WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The National Weather Service provided ratings for several of the reported 16 tornadoes that swept through several counties in western and central Kansas on Sunday. On a night in which destruction in the towns of Grinnell and Plevna captured the most attention, the NWS confirmed several additional tornadoes in portions of Scott, Logan, Kiowa, Pratt, Stafford, and Reno counties. The unusually active stretch of strong, tornado-producing storms in Kansas began with a twister reported in the northwest corner of the state, in Cheyenne County. Several hours later, one of the night’s most destructive tornadoes tore through Plevna in Reno County a little after midnight, early Monday morning.

The good news from the night full of dangerous storms was that there were no deaths nor reports of serious injuries.

Among the 16 tornadoes, Storm Team 12 reported seven rated EF3, meaning they had peak wind gusts of 136 to 165 mph on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Five of the seven EF3 tornadoes, the strongest of the night, were reported in Kiowa County and the two that devastated Grinnell (Gove County) and Plevna (Reno County). Other EF3s included a tornado in Pratt County, impacting an area from about Cullison to near Iuka, and a storm that spun up in Pratt and carried into Stafford County.

“I can’t recall a time when we had so many strong tornadoes in one day,” Storm Team 12 Chief Meteorologist Ross Janssen summarized.

A Kiowa County tornado that narrowly missed Greensburg knocked over about 100 cars on a train stopped outside of Haviland. Another Kiowa County tornado, southeast of Mullinville, caused widespread destruction to a nearby farmstead. The third EF3 tornado in Kiowa County dropped near Haviland.

There were no reports of significant damage from the widely photographed twister in Scott County, near Scott State Park. This tornado, rated EF2, ended in southern Logan County. The NWS reported that it was on the ground for about 30 minutes and reached a maximum width of 300 yards. Another Scott County EF2 tornado, reported near the unincorporated community of Modac, stretched about half as wide as the prior twister near Scott State Park.

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The Kansas City Chiefs will play a unique schedule again in 2025, with games on Thanksgiving and Christmas. NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms expressed his concerns that the Chiefs’ preparation week was different, affecting them during the season.

“It’s crazy how intense the Chiefs’ schedule is. 7 night games. Thanksgiving. Christmas,” Simms posted on X. “The lack of routine really jumps out. They don’t play in same day/timeslot in consecutive weeks until mid December. And Reid & Mahomes and the whole crew embrace it and never use as an excuse.”

The Chiefs played on Black Friday and Christmas last season while enduring three games in eleven days. The team hasn’t complained in the past, as this year’s schedule will also feature the Week 1 game in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Simms is a former third-round draft pick who played seven seasons in the NFL. Kansas City will play seven prime-time games in 2025, the most of any team in the league.

The expectations for Kansas next season are all over the board. On3 has the Jayhawks at 13 in its Way-Too-Early Top-25.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello slots Kansas at 21st. Meanwhile, coach Bill Self’s club slides into 32nd in the country in CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein’s top-45. 

While the Jayhawks turn over nearly their entire roster, other than returning big man Flory Bidunga, Self and Co. have put together quite a respectable haul this offseason, headlined by the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025: combo guard Darryn Peterson. 

Joining Peterson from the high school ranks are wings Samis Calderon (four-star) and Corbin Allen (three-star). The Jayhawks also put in work in the transfer portal, coming out with a three-player haul consisting of Tre White, Jayden Dawson, and Melvin Council Jr. – all three of whom were top-125 transfer portal recruits according to 247 Sports. 

Nonetheless, not everyone is sold on Kansas, including Rothstein, who went as far as to say, at this moment, “Kansas would not be a top five team in the Big 12.”

But Rothstein made it abundantly clear what the Jayhawks need to do to return to their usual, dominant form:

“Kansas is two legitimate players away from being vintage Kansas,” said Rothstein.

And who may those players be?

Well, Rothstein tossed out a few options. He mentioned top transfer target Darrion Williams – who remains in the NBA Draft for the time being – and Rothstein touched on the international prospects the Jayhawks have been linked to. 

The Jayhawks certainly have work to do, but with Self and his staff’s track record, one can expect Kansas to put the finishing touches on its Class of 2025 – whether through the portal or overseas – in spectacular fashion.