- Severe thunderstorms swept through the Kansas City metro Tuesday night, leaving 50,860 Evergy customers without electricity by 10:38 p.m., with destructive winds reported at up to 80 mph.
- Heavy rain and flooding remain concerns across Kansas through Thursday, with total rainfall forecast at 1 to more than 3 inches in south-central and southeastern areas of the state.
- A strong cold front will bring wind gusts of up to 40 mph, temperatures in the 50s and low 60s, and possible frost in parts of Kansas by Saturday morning.
Severe thunderstorms swept across the Kansas City metropolitan area evening leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity, damaging trees and power infrastructure, and raising concerns about additional heavy rainfall and flooding across Kansas.
Utility provider Evergy reported 50,860 customers without power at 10:38 p.m. Tuesday as successive lines of thunderstorms moved through the region. The storms prompted multiple severe thunderstorm warnings, including one carrying a destructive wind designation, and a tornado warning for central Clay County, Missouri.
The National Weather Service reported winds reaching 80 mph during the severe weather outbreak. Although radar indicated rotation near Liberty and Gladstone, no tornado had been confirmed when the Clay County warning was issued. That warning subsequently expired.
Power outages increased rapidly throughout the evening as thunderstorms crossed the metropolitan area.
- At 7:41 p.m., Evergy’s outage map showed just under 20,000 customers without electricity across 327 active outages. Approximately 10 minutes later, the number of affected customers had climbed to nearly 30,000, with 426 active outages.
- By 8:06 p.m., the utility reported 33,367 customers without power and 545 active outages. Shortly before 9 p.m., the number of affected customers reached 43,804, although the count of active outages had declined to 490.
- The customer total continued rising into the evening, reaching 50,860 by 10:38 p.m.
- Missouri communities experienced particularly widespread disruption. At 7:53 p.m., outage data showed 27,647 customers without power on the Missouri side of the metropolitan area. Gladstone was among the hardest-hit locations, with 7,905 customers affected, representing nearly 55% of the city’s electricity customers.
Storm damage reports were concentrated primarily north of Interstate 70, although some damage extended south to the southern section of Interstate 435 in Johnson County, Kansas.
Most reported damage involved fallen or damaged trees, electrical lines and utility poles. Portions of the affected area also received up to 3 inches of rain during the storms.
The severe weather developed through several successive storm lines rather than a single isolated event, resulting in repeated warnings across counties in Kansas and Missouri.
At 6:52 p.m. Tuesday, a severe thunderstorm warning remained in effect until 7:30 p.m. for Johnson, Wyandotte and southern Leavenworth counties in Kansas, along with southeastern Platte County in Missouri.
At 6:50 p.m., the associated storm line was moving southeast at approximately 30 mph, extending from Leavenworth toward an area southwest of Linwood.
The National Weather Service issued another severe thunderstorm warning at 7:14 p.m., identifying the potential for destructive winds. That warning covered Wyandotte County, northeastern Johnson County and eastern Leavenworth County in Kansas, as well as portions of Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri. It was scheduled to remain in effect until 7:45 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m., forecasters issued a tornado warning for central Clay County, including Liberty, Gladstone and surrounding communities. The warning remained in effect until 8 p.m. and was based on radar-indicated rotation rather than a confirmed tornado.
Additional severe thunderstorm warnings followed as the storms continued moving across the region.
At 7:59 p.m., a warning covering Excelsior Springs, Kearney, Richmond, Lexington, Lawson and nearby communities was issued through 8:45 p.m.
Another round of strong storms reached the Kansas side of the metropolitan area by 8:35 p.m., prompting a warning for Johnson County, southern Leavenworth County and western Wyandotte County until 9:15 p.m.
The threat had not ended by 9:12 p.m., when another line of thunderstorms moved through the metro area. The National Weather Service issued a further severe thunderstorm warning until 10 p.m., covering Wyandotte, Jackson, southern Clay, southeastern Platte and northeastern Johnson counties.
Although the most intense severe weather was expected to diminish after Tuesday night’s storms, additional rainfall remained a concern through Wednesday and Thursday.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms were expected early Wednesday, with intermittent rain continuing in parts of Kansas throughout the day. A weather alert for heavy rain and flooding remained in effect through Thursday as another period of heavier precipitation approached.
Across south-central and southeastern Kansas, total rainfall was expected to vary considerably, ranging from approximately 1 inch to more than 3 inches.
Conditions in the Kansas City metropolitan area were forecast to be relatively dry for much of Wednesday, despite extensive cloud cover. Isolated showers and patches of drizzle remained possible, with daytime temperatures reaching only the mid-60s.
A further round of heavier rain was expected overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, potentially delivering an additional half-inch to 1 inch across the Kansas City area.
By the time the rain clears, some locations could have accumulated more than 2 inches of precipitation. The additional rainfall follows Tuesday’s storms, which already produced totals of up to 3 inches in portions of the region.
Showers are expected to end progressively from west to east Thursday morning, although cloudy conditions should persist for much of the remaining day.
Temperatures in the Kansas City area could reach approximately 72 degrees Thursday before a stronger surge of colder air moves into the region.
The approaching cold air mass will also bring stronger winds. Gusts could reach 40 mph in some parts of Kansas late Thursday and into the evening.
The shift will produce a noticeable decline in temperatures heading into the weekend.
Western and central Kansas may experience even colder conditions Friday night into Saturday morning, with temperatures approaching freezing in a few areas. Patchy frost is possible where overnight conditions become sufficiently cold.
Temperatures should begin recovering Sunday, with afternoon highs climbing into the upper 60s and lower 70s across Kansas. Dry conditions are forecast to continue into early next week, accompanied by another gradual increase in temperatures. Afternoon highs could reach the mid-70s as the state moves beyond the period of storms and colder weather.
For Kansas City and surrounding communities, the immediate concern remains the additional rainfall expected through Thursday, following Tuesday night’s extensive power outages and reports of damage to trees and electrical infrastructure.
