The National Weather Service says a “serial microburst” was responsible for the widespread damage in Lyon and Chase counties early Friday.
The Weather Service says a cluster of storms generated confirmed winds as high as 93 mph, but the damage indicates winds could have reached as high as 110 mph — the equivalent of EF2 tornado or high-end Category 2 hurricane strength. The debris pattern, which is anywhere from five to 10 miles wide in parts of Lyon and Chase counties, is part of the reason why the Weather Service is listing the damage as caused by straight-line winds as opposed to a tornado. There are no sightings or radar indications of tornadic activity.
At Lake Kahola, Director of Operations Jason Passmore reported boats, docks, cabins and hundreds of trees were destroyed. He also tells KVOE News some of the damage patterns didn’t make sense.
The Emporia Municipal Airport and the Emporia Golf Course both had damage. At the airport, manager Ken Adams says power wires, several trees and the wind sock pole were either heavily damaged or destroyed. There was some hangar damage as well, but the airport stayed open all day with no schedule interruptions.
At the Emporia Golf Course, manager Marcus Erkel says there was a lot of tree damage.
Erkel says crews and volunteers got the course to a point where patrons can play the front nine holes Saturday. Patrons can play all 18 holes Sunday.
In Emporia, the roof of Emporia State’s Visser Hall was partially torn off and an untold number of trees and power poles were downed in the city limits. West 12th between Garfield and Grand was closed from early Friday morning until afternoon Saturday after an uprooted tree fell on a power line, bringing down a streetlight in the process.
Elsewhere in the KVOE listening area, Council Grove Lake had its marina store damaged for the second time this summer, while Olpe had severe damage to a grain silo just outside town and a concession stand was blown into a softball field backstop as part of the activity. Near Strong City, a pole building was destroyed when it was pulled out of the ground and lifted into a nearby pasture. A semi was also blown off the Kansas Turnpike nine miles southwest of Emporia, injuring both the driver and a passenger.
Numerous Lyon County roads and intersections remain closed due to storm activity. Here is the latest list from the Lyon County Highway Department, with reasons for closure posted if announced:
*Road H south of 210: Trees blocking the road
*Road J from 190 to 215
*Road S between 20 and 30: Trees blocking road
*Road 90 about 0.25 miles east of H: Power line
*Road 107 about 0.2 miles east of L: Power pole leaning with lines attached
*Road 140 about 100 yards west of Kansas Highway 99: Tree across power lines
*Road 170 between F and G
*Road 200 east of Kansas Highway 99: Water over road
*Road 210 about 0.7 miles west of Kansas Highway 99: Power line broken in half
*Road 215 from F-5 to J-7: Power line hanging near J
*Road 240 between D and E-5: Water over road
*Road 250 between D and E: Water over road
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. Join KVOE’s social media accounts on Twitter@kvoeam1400 and Facebook@kvoenews for instant weather and travel information.
Photos by Chase County Sheriff Rich Dorneker
{gallery}Storm Damage Rich Dorneker 083019{/gallery}
Photos by Gwen Longbine
{gallery}Storm Damage Gwen Longbine 083019{/gallery}
