MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
A series of severe storms rolled across central and western Kansas on Sunday afternoon and into the overnight hours, spawning multiple tornadoes, large hail and dangerous conditions across the region.
The first tornado watch was issued at 3:40 p.m., with a second following at 8:55 p.m., as storm activity intensified throughout the evening.
Two tornadoes were confirmed early in the outbreak: one in Edwards County at 6:30 p.m. and another in Pawnee County just 20 minutes later. Shortly before 9:30 p.m., a large and destructive tornado was spotted by trained weather spotters about nine miles south of Greensburg in Kiowa County.
(LINK) Tornado strikes Reno County, causing widespread damage but no reported injuries
At 9:57 p.m., the National Weather Service office in Dodge City issued a tornado emergency for Greensburg as the storm continued to intensify. A second tornado was later reported northwest of Haviland, also in Kiowa County.
By 11 p.m., the storm was tracking through northeast Kiowa County and northwest Pratt County, heading toward Stafford County. A trained spotter confirmed another large tornado north of Cullison.
The National Weather Service in Wichita issued a tornado warning for western Reno County at 11:21 p.m. Just nine minutes later, radar detected debris being lofted 16,000 feet into the air, a clear indicator of a significant tornado.
The tornado remained on the ground past midnight, prompting a tornado emergency for Plevna and additional warnings for northwest Reno County and extending into southern Rice County. By 12:30 a.m., forecasters noted the storm was beginning to weaken and decrease in height. The tornado warning for this storm was cancelled at 12:35 a.m.
Alongside the tornadoes, numerous hail reports came in from across the region. Garden Plain reported 1.25-inch hail at 1 p.m., while Wichita saw 1.75-inch hail near 13th Street and West Street later in the afternoon. That storm system tracked through Harvey and Marion counties, producing ping pong ball-sized hail northwest of Hesston around 2:30 p.m.
Another storm moved across northwestern Rice County, bringing hail measuring between 1.25 and 1.75 inches near Geneseo.
The severe weather threat is expected to continue Monday, with forecasters warning of additional severe storms after 2 p.m. Areas along and east of a line from Anthony through Hutchinson and north to Salina are in a level three risk.