The Topeka Capital-Journal posted this video of a funnel cloud near SE 7th and Adams in Topeka Saturday night. We also have video (posted here) of the tornado that killed one and caused widespread damage near Emporia, Kansas.
(UPDATED) At least five tornado warnings were issued Saturday evening in northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri. In Kansas, one man was killed as a twister clobbered the town of Reading.
Winds of 50 mph were common during the storms, which kept much of the region under severe weather warnings for hours. Hail ranging from pea-size to baseball size was reported.
The most significant damage in Missouri so far was reported in Andrew County. A sheriff’s deputy and a dozen other motorists were stranded briefly after high winds blew the glass out of their vehicles along US-71. Emergency Management Director Roger Latham says three houses lost their roofs and one large, 50 by 60 foot shed was obliterated southwest of Fillmore along County Road 66. Latham says hail ranged from the size of golf balls to the size of baseballs during the storm.
Andrew County Sheriff Brian Atkins says 13 vehicles, including a sheriff’s deputy’s patrol vehicle, lost all or part of their windshields because of large hail along US-71 highway just south of Midway. Atkins says another patrol vehicle was pocked by hail stones, causing significant damage.
Atkins says a KCPL transmission line was damaged when high winds snapped the pole off at the ground. He says the lines were hanging down into traffic along US-71 south of midway. Deputies redirected traffic on the highway for several hours as utility crews replaced the pole. Deputies reported several transformers in the area popping as a result, Atkins said.
Listen here to Sheriff Atkins describing the damage:
[audio:http://www.stjosephpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/DAMAGE.mp3|titles=DAMAGE]A twister was reported near Iowa Point, Kansas which tracked east to an area near Forest City, Missouri. Spotters also reported a tornado on the ground near Fillmore.
The storms were part of a much larger, super cell system, which caused damage throughout the region. In the eastern Kansas town of Reading, one person was killed and 20 buildings were destroyed by a tornado that tracked through the town. About 20 residents were evacuated to a shelter in nearby Emporia, Kansas. Others were taking refuge in a school and a church in Reading, which has a population of about 230 people. More than 200 buildings in Reading sustained damage, including the fire station and the post 0ffice.
Elsewhere in Kansas, officials confirmed touchdowns of funnel clouds in southern and eastern Topeka, at Lake Perry, and around Oskaloosa. Winds between 65-and-85 miles per hour were reported