Winds up to 70 mph reported in Kansas City area; more than 30,000 lose power

Bill Lukitsch
·1 min read

The National Weather Service warned Kansas City area residents of dangerous winds as high as 70 mph as severe thunderstorms rolled through the metro area.

One narrow swath of 60 to 70 mph winds was reported moving southeast across southern Kansas City, Kansas and into Westwood, Shawnee Mission. It was headed toward the Missouri state line, threatening to affect Westport, Country Club Plaza and southern parts of Kansas City, Missouri.

“Get in side immediately and stay away from windows!” the weather service tweeted.

By 3:57 p.m., utility provider Evergy was reporting power outages around the area affecting approximately 31,692 of its customers.

Earlier Friday, the weather service warned of a cluster of severe thunderstorm warnings coming through the Kansas City area Friday afternoon, including areas in Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Johnson counties in Kansas and Clay, Platte, Jackson and Clinton counties in Missouri.

There was the possibility of hail damage to vehicles as well as considerable tree damage from wind. The winds could also damage mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings.

Areas in the path of the storms included Smithville, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, Kearney, Lake Quivira, Holt, Merriam, Mission, Countryside, Prairie Village, Excelsior Springs and Lawson.