A crazy weekend for severe weather as reports of as many as 100 tornadoes hitting the ground, with a majority in Kansas capped a weekend of severe weather. Following a series of severe storms in the Great Plains that moved through south –central Kansas, reports of tornado damages were issued. Wichita was reported to be under a tornado emergency late Saturday as threats of home destruction were witnessed. Forecasters had predicted the outbreak of tornado and they said that there was a “high risk” of dangerous thunderstorms, which could extend into Sunday covering portions of Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa and Kansas.
A tornado arrival was reported near Medicine Lodge in Kansas. At the same time, a large tornado was reported to advance on Salina, Kansas before sundown. Wichita office of the National Weather Service, which was taking part in an experimental warning system made use of graphic terms to report and warn of potential harm to the residents. Media outlets use these warnings.
People living in and around Brookville, Kansas were alerted that “major house and building damage was likely and complete destruction was possible.” Roger Vachalek, a meteorologist at the Des Moines, Iowa, National Weather Service said that residents in the area need to be prepared for threatening high winds and possible tornado coupled with hail over the night.
Already two or three tornadoes were sighted and about close to 1,600 MidAmerican Energy customers in the area of Des Moines had lost power. In other reports, at least four evident tornadoes were affirmed in the southwestern Kansas, near Dodge City as per the officials. Of these tornadoes, two were affirmed in the Rush County.
Meteorologist Mike Scott, said that “It’s been an interesting day,” further adding that severe storms touched down earlier than it had been expected. Moreover, Forecasters added that “dry line” that was colliding with moist Gulf air, was creating dangerous conditions.
In definition, a dry line is a boundary zone that separates warm, moist air right from the dry desert air. Meteorologist Scott said that “Everything west of that line is very dry and is associated with downsloping winds.” About four active tornado warnings and in addition four tornado watches were taking effect on Saturday evening in the region.
Some two of the watches are “Particularly Dangerous Situation” and these extend from Iowa and Nebraska further south into Kansas and Oklahoma. What this means is that there is a great chance of long-track damaging tornadoes expected. The threat posed by the tornado may increase as the storms head to more populated areas like Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Wichita; and Kansas City, Missouri.
In Nebraska, on the Antelope and Boone counties, a tennis-ball-sized hail as well as winds of up to 60 miles per hour was reported and this is according to Mike Moritz of Hastings National Weather Service office. There were reports of tornado that came in from Tipton, Kansas as well as Hardy and Deshler, Nebraska though none of these tornadoes was a long-track.
In other reports, Rick Smith, a warning coordination meteorologist from the Norman, Oklahoma, National Weather Service office, said that a line of supercell thunderstorms extended Saturday afternoon covering northwestern Oklahoma to the Texas Panhandle. Smith told CNN that a tornado that had formed in Woodward, Oklahoma has witnessed a brief touchdown. Apparently no reports of injuries had been availed in Oklahoma as at mid-evening Saturday.
