A violent and quickly evolving extreme climate outbreak is tearing throughout south-central Kansas and northern Oklahoma Saturday afternoon, with the NWS Storm Prediction Heart activating a sprawling Extreme Thunderstorm Watch, a number of energetic Extreme Thunderstorm Warnings, and a dwell Twister Warning — all issued throughout the identical hour by the Nationwide Climate Service in Wichita.
Probably the most pressing risk as of Saturday afternoon is a Twister Warning in impact for northeastern Neosho County. The NWS in Wichita issued the warning at 4:03 PM CDT, with radar indicating rotation close to Erie, Kansas, transferring east at 20 mph. The hazard features a twister and ping pong ball dimension hail. “Heavy rainfall might conceal this twister. Don’t wait to see or hear the twister. TAKE COVER NOW!” NWS forecasters warned. The storm was anticipated to strategy Erie round 4:10 PM CDT and St. Paul round 4:25 PM CDT.
Flying particles, destroyed cellular houses, and harm to roofs, home windows, and automobiles have been all cited as possible impacts. Anybody in these communities was directed to maneuver to a basement or inside room on the bottom ground of a sturdy constructing instantly.
Extreme thunderstorm warnings firing throughout a number of counties
Simultaneous with the twister warning, NWS Wichita issued Extreme Thunderstorm Warnings throughout a number of counties. A warning for all of Neosho County, in impact till 4:45 PM CDT, recognized extreme thunderstorms from 8 miles northwest of Hepler to six miles southwest of Chanute transferring east at 20 mph, with 70 mph wind gusts and ping pong ball dimension hail noticed. Areas within the warning path included Chanute, Erie, St. Paul, Thayer, Galesburg, and Chanute Airport. Forecasters flagged the harm risk as “appreciable” — the NWS’s highest non-tornado harm class — and warned that torrential rainfall might result in flash flooding.
A second Extreme Thunderstorm Warning was issued for western Harper County and Kingman County in south-central Kansas till 4:45 PM CDT, with a storm close to Sharon transferring northeast at 40 mph producing 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail. Communities within the path included Attica, Cunningham, Nashville, and Zenda.
A 3rd warning from NWS Springfield, Missouri lined southern Bourbon County and northern Crawford County in southeastern Kansas, with a storm transferring east at 30 mph threatening Fort Scott, Frontenac, Girard, and Arma with 60 mph gusts and quarter-size hail.
Watch 253 covers 40+ Kansas counties and stretches into Oklahoma
Underpinning all energetic warnings is the large Extreme Thunderstorm Watch 253, issued at 3:35 PM CDT by the NWS Storm Prediction Heart. The watch is in impact till 10:00 PM CDT and covers greater than 40 Kansas counties together with Sedgwick, Reno, Harvey, Saline, McPherson, Kingman, Sumner, Harper, Barton, Ellis, Ford, Pratt, and Stafford — in addition to seven Oklahoma counties together with Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Main, Noble, and Woods.
NWS Wichita’s personal climate story warned Saturday morning that the strongest storms can be able to hail as much as tennis ball dimension, wind gusts as much as 80 mph, and a twister or two, with storm growth anticipated to speed up via the afternoon and night hours.
A day-long siege with extra to return Sunday
Meteorologists famous a extremely charged environment throughout the area, with dew factors climbing into the 60s and 70s — offering ample gasoline for storms as soon as they begin forming. Storms creating alongside the dryline have been anticipated to congeal right into a line and monitor southeast via the night, with an growing flood danger as repeated rounds transfer over the identical areas.
Including to the flood issues, the Neosho River close to Erie was already forecast to crest at 22.6 ft early Sunday morning — average flood stage — earlier than starting to recede. The Neosho River at Oswego was additionally working excessive, affecting Cherokee and Labette counties.
Sunday brings little aid: extreme storms stay doable Sunday afternoon and night, particularly for areas alongside and east of I-135, with the strongest storms able to hail as much as tennis ball dimension, wind gusts as much as 70 mph, and a twister or two.
What to do proper now
Anybody within the watch space ought to have a strategy to obtain emergency alerts — a NOAA Climate Radio, the Wi-fi Emergency Alert system in your cellphone, or a trusted native climate app. If a warning is issued to your location, transfer instantly to the bottom ground of a sturdy constructing, away from home windows. Don’t shelter in a car or cellular residence. After any storm passes, keep away from flooded roadways — most flood fatalities happen in automobiles.
Monitor real-time warnings and radar at climate.gov/ict and the Storm Prediction Heart.
