HALSTEAD, Kan. (KWCH) – Powerful winds hit Kansas hard Sunday evening with widespread reports of damage from trashcans tossed in Hutchinson to a shed crumbling like a tin can and being thrown into a utility pole in the Russell area and a fallen tree smashing a teen’s pickup in Halstead.

The storms produced a pair of EF1 tornadoes near Russell and Wilson in Russell and Ellsworth counties. As the storms moved east, a tornado warning was issued for Harvey County, including Halstead. As the approximate 90-mph winds reached the small city, trees were uprooted, and power lines and street signs toppled.

Dustin Thurston was inside with his children when a tree fell onto the Halstead family’s home.

“As soon as I got to the front room, back door blew off the hinges, front blew open, then the tree fell on the house. Just a big ol’ boom,” Thurston said.

Susan Ross was outside and made it into the basement in time.

“It almost felt like our roof was lifting off our house,” she said.

As the tornado sirens sounded in Halstead, people said the roar of the wind drowned them out.

“It was really bad, I almost could not hear the sirens,” said Halstead resident Delia Stewart.

The cleanup started early and will continue for days. But the Halstead community is rallying together for each other.

Sunday night, some wondered if extensive damage in Harvey County was the result of a tornado. The NWS clarified that what hit Burrton, Halstead and Newton was “a severe straight-line wind event called a Derecho” which produced winds up to 90 mph.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – According to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, Kansas has seen at least 63 tornados this year and there is plenty of severe storm season left for the number to increase.

Northeast Kansas has seen several tornados this 2024 severe storm season causing serious damage and even death.

Meteorologist Sarah Teefey with the National Weather Servicve of Topeka said a series of systems happen to be hitting Kansas at the right times.

“There are several factors that we look at to determine whether or not we’re expecting severe weather. Timing can be a big part of that, typically we have the most instability during the afternoon,” said Teefey. “The placement of storm systems as well can make a big difference — the closer we are to some of the stronger forcing or some of the better wind fields, then we have a better chance for severe weather.”

While the storms have brought rain, it hasn’t doused the drought affecting areas of the state.

“Sometimes we see a lot of rain all at once, and that can help a little bit, but if we dry out for a while we can flip back into a drought kind of pattern,” said Teefey. “We do still see at least a moderate drought happening across portions of the state. Outside of the Topeka area in Central KS they still have a severe drought for portions of of the state.”

Teefey said stay vigilant and prepared because this year is hitting hard.

“One big difference that we’ve noticed this year compared to other years is just how many systems we have coming through and how frequently we’re seeing that,” said Teefey. “Again with the timing, we have the good chance for severe weather especially when we get fronts in here in the afternoon, we get instability build, south winds to draw in moisture — it’s just been a very active pattern to give us more active weather this year.”

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