Storms pack punch with powerful winds, blowing dust in SW Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A stormy Tuesday night that primarily impacted southwest Kansas within a couple hours of sundown included powerful winds with several gusts that exceeded highway speed limits. A gust reported near Meade was estimated to reach 100 mph. Other strong gusts included 82 mph southwest of Minneola in an area where Storm Team 12 Meteorologist Adrian Campa encountered apparent dust devils and a large cloud of blowing dust that greatly reduced visibility inside the Storm Team 12 Mobile Weather Lab. There was an 80 mph gust reported about nine miles south of Hugoton, a 70 mph gust reported in Meade, a 69 mph gust northeast of Liberal and a 66 mph gust in Dodge City.

A Storm Team 12 chaser reported downed power lines on Highway 23, near Meade as the storm was strong enough to knock out electricity to the area. Once the storm passed through Meade County, a rainbow emerged, adding color to a serene scene that was a 180-degree switch from the situation less than an hour before.

As the storm system marched east, the wicked winds weakened, still posing potential problems, but not to the degree that people experienced in southwest Kansas. Late Tuesday night, wind speeds were reduced to a maximum of about 60 mph with a storm moving into south central Kansas, south of Wichita.

The conditions continued to calm as late Tuesday night rolled into early Wednesday morning. Looking ahead, Storm Team 12 issued a Weather Alert for a dangerous combination of heat and humidity for Wednesday and Thursday.

“The combination of heat and humidity set up for midweek, sending feels like temperatures well above 100 for the first time this summer. Use caution if working outdoors and keep yourself hydrated as best you can to avoid heat illness,” Storm Team 12 Chief Meteorologist Ross Janssen wrote, looking ahead to the rest of the week.

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