MCPHERSON, Kansas (KWCH) – Isolated storms that moved through parts of Kansas Wednesday evening impacted parts of McPherson County – including the city of McPherson – and surrounding counties in central Kansas, as well as further south in the Wichita area. Wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph uprooted trees and tore down tree limbs and power lines.
Numerous power outages were reported in McPherson and the surrounding area. Midwest Energy reported extensive damage in the Great Bend District, including 30 downed power poles in the Geneseo area. Geneseo, in Rice County, is a small town about 37 miles northwest of McPherson.
Severe storms also moved east into the Wichita area late Wednesday night, including reports of wind gusts of about 70 mph in Cheney and Goddard. As the storms hit south-central Kansas, there were reports of debris and downed trees “all over town” in Kingman, about 45 miles west of Wichita.
In the city of McPherson, police reported that city employees and the city’s public utility board were working to restore power by clearing power poles and lines, removing debris and responding to service calls.
“Please use caution when driving or walking tonight as there may still be debris in trees and power lines that could be knocked down by the wind,” McPherson police warned.
The McPherson Board of Public Utilities reported about 600 outages by just before 9 p.m.
“Customers living within the city limits to the south should expect power to be restored (Wednesday night),” the executive said. “Rural customers living southwest of the city limits should expect a longer power outage. Some should expect an outage of 12 to 24 hours. At BPU, the line that serves that part of the system is down for about two miles.”
The council advises anyone in McPherson who experiences a power outage to report the outage by calling the 24-hour hotline at 620-504-7300.
Photos submitted by viewers showed the extent of some of the damage in McPherson. Shortly after the storm passed through McPherson, Challas Wysocki shared photos of a large uprooted tree that had crushed the roof of a minivan parked in the Mustang Mobile Home Park.
Looking ahead, Storm Team 12 said, “Aside from the occasional shower or storm, it looks dry across most of the state Thursday afternoon.”
On Thursday, 12 News also plans to cover the storm that hit McPherson, with coverage continuing throughout the day.
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