Severe thunderstorms moving across Kansas City and Missouri, weather service says
The National Weather Service is warning residents about severe thunderstorms with high winds in the Kansas City area on Wednesday evening.
The thunderstorm warning is currently in place until 6:45 p.m. Wind speeds may reach up to 70 mph and hail the size of limes is possible, the weather agency said in a tweet.
Affected areas could include Kansas City, Overland Park and Olathe.
The warning comes as the Kansas City area is seeing howling winds with damaging gusts. Western Kansas has seen schools and roads closed as strong winds have created a “wall of dust.” In Independence, several power lines were reported to be down and a tree also struck an unoccupied home in Overland Park.
Earlier Wednesday, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issued a tornado watch for parts of the Midwest, including areas north of the Kansas City metro.
The watch is in effect until 8 p.m. and includes portions of northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri stretches north into western and central Iowa, eastern Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota and south-central Minnesota.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.
