As more severe weather threatens KC metro, schools reopen, power restoration underway

Ilana Arougheti
·2 min read

As Kansas and Missouri residents prepared for another round of severe weather Tuesday, with another tornado watch issued for Tuesday evening, schools impacted by storm damage and power outages after Sunday’s storms have largely reopened.

Several schools in Johnson County canceled classes Monday, including Mill Valley High School in Shawnee.

One of Sunday’s tornadoes ripped a path through the grounds of Mill Valley, damaging a gas line on the roof. Most of the tornado damage was on the athletic fields, where fences were flattened, bleachers were upended and the scoreboard was destroyed.

The high school was closed Monday while the gas line was inspected, according to the district.

The annual Kansas v. Missouri All-Star Game, a hotly anticipated high school football competition, was moved from Mill Valley to DeSoto High School due to storm damage.

The school reopened Tuesday on a full-day schedule and began administering final exams. The school plans to stay open Wednesday as well, with a half-day for the last day of classes Thursday.

The roof of Clear Creek Elementary School in Shawnee was also damaged by the storm, though the school did not close.

Class was canceled Monday at Prairie Trail Middle School as the building remained without power, the Star previously reported. Meadow Lane Elementary School also canceled class due to downed power lines on school property.

Both Olathe schools reopened Tuesday.

North Kansas City public schools also opened as scheduled Tuesday after some classes were taught without power Monday, KCTV reported.

The district worked with Evergy to restore power into Tuesday morning as classes resumed. Some Evergy customers in Johnson County and the Kansas City Northland were still without power Tuesday night.

As of Tuesday evening, Evergy reported that 95% of power cut during weekend storms has been restored. Nearly 100,000 people were affected in total, according to the power company.

Evergy posted a notice Tuesday saying some communities could be without power until Wednesday night, including:

  • Hutchinson

  • Newton

  • Prairie Village

  • Shawnee

  • Overland Park

  • Parkville

  • Weatherby Lake

  • Gladstone

  • Riverside

Evergy crews are still clearing trees and debris across the Kansas City metro.

Another round of storms started blowing through the region Tuesday afternoon, and tornado sirens sounded in Cass County shortly before 5 p.m. A tornado watch will remain in effect in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas until 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Previous reporting by Noelle Alviz-Gransee was used in this article.