A unique weather situation unfolded for residents of Emporia and southern Lyon County on Sunday.
The spotting of a funnel near Plymouth by a Lyon County deputy prompted the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center to sound sirens for Emporia. However, the National Weather Service did not issue a warning for potential tornadic activity. Emergency Communications Director Roxanne Van Gundy says there are only three situations when dispatchers sound the sirens. Direct information from the National Weather Service is one. Visual confirmation from TV is another.
Despite no official warning issued by the Weather Service in this case, Van Gundy said residents need to respond to the sirens as if the tornado threat was imminent.
If at a large-scale event, like the Flint Hills Technical College spring commencement that was about to start when the sirens sounded, people need to follow directions as given and proceed to safety. The college had to delay its activities at White Auditorium briefly while the sirens were sounding.
3:30 pm Sunday: All-clear announced after funnel cloud sighted near Plymouth
Reports of funnel clouds in southern Lyon County prompted the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center to sound tornado warning sirens for about 20 minutes starting at 2:45 pm.
The Emergency Communications Center sounded the sirens after a funnel cloud was reported near Plymouth. No touchdown was confirmed and the southern half of the county has been given the all-clear.
The National Weather Service did not issue an official tornado warning for the county. The NWS says this was a unique situation with a marginal setup for tornado development of any sort.
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