Two hurt as EF-1 tornado stays on ground 20 minutes after touching down south of Topeka

Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal
Updated ·2 min read
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Two people were hurt in a tornado that did considerable damage Tuesday after touching down at 6:07 a.m., four miles west/southwest of Overbrook in northeast Osage County, the National Weather Service said.

The tornado stayed on the ground for 9.8 miles going north/northeast, then lifted back up into the sky at 6:27 a.m. near the unincorporated community of Richland in far southeastern Shawnee County, it said.

The victims were hurt when the tornado flipped the recreational vehicle they were in, the weather service's Topeka office said on its website.

Damage estimates, names of the victims and details about their injuries weren't available.

The twister measured at EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale used to measure tornado intensity, the weather service said.

The tornado was 75 yards wide and generated peak winds of 100 mph, it said.

Storm systems moving across Shawnee County on Monday night and Tuesday morning brought downpours, power outages, high winds and one confirmed tornado.
Storm systems moving across Shawnee County on Monday night and Tuesday morning brought downpours, power outages, high winds and one confirmed tornado.

Cars, roofs and trees suffered damage

A storm spotter saw the twister on the ground at Richland as he called in a report at 6:27 a.m. to the weather service office, said Brandon Drake, a meteorologist for its office in Topeka.

Damage "consistent with a weak tornado" was subsequently located in the area of S.E. 105th and DuPont Road, said Dusty Nichols, director of Shawnee County Emergency Management.

Car damage, minor roof damage and uprooted trees were located in a roughly quarter-mile area there, Nichols said.

Areas under severe thunderstorm warnings were shown in brown in this graphic posted Tuesday morning on the website of the National Weather Service's Topeka office.
Areas under severe thunderstorm warnings were shown in brown in this graphic posted Tuesday morning on the website of the National Weather Service's Topeka office.

The tornado accompanied severe thunderstorms that swept through northeast Kansas.

Drake had cautioned during a media webinar Monday that storms late Monday and early Tuesday might involve "a tornado or two."

The "night-time aspect of tornado potential" was the primary reason the webinar was held, Drake said in an email.

"We don't see this all that often at least in this area," he wrote.

Shawnee County's first twister this year came March 13, when a tornado measuring at EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale touched down near Rossville.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Two injured by EF-1 tornado that touched down south of Topeka