines near the 900 block of East Lincoln.

A half to one inch of ice accumulated across northern Sedgwick County during the ice storm. This resulted in approximately 100 downed power poles and 400 downed lines. Damage to the electrical infrastructure is estimated at $1.9 million. The city of Wichita was spared the full brunt of the storm as temperatures hovered around 32 degrees all night. Several hundred to several thousand people lost power in the city though.

Power lines downed in downtown Wichita.

Power poles snapped (obviously downing associated power lines) along 135th St. W between 31st S and McArthur Rd. (Reported by KFDI.)

Limbs downed onto power lines with power outages no doubt resulting. (Reported by KFDI.)

Eighteen power poles and their associated power lines downed. The downed utility poles blocked nearly 1 mile stretch of road between 61st St. N and 69th St. N near Valley Center, a North Wichita suburb. Approximately 25 trees were uprooted at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Northwest Wichita. Overall, tree damage was widespread across the Wichita Metro area. The resultant power outages persisted thru Monday evening across most of Valley Center. The Wichita Eagle contributed greatly to this report.

Lightning struck a transformer, severing power to approximately 11,000 homes. Lightning also struck the edge of the west runway at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, leaving a hole the size of a watermelon.

Greyhound Park unroofed, damaging 50-75 cars. Park to be closed an estimated two weeks. Power poles downed, and trees uprooted. Hotel under construction near North Oliver/K-96 interchange sustained unspecified damage. Dollar estimate a rough approximation.

Occurred at intersection of Woodlawn & K-96. Downed power lines severed power to approximately 14,500 residences. Area newspapers contributed to this report.

Power lines downed on south side.

Fallen limbs damaged cars at Wichita State. A fence surrounding Levitt Arena was damaged. Limbs hitting power lines severed power to 265 residences.

Trees, power lines, and power poles downed, severing power for three hours. Lightpole toppled at Mt. Hope Grade School. Windows blown out and metal panels blown off co-op elevator company. Windows shattered at an unspecified number of residences. Pickup truck blown into an alfalfa field. Area newspapers contributed greatly to this report.

In East Wichita, about 20 utility poles and their associated power lines blown down, severing power to an estimated 19,000 KGE customers.

Widespread tree and power line damage resulted in the loss of power to approximately 45,000 residences of 13,000 were without power the following evening. One large tree limb that was blown down smashed the left rear window of a van.

Power lines downed.

Several power lines blown down at Lake Afton left approximately 6,000 residents in Cheney, Clearwater, Garden Plain, and parts of Goddard without power. In addition to law enforcement officials, reports were also received from area newspapers.

A line of severe storms raced southeast across central and south central Kansas during the late evening and overnight hours of May 17th into early on May 18th, 2022. Wind speeds of 60 to 75 mph were common with these storms. Tree limbs and power lines were blown down as well as several locations noting shingle loss.

A powerful low pressure system approached Kansas on Friday April 29th allowing a sharp dryline to track generally along Interstate 135. Storms first developed across central and northeast Kansas near the warm front, but as the early evening hours continued, a couple of storms fired just east of Wichita. One of these storms produced a strong tornado across the east side of Andover, causing extensive damage. This tornado was eventually rated an EF-3. A total of 6 more tornadoes were produced by other storms across portions of central Kansas all the while, blowing dust was proving to be a major hindrance behind the frontal boundary.

A very strong low pressure system tracked out of the Rockies and marched across the Central Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley. Further up in the atmosphere, a SW to NE directional mid-level jet was present along with impressive lapse rates. This setup was conducive to allow mixing of the extraordinary winds aloft all the way to the surface. As such, most areas to the west of the Interstate 35/135 corridor experienced historic straight line winds of 75 to 100 mph. Russell, KS recorded the highest gust of the day at 100 mph. All the while, Grassland Fire Danger Indices (GFDI) were in the catastrophic category for the same geographic area, and the Red Flag Threat Index (RFTI) yielded historical values for much of the same area. Once these record breaking winds were advected into Kansas, power lines began to fail and crash to the ground. Sparks began to fly as the lines toppled, and many wildfires were then set ablaze. Additionally, scattered thunderstorms and lightning in the area may have helped initiate fires. At this time, approximately 167,000 acres have been reported as burned across the state according to the Kansas Forest Service. The grandest of them all was the Four County Fire which engulfed much of northwest Russell and northeast Ellis counties along with smaller portions of Osborne and Mitchell counties. This Four County Fire comprised approximately 121,622 of those burnt acres which makes it the 3rd largest wildfire in Kansas since 2001 per the Office of the Kansas Fire Marshall. The communities of Fairport, Paradise, and Waldo were evacuated along with a portion of Luray for safety. Lastly, a convectively unstable atmosphere was present, and severe weather ensued as a line of severe thunderstorms developed across central and south central Kansas then rapidly moved to the northeast. This was the beginning of a derecho that not only affected Kansas but many states across the Upper Mississippi Valley. In fact, according to the Storm Prediction Center, the severe weather that occurred on the 15th set the record for the number of hurricane force (75+ mph) thunderstorm wind gust reports in a day (64) since 2004. This number of reports broke the previous record (53) of hurricane force (75+ mph) thunderstorm wind gusts in a day that occurred with the more well-known and publicized Corn Belt Derecho of August 10th, 2020.

A strong winter storm located over central Texas, took an unusual path straight north-northeast into southern Kansas during the early morning hours of January 1st, 2021. This New Years Day storm led to a swath of heavy snow falling along or just west of the Kansas Turnpike. The heaviest snow axis, with 5 to 7 inches went from Harper, Kansas to the eastern half of Wichita to Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. Further to the east over portions of the Flints Hills and southeast Kansas, warm air spread north over the shallow cold air, to produce freezing rain on trees and power lines. The glazing from the freezing rain, ranged from three tenths of an inch to a tenth of an inch.

An unusual October winter storm affected much of south central Kansas on October 26th and 27th. The event started during the early morning hours of Monday, October 26th as a mix of sleet and snow with a second round on Tuesday which consisted of mostly sleet and freezing rain. Locations across Cowley, Chautauqua, Elk and Montogomery counties saw the most significant ice accumulation. The towns of Winfield and especially Arkansas City were hit hard, with numerous reports of widespread power outages along with large trees down. ||Wichita set new snowfall records for both October 26th and 27th. The 1.3 inches on the 26th was the most snow Wichita has ever received that early. The 1.6 inches from both days combined makes October 2020 the 2nd snowiest October on record for Wichita.

An unseasonably strong low pressure system moved across potions of central and south central Kansas during the late evening hours or June 9th and the early morning hours of June 10th, 2020. Tree limbs were knocked down across central and south central Kansas, with most of the limbs 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Some power pole were also knocked down. The winds gusted as high as 59 mph at Wichita Eisenhower National airport, with numerous reports of tree damage in Wichita, Kansas.

A powerful cold front swept through Kansas producing significant non-thunderstorm straight line winds. Sustained winds at many locations were easily over 40 mph and several sites also had wind gusts over 50 mph during the event.

A powerful low pressure system lifted out of the Desert Southwest and across the southern Plains during the early morning hours of February 12th, 2020. Snow overspread southern Kansas a couple hours prior to sunrise and increased intensity as the morning commute approached. Temperatures near or slightly above freezing allowed for a heavy wet snow, with much of it melting by the late afternoon hours.

A powerful cyclone that moved from the Southern Rockies across the Central Plains lashed South-Central and Southeast Kansas with sustained winds that ranged from 35 to 50 mph from that afternoon until around 2 AM CST on the 27th. Gusts reached 60 to 75 mph in parts of both South-Central and Southeast Kansas. The strongest gust, 75-mph, was enhanced by dissipating showers.

Early in the morning on June 23rd, incredibly powerful severe thunderstorms tore through South-Central and Southeast Kansas with destructive winds that reached a hideous 111 mph/97 knots. Prolific damaging wind-producers, the severe thunderstorms caused tremendous damage in Derby, a Southeast Wichita suburb, with sustained speeds measured at 76 mph/66 knots by a Mesonet Wunderground Ambient Weather Station 1 mile northwest of town and where the 111-knot/97-mph gust was also measured just before daybreak. The severe thunderstorms also spawned 2 tornadoes in Harper County.

Extremely powerful Severe thunderstorms that produced a trifecta of large (in a few instances very large) hail, damaging winds that reached as high as 80 mph, and flash floods struck parts of Central as well as most of South-Central and Southeast Kansas in the afternoon and evening of the 22nd. Hardest hit were Reno and Sedgwick counties where hail reached the size of baseballs in Reno County and widespread winds from 70 to 80 mph whipped across most of Sedgwick County, most notably around the Wichita Metro area where a 67-mph gust was measured at Eisenhower Airport. No doubt, tree damage was widespread, among which were large trees that were uprooted.

Large hail, powerful winds, and heavy rains plagued the area on the 18th. Hail up to the size of tennis balls were reported along with 70 plus mph winds. Copious amounts of rain also fell with flash flooding being an issue and several locations.

An intense upper level system surged northeast across Kansas that brought an equally intense surface cyclone across the state in the afternoon. There was a moisture-rich environment entrenched across Kansas. This combined with the powerful cyclone crossing the state, numerous thunderstorms, several of which were severe, produced torrential rains that caused major flooding and flash flooding from the evening hours the 20th until late in the afternoon on the 22nd.

A line of severe thunderstorms surged southeast from Russell County, through Barton and Ellsworth Counties, to as far southeast as Sedgwick County very early in the morning on the 29th. Damage was limited to trees, but considering how strong the winds were, one would have to believe there was considerable property damage and downed power poles as well.

Several severe thunderstorms struck the region on the 29th and 30th. First to be hit was Southeast Kansas, where parts of Woodson County were hit by a thunderstorm that just barely achieved severity with winds around 60 mph and 1 inch hail in the evening on the 29th, but it was later that night that the more powerful severe thunderstorms arrived. First to be hit by these more powerful thunderstorms was Reno County, where just before mid-night, hail as large as lemons hammered Turon and a 54-kt gust was measured at Hutchinson Airport. These severe thunderstorms would move across much of South-Central Kansas through the mid-night hour then eventually reach far Southeast Kansas early in the morning on the 30th. A severe thunderstorm also hit Saline County just before mid-night.

A significant ice storm impacted much of Kansas over the weekend of January 13-16th, 2017. This storm brought as much as 0.75 of ice in Great Bend which led to damage to trees and power lines. Approximately 4,000 homes were without power in Barton, Harper, Kingman and Rice counties. Roads become slick with the freezing rain causing several accidents. South central and southeast Kansas had closer to 0.25 ice accumulations which was confined mainly to elevated surfaces.

A significant wind event occurred over south central Kansas the evening of the 14th. Wind speeds for this event varied from 60 mph all the way up to 80 mph. Trees and power poles took the brunt force of the wind.

A line of very powerful storms moved southeast across the southern sections of Kansas producing large hail and damaging winds.

A small compact complex of severe thunderstorms developed near the border of Colorado and Kansas during the late evening hours of April 2nd, 2015. This severe thunderstorm continued to develop and intensify as it moved east into Central Kansas and took on bow echo-like characteristics. This bow-echo storm later produced quite a punch with damaging straight-line winds and large hail reported across much of Central and South Central Kansas. As the bow-echo approached Sedgwick and Harvey counties, channeled microbursts developed and caused significant straight-line wind damage. Power was knocked out to over 28,000 residents in the northern sections of Wichita for almost 5 days. Wichita and Maize schools cancelled classes on Friday, April 3rd, due to the power outages. This dangerous storm continued to move through South Central Kansas during the early morning hours, and took on supercellular characteristics as it moved into Southeast Kansas producing hail up to the size of grapefruits.

A large and powerful complex of thunderstorms moved southeast out of northwest Kansas and across the area during the early morning hours of June 5th, 2014. This complex of storms was a prolific producer of very large hail up to three and half inches in diameter, especially considering the early morning hours when it occurred. Damaging wind gusts to 70 mph also occurred with the storms. As the complex moved southeast, a wake low developed on the north side of the system, producing non thunderstorm wind damage across portions of Central Kansas.

An outbreak of severe occurred during the evening of May, 7th, 2014. The supercell thunderstorms developed during the early evening hours of May 7th and tracked quickly to the north. These storms intensified as they tracked north producing large hail and damaging straight-line winds. The town of Galva, Kansas, was hit hard shortly after 6 pm by the storms with numerous power poles snapped along with wind blown hail causing roof and siding damage to several homes. In addition, straight-line winds in excess of 70 mph derailed 30 railroad cars between Galva and Canton, Kansas.

Scattered strong thunderstorms unleashed 60-70 mph gusts across the region as they dissipated late in the evening. Damage resulted, the most significant was that of a tractor trailer that was overturned on I-70 11 miles east of the I-135 interchange at Mile Post 261. The strong winds also downed power lines and knocked down power poles. Scattered tree damage also occurred, perhaps the most significant of which occurred in Belle Plaine where a large tree that was uprooted blocked a road.

Very windy conditions prevailed across portions of central Kansas producing several areas of downed tree limbs and power lines. The winds generally were sustained around 40 mph for a couple of hours and the gusts reached into the upper 40 to middle 50 mph range.

A decent little severe weather event occurred across portions of South Central Kansas. Strong winds up to 70 mph were noted with many of the storms. The damage was limited to power lines and trees.

From late in the afternoon of July 23rd until late that night, extremely powerful severe thunderstorms went on a rampage from Central to South-Central Kansas.||The thunderstorms first developed over Lincoln & Ellsworth counties and quickly evolved into monstrous super cells as they invaded the rest of Central & South-Central Kansas as the evening progressed. Several areas in Central Kansas were bombarded by tennis ball to softball-sized hail. Reno County was hardest hit, where an astonishing 12 reports of tennis ball to softball-sized hail occurred and where winds reached a horrific 80-100 mph along the Reno/Kingman County line.||Initially, the super cells were prolific hail-producers, but as the evening progressed, they evolved into a large squall line that unleashed damaging and, at times, destructive, winds that ranged from 70-100 mph as it tore through South-Central Kansas.

Extremely powerful severe thunderstorms erupted over Central Kansas in the afternoon, then went on a rampage across South-Central and Southeast Kansas from late in the afternoon through late that evening. Early in the event, the severe thunderstorms produced very large hail, as large as softballs, then evolved into prolific damaging wind producers. Widespread 70-90 mph winds occurred, no doubt causing tremendous damage to trees, many of which were quite large. A few trees were around 20-feet tall with 2-3 foot diameter trunks. Several trees fell onto houses that, in a few cases, caused roof damage. Damage to power lines and power poles was certainly widespread and resulted in numerous power outages. Around 25,000 residences lost power in the Wichita Metro area alone; with around 4,000 still without power as of the 30th. Many houses sustained roof damage, especially in Maize and Northwest Wichita.

A strong upper level disturbance developed and moved into the inter-mountain west. Ahead of this wave, a surface low pressure set up in the lee of the Rockies. This surface low pressure system had a strong warm sector over southern and eastern Kansas where temperatures were in the upper 60s and low 70s with 50 to 60 degree dew point temperatures. Also associated with this surface low was a very strong cold front. As the upper wave moved eastward the surface cold front moved southeast. This cold front was cold polar arctic air, but was very shallow, only extended a few thousand feet above ground. What does this mean? Well the mid and upper portions of the atmosphere over Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma were relatively warm, while the shallow cold air at the surface was plunging temperatures into the 20s and 30s. || The front moved through during the afternoon of April 9th, causing winds to instantly switch 180 degrees and temperatures to drop nearly 20 degrees in 10 to 15 minutes. The cold air behind this front was so strong, the shallow surface front pushed into Oklahoma and Arkansas. || The combination of the shallow cold air and the warm mid and upper levels causes precipitation to fall as rain while surface temperatures are at or well below 32 degrees. The rain that fell accumulated on elevated surfaces and froze. Ice accumulations of a quarter of an inch up to a half of an inch were reported across Central and South Central Kansas. The ground temperatures had been so warm that the non-elevated roadways were not as slick as elevated overpasses. || Reports of car accidents and tree damage as well as power outages were reported.

A powerful storm system ejected out of the southern Rockies and into the plains on February 21st and brought some of the highest snowfall amounts this area has seen in decades. As of 7 pm on February 21st the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport has measured a storm total snowfall of 14.2 inches which makes this storm the 2nd worst on record! The highest storm total snowfall for Wichita occurred back in 1962 when a storm dumped 15 inches.||One of the more unique aspects of this storm was the amount of thunder snow that took place during the early morning hours of February 21st.

Late on the afternoon of the 25th, a few severe thunderstorms hit parts of Central and South-Central Kansas with 60 mph winds that caused damage to a few trees and power poles.

A powerful storm system produced widespread severe weather across portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas during the evening hours on the 28th. A handful of relatively weak, short-lived tornadoes affected portions of Reno and McPherson counties, producing some light to modest damage. Other portions of the area received locally very intense straight-line winds and large hail, with isolated locations receiving wind speeds ranging from 90 to 110 mph, and hail as large as baseballs. Especially hard hit was the community of Cherryvale in Montgomery county, as well as a large portion of Labette county. A handful of injuries occurred across the area.

Scattered thunderstorms moved across much of the eastern half of Kansas during the late afternoon. Isolated wind events with speeds up to 70 mph were noted as some of the storms cycled through their lifespan. Main issue from wind damage was to trees and power lines.

Two different sets of storms rolled across the central portions of Kansas during the early morning hours of June 16th. Shortly after sunrise, one lone storm moved east along interstate 70 producing a few reports of hail. A couple of hours later, a cluster of storms moved over an area to the southeast of a Cottonwood Falls to Wellington line. The main culprit for this round of storms would be wind. These storms produced wind speeds significant enough to down power poles and blow a portion of a roof off of a home.

Strong low pressure over the western high plains resulted in very strong southerly winds across central and south-central Kansas from the late morning through the afternoon on the 29th. Winds were sustained at around 40 mph at times, with periodic gusts to around 60 mph. Some relatively light damage occurred across the area, ranging from downed trees and tree limbs, to a downed power pole. Unfortunately, one boating fatality occurred in Marion County. Furthermore, the strong winds helped fan a 300 acre wildfire over Reno County.

A double-barreled winter storms affected the Kansas region from the predawn hours on the 23rd through the early morning hours on the 25th. The first piece of energy early on the 23rd brought widespread freezing rain to portions of mainly central Kansas, with ice accumulations reaching one-quarter inch in spots. There was a relative lull in the action for much of the 23rd through early on the 24th, before the second and more powerful piece of energy spread widespread sleet and heavy snow for locations mainly east of Interstate 135. Precipitation started as sleet and freezing rain mixed with snow during the mid morning hours on the 24th. The sleet was heavy at times, accumulating up to 2 inches in spots. The wintry mix gradually changed over to all snow from west to east during the afternoon hours, and persisted into the early morning hours on the 25th. The snow was heavy at times, with accumulations ranging from 4 to 8 inches generally along and east of the flint hills. The heavy snow in concert with strong and gusty north to northwest winds resulted in near blizzard conditions at times. Needless to say, travel conditions were treacherous, with numerous accidents and slide-offs occurring across the area, producing a handful of injuries and two known fatalities. The following counties were included in a disaster emergency declaration: Allen, Chautauqua, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson and Woodson.

A slow moving frontal boundary in conjunction with rich low-level moisture and various upper level disturbances resulted in numerous rounds of heavy showers and thunderstorms from the afternoon of the 25th into the evening hours of the 27th across portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. These storms at times produced the full gamut of severe weather, including large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes and flooding. Portions of Marion, Harvey, Butler, Sedgwick and McPherson counties were especially affected by straight-line damaging winds, as a pair or bow echoes surged east to northeast across the area, inflicting damage to numerous barns, outbuildings and some other structures, uprooting trees and downing power poles. Additionally, a handful of relatively weak, short-lived tornadoes skipped across portions of Sumner, Cowley, Butler, Marion and Sedgwick counties during the afternoon and evening hours on the 25th and 26th. A tornado near Lake Afton in southwest Sedgwick county inflicted moderate damage to a residence, and also injured two people. Furthermore, heavy thunderstorms training over the same areas produced widespread areal flooding, river flooding and flash flooding across mainly south-central, east-central and southeast Kansas. Numerous rural and city roads were flooded and subsequently closed due to high water. Various water rescues were needed for stranded motorists, as well as homeowners threatened by flood waters. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded, along with the Cowley County Fairgrounds. Sadly, three flooding deaths occurred, one in Greenwood county and two in Labette county. Some injuries occurred as well.

A late season winter storm of record breaking proportions struck central, south-central and southeast Kansas March 27-28, 2009. Heavy snow with blizzard conditions affected much of central and south-central Kansas, with accumulations exceeding 18 inches for some locations. Numerous buildings with mainly flat-topped roofs received various degrees of roof damage, some of which was rather extensive due to the weight of the heavy, wet snow. Many travelers became stranded due to the deep snow and blizzard conditions, some of which needed rescue by the National Guard. Meanwhile, sleet and freezing rain was the main culprit farther east across portions of south-central, east-central and southeast Kansas. Sleet accumulations up to 4 inches and ice accumulations up to three-quarters of an inch downed numerous trees, tree limbs, power poles and power lines, causing tens of thousands of power outages. The snow packed and icy roads aided in an uncountable number of auto accidents areawide. Two fatalities were attributed to the winter storm, with several injuries, most of which were due to auto accidents.

Widespread very strong southerly winds affected much of central and south-central Kansas from the late morning through the afternoon hours on the 23rd, in response to a strong dry line and cold front approaching from the west and northwest. Widespread sustained wind speeds were between 40 and 45 mph, with numerous gusts around 60 mph. Structural damage was relatively minor, limited mainly to shingle and trim damage. However, a portion of the roof from the Wiley building in downtown Hutchinson peeled off, blocking off main street for a time. Many semi-trucks overturned on east-west running highways, including Highways 50 and 56, and Interstate 70. Several power poles and power lines were downed across the area, resulting in thousands of power outages. The downed power lines also ignited rapidly spreading grass fires. However, little is known regarding the coverage, magnitude or severity of these fires. As the afternoon progressed, strong to severe thunderstorms ignited along the advancing dry line and cold front, producing up to half dollar size hail, 70 mph winds and a handful of brief, relatively weak tornadoes.

A powerful late Spring upper-level system moved into the Central Plains during the early afternoon of June 5th. It appeared that a major tornado outbreak would occur from Nebraska into Oklahoma. Instead storms quickly evolved into bowing line segments producing mainly high winds. Isolated very intense winds occurred along mesovortices across portions of South Central Kansas.

A powerful low pressure moved across the Central Plains spawning several severe thunderstorms across South Central Kansas along the trailing cold front.

A powerful storm system moved across the central and southern plains on January 31st. This resulted in a relatively narrow swath of heavy snow across south-central and southeast Kansas. The snow started falling after midnight on the 31st, and ended by mid-afternoon across south-central Kansas, and early evening across southeast Kansas. The snow was particularly heavy during the morning hours, when snowfall rates exceeded one inch per hour for several hours, especially across southeast Kansas. Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches for Kansas counties bordering Oklahoma, with 4 to 6 inches one row of counties farther north. Additionally, gusty northerly winds up to 35 mph resulted in reduced visibilities and at times significant drifting snow.

A powerful area of low pressure brought heavy snow and near blizzard conditions to portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas on December 22nd. Heavy snow began to fall across the area between 0700 and 1000 CST. The heavy snow spread east and northeast as the day progressed, before coming to an end between 1600-1800 CST. A swath of 6 to 9 inches of snow accumulated, generally along the Kansas Turnpike corridor. The heavy snow in concert with 25 to 40 mph winds reduced visibilities to less than one-quarter mile for several hours across the area, and in fact near whiteout conditions were periodically reported. Numerous traffic accidents and slide-offs occurred, and flights at the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport were either delayed or canceled.

A devastating freezing rain event unfolded across parts of Southern and Central Kansas from December 10th through the 11th. At the same time an Arctic air mass was moving south into the Central Plains, a mid and upper level storm system was spinning in the Four Corners area. This storm system allowed for very warm and very moist conditions to override the Arctic air. The result was a very large swath of freezing rain that in some areas approached two inches thick. The weight of the ice encrusting everything, which adds nearly 2 tons of weight to a typical line span, resulted in thousands of downed power poles and tens of thousands of downed power lines. This naturally resulted in tens of thousands of Central and Southern Kansas residents losing power, some for more than a week. Some estimates place the number without power at one point was nearly 200 thousand across the state. An unknown number of trees were damaged or destroyed in the ice storm with some cities reporting more 80 percent of trees sustaining some form of damage. Damage to just the electric infrastructure will likely top $100 million. Damage to trees could add millions more to the final tally.

A powerful storm system ejecting east into the Plains from the Rocky Mountains developed a deep surface low over the Central High Plains. This low pressure and its associated tight pressure gradient resulted in very strong surface winds from generally along and west of Interstate 135. Parts of Central Kansas saw the highest winds with the Russell Airport sustaining wind gusts as high as 59 mph. Winds were generally in the 50 to 55 mph range for the counties affected but these winds resulted numerous reports of tree damage, power outages and small out buildings blowing down.

A strong upper level disturbance approaching from the northwest spawned a powerful squall during the evening hours of May 31st. The squall line moved east to southeast across portions of central and south-central Kansas, producing large hail and high winds in its path. 90 to 100 mph winds hit the community of Moundridge in southeast McPherson County, inflicting a narrow swath of substantial damage.

A powerful but slow moving storm system caused several severe thunderstorm outbreaks from very late in the day on May 4th through late in the day on May 6th. This storm system was responsible for 20 tornadoes, 17 tornadoes were reported in parts of Central Kansas while 3 additional weak tornadoes occurred in South Central Kansas on the 6th as well as numerous reports of severe hail and winds. In Barton County alone, 500 power poles including several large transmission lines were knocked down causing at least 4.5 million dollars in damage. Since several tornadoes occurred over nearly the same areas it is not clear how many poles were knocked down from each tornado.

Very strong winds moved southeast across portions of Central and South-Central Kansas during the afternoon and evening hours of February 24th, 2007, behind a strong cold front surging southeast across the area. Sustained 40 to 45 mph winds were common, with gusts ranging from 50 to 60 mph. Minor structural damage consisting of sporadic downed powerlines, tree limbs, and even a few downed powerpoles was reported, mainly across Central Kansas. Additionally, moderate to heavy snow occurred briefly with the strong winds, drastically reducing visibilities across mainly Central Kansas. The reduced visibilities and slick conditions resulted in a few traffic accidents.

On Saturday, January 20th, a powerful storm system ejected northeast from the southern rockies across the southern and central plains. Intense lift and ample moisture along and ahead of this system produced widespread moderate to heavy snow across much of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. Accumulations ranged from 4 to 8 inches, heaviest across central Kansas, and portions of south-central Kansas. Snow began falling in earnest around 0900-1000 CST across south-central Kansas, and spread northeast throughout the day. The snow began tapering off by Saturday night, and finally ended by early morning on the 21st. Numerous traffic accidents occurred, several of which produced injuries (indirect). Sadly, three accidents proved fatal (all indirect). In Reno County, three family members perished when their vehicle lost control and collided with a westbound vehicle near the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and Kent Road. In Marion County, one person perished when two vehicles collided on Highway 15. And in Butler County, one person perished when their vehicle slid out of control and collided with a southbound vehicle on Haverhill Road near El Dorado. Furthermore, due to the weight of the snow, a warehouse roof in Coffeyville collapsed, the Masonic Lodge roof in Independence collapsed, and a carport in Belle Plain collapsed on the owner's vehicle.

A powerful storm system brought high winds to south central Kansas which caused widespread moderate damage. In Wichita, the winds were responsible for blowing shingles off roofs and downing several privacy fences in the vicinity of 119th St. West and Central. According to the Wichita Eagle, the high winds downed power lines which caused the southbound lanes of K-15 in southwest Wichita to close temporarily. Sporadic power outages were also reported. In Sumner County, according to the Wellington Daily News, the strong winds downed power poles south of Oxford on 80th Avenue. The high winds are also blamed for a bus accident in Reno County. According to the Hutchinson News, the strong winds pushed a school bus traveling east on 56th Street in Nickerson off the south side of the road. When the driver tried to correct, the bus swerved several times and eventually rolled onto the driver's side. In Saline County, the high winds caused tree limbs to fall into power lines, knocking them down. There were also reports of downed trees in roads and at least one power pole downed. In Harvey County several tree limbs and power poles were downed. Jabara Airport, in northeast Wichita, measured a peak wind gust of 55 mph while Mid-Continent Airport recorded a peak wind of 51 mph. Winfield Airport, in Cowley County, measured a peak wind of 54 mph. Newton Airport, in Harvey County, measured a peak wind of 52 mph. Salina Airport, in Saline County, and Great Bend Airport, in Barton County, recorded a 51 mph peak wind. Russell Airport, in Russell County, measured a 47 mph peak wind.