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Strong storms erupted through the eastern half of Kansas and Nebraska on Friday, triggering tornadoes, devastating gusts of wind and massive hail in both states.
A large tornado developed just before sunset in the eastern suburbs of Wichita, before entering the city of Andover, where it caused significant damage. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but many homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) has declared a state of emergency after the storm.
Footage on twister’s social media shows a fast-moving, violent storm shattering in Andover like a buzzing saw. Among the severely damaged structures is the YMCA, where cars are thrown into a building that is partially collapsing.
“Andover’s YMCA suffered significant damage as a result of the storm that hit the Andover area tonight,” the YMCA wrote in Wichita on its Facebook page. “We are grateful that all the staff and members who took refuge in the branch during the storm were not injured.
The Wichita Eagle reported that a dozen homes had been destroyed in a nearby unit.
The Andover tornado was among 14 reports of curves in the plains received by the National Weather Service on Friday night, 11 from Kansas and three from Nebraska.
How the Andover tornado developed
As the cold front approached, a spinning thunderstorm or supercell formed over Wichita. The isolated cell evolved from a bubbling sub-heavy storm to a tornado in about 30 minutes.
As it passed through Andover, about 10 miles to the east, the tornado dropped debris to an altitude of 21,000 feet. Early analysis suggested that the Andover tornado could rate at least EF3 on a scale of 0 to 5 for tornado intensity.
Additional storms swept through the area as the cold front moved in, complicating initial response efforts.
The first tornado warning was issued during the Andover storm at 8:10 p.m. At 8:13 p.m., a confirmed tornado was tracked near the city. Continue northeast to El Dorado, where a tornado was reported southwest of the city at 8:51 p.m.
The same storm continued to produce additional tornadoes east of El Dorado, where a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” raised the warning of a particularly dangerous situation. At 9:32 p.m., the large tornado was 15 miles west of Eureka and was caught by a line of storms to the west, which ultimately reduced the threat of a tornado.
The storm tore Andover apart about 31 years after an even more devastating tornado. On April 26, 1991, Twister F5, the highest possible rating, exploded in parts of the city, killing 17 and wounding 225. It was part of an epidemic that threw 55 tornadoes into the plains. One of the most watched tornado videos of the time came from McConnell Air Force Base as it passed.
Additional storms that formed earlier in the day in the north, especially near the Kansas-Nebraska border, also caused several tornadoes. For the most part, they seem to have been fast and weak, causing little impact.
Several reports of wind gusts of up to 80 to 90 miles per hour were reported by the meteorological service. A report of 4 inches of hail came from northeast Kansas with the first round of storms.
The potential for heavy hail in southern Oklahoma was thwarted by a layer of warm air on top called a hat. The cap tends to prevent storms, but when it breaks, storms can explode and quickly become violent; such was the case in Andover.
Jason Samenou contributed to this report.
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