What severe weather and tornado warnings are affecting Kansas this week?

PDS Tornado Warning in Southeastern Kansas

A particularly dangerous situation tornado warning was issued for Montgomery County in southeastern Kansas, covering towns including Sycamore and Cherryvale. The National Weather Service warned that those in the affected area are in a life-threatening situation, with flying debris potentially deadly to those without shelter, mobile homes likely to be destroyed, and considerable to complete damage possible to homes, businesses, and vehicles.

Confirmed Tornado Activity

A large and dangerous tornado was confirmed in Sycamore, Kansas, a town with a population of about 70 people. Damage has been reported in Sycamore, with fire and EMS responding to the area. The tornado continued tracking east across southern Kansas toward Missouri, with potential to generate additional tornadoes given its history of tornado production.

Severe Weather Reports and Threats

As of 8:52 p.m. EDT, 41 hail reports, 16 damaging wind reports, and two tornado reports had been recorded across the Plains. The largest hail reported was 3 inches in diameter in Iowa City, Texas. A 2-inch hailstone was reported in Madison, Kansas. A tornado watch was also issued for southern Missouri through 2 a.m. local time, with threats including possible tornadoes, tennis-ball-sized hail, and wind gusts to 70 mph.

Ongoing Threat Through the Week

The headline timeline indicates a First Alert Weather Day with two-round severe storm threat possible from noon into the following morning. The severe storm threat was expected to continue through overnight hours, with the main line of storms moving through southern Kansas into Iowa and Missouri, with additional storms filling in behind the initial line.