Spending a milestone holiday cleaning up after severe weather isn’t exactly what Hartford residents had in mind when they woke up July 4, but that’s the task they faced after a damaging windstorm blew through the community.
Mayor Kenny Hamman:
Severe thunderstorms rolled across town Saturday morning, Hamman was in Emporia when the storm hit, and he went back to town as soon as he started getting reports of damage. When he got back, work was already underway.
Damage was sporadic but significant. City Hall had part of its roof pulled up and a few windows broken out. Inspection is also needed to determine the scope of rain damage with storms that moved across the town later in the day. Regardless, Hamman says the City Hall damage shouldn’t affect local government operations.
Elsewhere, tree limbs of all sizes were downed and a handful of trees were uprooted, again on an isolated to widely scattered basis.
Hamman expects the city’s insurance company to be in town Monday for damage assessment specifically at City Hall.
Meanwhile, residents are being directed to take their tree debris to the burn area just south of Hartford. Hamman says plans are being discussed to offer help in case residents can’t get their trees and limbs to the burn area, including the possibility of a secondary drop-off location for additional transport by the city.
Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including a YouTube Short video tour of the downtown area.
7 pm Saturday: Slight severe weather risk ends as Hartford begins cleanup from morning windstorm
Cleanup is fully underway in Hartford after a severe thunderstorm Saturday morning.
A bow echo complex rolled across south Lyon County, causing scattered damage across the town. Mayor Kenny Hamman tells KVOE News the worst damage was at City Hall, where storm winds partially rolled up the roof. Other damage included broken windows, downed trees and downed limbs.
Hamman says residents began attacking the damage soon after the storm left the area, and there has been progress with the cleanup.
In addition to the wind damage in Hartford, scattered power outages happened areawide and there was other tree limb damage in Emporia, Cottonwood Falls and near Olpe.
Rain totals were impressive, especially in areas that got three rounds of rain — mainly north of US Highway 50 and Interstate 35 — during the morning hours.
*KVOE studios: 1.60 inches
*Emporia Municipal Airport: 0.66 inches
*Country Club Heights: 1.55 inches
*1100 block Constitution: 1.95 inches
*18th and Briarcliff: 2.37 inches
*5 miles northeast of Emporia: 3 inches
*Allen: 3.40 inches
*Diamond Creek/Elmdale: 4.60 inches
*Eureka Milliken Airport: 1.14 inches
*Neosho Rapids: 1.10 inches
*Osage City: 1.40 inches
*Reading: 5.25 inches
*3 miles east of Strong City: 2.75 inches
*Thorndale: 2 inches
Storms may affect parts of the KVOE listening area into late evening, but the severe weather risk has ended.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. If you haven’t connected to KVOE’s social media platforms, find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, all @kvoenews, as well as X@kvoeam1400. Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including YouTube Short outlooks and reports.
To report storm damage or rain totals, message the KVOE Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply text line at 620-342-5863.
Noon Saturday: After isolated severe weather Saturday morning, more strong storms possible by late afternoon
Isolated severe weather developed across parts of the KVOE listening area Saturday morning.
Storms brought marginally severe wind to places like Cottonwood Falls and parts of Lyon County southwest of Olpe, downing small tree limbs in both areas. The damage was much more significant in Hartford, where part of the City Hall roof was removed, at least one tent was overblown and at least one full tree was downed along with significant limb damage to other trees.
Small-scale power outages were also noted in places like Emporia, Allen, Council Grove, Neosho Rapids and Waverly for Evergy customers. 4 Rivers had limited outages in Lyon and Coffey counties, while Flint Hills Rural had close to 150 customers offline in Chase and Morris counties.
The stronger storms followed two line segments of less severe activity that largely stayed north of Emporia, causing a wide spread in rain totals areawide.
Rain and damage reports
*KVOE studios: 1.6 inches of rain
*Emporia Municipal Airport: 0.71 inches
*9th and Burns: 0.50-inch hail
*Allen: 3.4 inches of rain
*Cottonwood Falls: Estimated 60 mph wind and “a lot of branches down”
*Eureka Milliken Airport: 1.14 inches of rain
*3 miles south-southwest of Olpe: Estimated 60 mph wind with small tree branches downed
An urban and small stream flood advisory remains in effect for Lyon County, including Emporia, Americus, Neosho Rapids, Reading, Allen, Admire and Bushong, until 1 pm.
The Storm Prediction Center still has most of the KVOE listening area in a slight severe weather risk for the late afternoon and evening hours Saturday. Areas along and south of US Highway 54 in Greenwood County are in an enhanced risk for severe activity. All hazards are possible, but the biggest concerns are wind gusts up to 60 mph and 1-inch hail.
6 am Saturday: Heat to break after potentially severe storms Saturday
A week’s worth of heat alerts is ending with thunderstorm chances, including a new timetable for potential severe weather, this weekend.
High temperatures will still climb to the low 90s and heat index readings will push to around 100 degrees areawide Saturday. The heat alert picture is different from the announcements Friday:
*Heat advisories continue until 8 pm for Lyon and Wabaunsee counties
*Coffey and Osage counties have shifted from heat warnings to heat advisories, also expiring at 8 pm
*Greenwood County is now in a heat advisory from 12-8 pm
Storms could cross the area as soon as mid-morning, and the timing for potential severe weather has been adjusted from earlier forecasts. Initially, the thought had the severe weather potential for the overnight hours early Sunday. Now that has been pushed up to the late afternoon into late evening hour Saturday, overlapping Emporia’s annual fireworks show and other July 4 activities areawide. Wind gusts up to 60 mph and 1-inch hail are the main concerns.
More storms are possible but unlikely late Sunday afternoon. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with lower relative humidity levels, meaning a break from the heat which could last until Wednesday when air temperatures return to the low 90s and heat index readings approach 100 again.
With the risk for severe weather and numerous holiday activities planned Saturday, be sure to stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates as needed. If you haven’t connected to KVOE’s social media platforms, find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, all @kvoenews, as well as X@kvoeam1400.
Photos from Lyon County Fire District 5 Hartford/Neosho Rapids
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
