Overnight thunderstorms have caused notable damage to Emporia’s power grid.
Westar Energy spokesperson Gina Penzig says at least 10 poles and an unlisted number of lines were downed by storm activity.
Classes have been canceled at Emporia High School and all Flint Hills Technical College campuses for Wednesday. Emporia High custodians are told to report as scheduled, but all other staff are told they do not need to report. At this time, there is no word on whether the school suffered any storm-related damage. All other Emporia schools will have classes as scheduled.
The Flint Hills Technical College main campus is currently without power, and College President Dean Hollenbeck says there has been damage to air handling units at the main campus and other currently unspecified damage. Hollenbeck is set to join KVOE’s 8:05 am newscast with an update.
Another 400 Lyon-Coffey customers are offline along and north of US Highway 50 and Interstate 35 from near Neosho Rapids west to Strong City.
Crews are restoring power as we speak. Penzig says crews will replace poles and repairing main transmission lines as needed before repairing residential lines.
Lightning also caused a fire that destroyed a camper in Cottonwood Falls overnight. Chase County Sheriff Rich Dorneker says authorities were dispatched to 615 Main around 1:30 am. The camper was parked near the house, and the fire left parts of three sides standing before it was put out. Nobody was inside.
6-7 am: No classes at Emporia High or any FHTC campus buildings
Thunderstorms brought a lot of lightning to Emporia and nearby areas overnight. A lot of power outages have followed.
Nearly 200 Westar customers are offline in Emporia, and Emporia High School is not having classes as a result of an outage nearby. Custodians are told to report as scheduled, but all other staff are told they do not need to report. At this time, there is no word on whether the school suffered any storm-related damage. All other Emporia schools will have classes as scheduled.
The Flint Hills Technical College main campus is currently without power, but classes at all college campuses have been canceled for the day. College President Dean Hollenbeck says there has been damage to air handling units at the main campus and other currently unspecified damage.
Another 400 Lyon-Coffey customers are offline along and north of US Highway 50 and Interstate 35 from near Neosho Rapids west to Strong City.
Crews are restoring power as we speak.
3-6 am Wednesday: Area weather goes from steamy to stormy; hundreds of residents lose power overnight
Heavy rainfall was isolated overnight — but most of the activity happened either in or near Emporia.
Thunderstorms have dumped over 1.5 inches of rain at the KVOE studios since midnight. Other totals:
*Emporia Municipal Airport: 0.16 inches
*West Emporia (Antler Ridge): 2.7 inches
*Allen: 0.10 inches
*Americus: 0.50 inches
Storms have also caused hundreds of power outages in the area. Nearly 200 Westar customers are offline in Emporia, with the bulk of the outages from the 24th and Industrial area southwest to the area where Interstate 35, US Highway 50 and the Kansas Turnpike connect. Another 400 Lyon-Coffey customers are offline along and north of US Highway 50 and Interstate 35 from near Neosho Rapids west to Strong City.
The rain follows the steamiest day in Emporia this year. Air temperatures climbed to 96, but the heat index jumped to 111, thanks to afternoon dewpoints in the upper 70s. Monday’s heat index was 110.
Showers and storms may redevelop by late afternoon, but there is a better chance of storms from midnight to sunrise Thursday with a marginal risk of severe hail and wind. Showers and storms are at least possible through the middle of next week, based on the current forecast.
We’ll keep you updated on KVOE and KVOE.com. If you have rain totals, call KVOE at 342-1400, email kvoe@kvoe.com or post to Facebook@kvoenews.
