UPDATE: Severe weather risk decreases; following significant activity Thursday evening

After rain, hail and wind pelted much of the KVOE listening area Thursday night into early Friday, repeat performances are possible Friday and Saturday nights.

An enhanced severe weather risk was issued for the KVOE listening area and other parts of eastern and east-central Kansas earlier today. The National Weather Service has since lowered the chances to a slight risk areawide. TV-13 meteorologist Jeremy Goodwin says the most likely chance of severe weather will come through the late evening and early morning hours.

For Saturday, there is now a slight risk of severe weather for evening activity. Again, all severe weather hazards are possible.

We’ll keep you updated on KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media.

9:30 am Monday: Enhanced severe weather risk for Friday evening follows significant activity Thursday night

For Saturday, there is now a slight risk of severe weather for evening activity. Again, all severe weather hazards are possible.

Thursday’s event started with a confirmed tornado touchdown near Alta Vista and continued with apparent straight-line winds blowing down a semi on the Kansas Turnpike near the Admire-Council Grove exit. Other reports:

*KVOE studios: 0.05 inches of rain
*East Emporia: 0.20 inches
*Allen: Quarter-sized hail, 0.80 inches of rain
*Americus: Ping pong ball-sized hail
*Between Hartford and Olpe: 0.35 inches of rain
*Council Grove: 70 mph wind. Marina store blown into the covered docks at the federal reservoir
*Lebo: Half dollar-sized hail
*Neosho Rapids: 0.85 inches of rain
*Osage City: 60 mph wind, half dollar-sized hail
*Reading: 1.2 inches of rain

Better than 1,200 electric customers lost their service during the storm activity, with over 700 Westar customers going offline in Allen, Americus and Bushong. Those outages have been restored. Another 500 Lyon-Coffey customers lost power from Emporia north to Allen and Admire. Over 200 are still without power in those areas as well as northeast of the Turnpike’s Admire-Council Grove exit. Over 30 customers are also offline east of US Highway 75 in Coffey County.

Utility issues led to a hay bale fire near Reading early Friday. Deputy Justin Carr says wires fell on several bales in the 1500 block of Kansas Highway 170, destroying as many as four bales. Firefighters from Allen-Admire and Miller-Reading departments kept the fire limited to those bales.

We’ll keep you updated on KVOE and KVOE.com. Join KVOE’s social media networks on Twitter@kvoeam1400 and Facebook@kvoenews for instant weather alerts if you haven’t already taken that step.