Preliminary damage assessments have been completed after significant tornadic activity in northeast Kansas on Tuesday night.
The National Weather Service confirmed a mile-wide, long-track beast that hit two cities before dissipating. The tornado touched down in southwest Douglas County, eventually grazing southeast Lawrence and plowing through Linwood before lifting near Bonner Springs. EF-4 damage was confirmed in Linwood, with estimated winds as high as 170 mph.
The damage path was listed at almost 32 miles, much longer than the average 2-mile track, according to the National Weather Service. Eighteen people were hurt.
A second tornado from the same parent thunderstorm started in Kearney County, Missouri, and traveled almost six miles before dissipating near Excelsior Springs, causing EF-2 damage in the process. The tornado was almost a quarter-mile wide at times.
The supercell thunderstorm responsible for those two tornadoes developed in Greenwood County and matured near Emporia, prompting an initial report of a tornado south of Osage City after law enforcement mentioned rotation and lofted debris near Kansas Highway 170 and 285th Road. A Weather Service survey team found damage, but was unable to determine its origin.
