Severe storms pushed through the Flint Hills Saturday afternoon, bringing strong wind gusts that led to power outages and other hazards.
Tornado warnings were issued in Riley and Clay counties around 1 p.m., eventually moving through northern Pottawatomie County. Fortunately there were no reports of touchdowns in the area, though strong winds, ranging from 60-70 mph were noted after the storms, created by a “wake low,” or a mesoscale low-pressure area which trails the mesoscale high following a squall line. The National Weather Service says a 76 mph wind gust was reported around 3 p.m. at the Manhattan Regional Airport.
In Geary County, strong winds knocked a tree over onto a mobile home in Grandview Plaza. No injuries were reported.
Riley County Emergency Management reported closures of the eastbound lanes of I-70 due to multiple overturned semis. Earlier in the day a semi driver was injured in a crash near Abilene, when Kansas Highway Patrol officials say the driver attempted to avoid a downed tree limb. While changing lanes, strong winds blew the truck over onto its side.
In Manhattan, tree limbs were knocked down, including near 11th and Poyntz where a tree blocked east and westbound traffic for several hours. Multiple power outages were noted, with Evergy reporting an estimated 6,200 people at one point without power. Bluestem Electric Cooperative also reported outages in the Wamego and St. Marys area.
City crews in Wamego were reporting multiple tree and electrical line issues after a power pole snapped. The issue resulted in the city needing to shut power off to replace the pole, with officials noting they’d work to restore power as quickly as possible.
