1 person dead, 3 injured after tornado sweeps through Westmoreland, Kansas, reports say
At least one person has died, three people have been injured and multiple structures have been damaged after a tornado swept through the small city of Westmoreland, Kansas, according to reports.
The person who died was confirmed by a Pottawatomie County spokesperson, CBS News reported, and the person's name was being withheld pending family notification. Three others were injured, but none of the injures were critical, the outlet also reported.
Westmoreland is about 55 miles northwest of Topeka, Kansas' capital city.
Pottawatomie County offices in Westmoreland will be closed to the public on Wednesday after the tornado, which struck the northeast Kansas town on Tuesday afternoon. The county building did not sustain damage, officials said in a social media post, but power in the city has not yet been restored and there will be a "significant amount of damage cleanup taking place in Westmoreland."
USA TODAY has contacted Pottawatomie County for more information.
See photos of damage: Multiple tornadoes, severe weather hit Midwest
Where did the tornado hit in Kansas?
The tornado struck Westmoreland at approximately 4:40 p.m. CT, according to Pottawatomie County officials, who said first responders have arrived in the town to conduct grid searches to catalog damage and search for people who may have been injured.
The National Weather Service in Topeka, Kansas issued a tornado warning for an area including Westmoreland on Tuesday, as well as warning of severe storms in the region that could bring heavy rainfall, wind gusts up to 60-70 mph, hail up to two inches or greater in diameter and a tornado or two.
Crews will be out Wednesday conducting storm surveys and assessing storm damage in areas including Pottawatomie County, the National Weather Service said.
Social media posts show damage from tornado in Westmoreland, Kansas
Westmoreland, Kansas, Tuesday afternoon. Tornado captured by @KSNNews Storm Tracker Jacob Honeycutt. #kswx @KSNStormTrack3 https://t.co/gch97nteSi pic.twitter.com/oyaM7NlXce
— Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman (@LisaTeachman) April 30, 2024
Powerful destructive #tornado intercepted in Westmoreland, Kansas search and rescue with extreme damage pic.twitter.com/WRpMoLuMSM
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) April 30, 2024
Storm chaser @aaronjayjack captured this incredible video of a powerful tornado as debris swirled near Westmoreland, Kansas, this evening. #KSwx pic.twitter.com/d9qu7WwgYe
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) May 1, 2024
Tornado that struck Westmoreland, Kansas ripped a manhole cover out of the road! Now that requires some serious ground-level wind or pressure blow out @EdgarONealWX pic.twitter.com/jYhb865zJ5
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) May 1, 2024
Westmoreland Kansas #kswx pic.twitter.com/tM4eiIcJn8
— Sarah Nicole (@MrsSpeedway24) April 30, 2024
Another shot of the Westmoreland, Kansas Tornado😳🌪️
The NWS will survey the area in the coming days. #KSwx pic.twitter.com/RQTTMr9ghr— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) May 1, 2024
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 1 dead, 3 injured after tornado hits Westmoreland, Kansas: Reports
