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View additional storm photos
in the Community Gallery
Jeremy Gaston | jeremy@och-c.com
A line of severe storms swept through central Kansas early Monday
afternoon, threatening Osage County just before 2 p.m. The looming
storm prompted a severe weather warning for the county, though the
worst of the storms had dissipated by the time they reached the
area.
The storms brought wind and rain to the northern half of the county,
but spared areas around Osage City and north from the predicted
damaging winds and large hail.
The southern half of the county saw the more intense part of the
storm, where high winds damaged outbuildings, uprooted trees and
downed power lines. Associated heavy downpours produced whiteout
conditions, which nearly led one vehicle into a creek near the intersection
of Auburn Road and 269th Street, three miles south of Osage City.
“We live in a trailer in Osage City and were seeking shelter
from the storm,” said Martin Padgett, driver of the vehicle.
“We heard trees snapping all around us and we couldn’t
see where we were going.”
Padgett’s Nissan Pathfinder nearly entered the creek bed 10
feet below, as it precariously perched along the edge of the road.
“Every time I moved my foot on the brake, it slipped further,”
he said.
Emergency responders from Osage City and Lyndon fire stations responded
to the scene, pulling Padgett’s vehicle out of harm’s
way. Padgett and his passenger, Karen Grubb, exchanged a hug after
the incident.
Padgett and Grubb’s attempts to flee the storm took them directly
into one of the hardest hit areas in the county. One-half mile north
of the water rescue scene, the rural hilltop home of George Lieber
at 26500 S. Auburn Road experienced some of the worst wind damage
in the area, where an outbuilding and extensive tree damage indicated
wind speeds of 80 mph or greater.
Winds blew the doors off a large Quonset hut and uprooted nearly
every tree on the lot. A 120-year-old pear tree that stood next
to the two-story house was completely destroyed.
Points of damage were dotted through the county, including the home
of Loren and Clara Bryan at 26468 S. Hoch Road, which saw extensive
tree damage. The Bryans were eating in Osage City when they saw
the storm warnings. They reached their home just before 70 mph winds
knocked down many of the trees around their home.
Damage was also reported to trees at the Speece farm at 9017 W.
285th Street, and a shed had been blown onto a tractor at the Bergquist
farm at 28760 S. Docking Road.
Power outages were observed for about 90 minutes in Lyndon, and
also in Melvern. Osage County residents were included in the 370
Lyon-Coffey Electric rural customers reported to be without power.
Further south, door and window damage was seen at BETO Junction.
Tree, power lines, outbuilding and minor roof damage was reported
in Lebo, Waverly and New Strawn.
Wind speeds reached 100 mph near the center of the state, overturning
a semi-trailer on I-70 near Lincoln and causing 22 boating accidents
in Sedgwick County. Westar reported more than 12,000 customers were
without power Monday, with around 4,800 still in the dark on Tuesday
morning.
The National Weather Service in Topeka forecasts warm, clear weather
for the remainder of the week, with the possibility of storms early
next week. |
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