Storm damage cleanup is underway after severe storms brought tornadoes and high winds to southwest Kansas.
A portion of Highway 50 near Holcomb, in Finney County, is closed while crews work to repair downed power lines.
Sunday night’s storm overturned mobile homes in Garden City. A tornado is blamed for damage to more than a dozen homes in Liberal, and the National Weather Service rated it as an EF-0.
Severe thunderstorms moved through south central Kansas Sunday night with winds of 70 mph reported and radar indications of rotation that triggered tornado warnings for Harper and Sumner counties.
No confirmed tornadoes were reported, but there were wind gusts of 70 mph with storms that moved through the area. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita reported a wind gust of 58 mph as the storms moved through the area shortly before 10 p.m.
Tornado warnings were issued in northern Oklahoma because of rotation indicated by radar, and there were confirmed reports of tornadoes with damage in central Oklahoma, in Canadian and Oklahoma counties. Twelve weather related injuries have been reported in the city of Norman, south of Oklahoma City. None of the injuries are listed as critical and no deaths have been reported.
McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita said most aircraft from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing in Wichita were moved to other bases because of the expected severe weather. The relocation was done to protect the aircraft from potential damage and to maintain the mission capability for McConnell’s Global Mobility mission. The aircraft will return to McConnell after the storm threat has passed.
