CSW WEATHER: Tornado Watch No. 155 Until 10 P.M.- KS-OK-TX

The Storm Prediction Center's Tornado Watch No. 155 does NOT include Metro Kansas City- but comes close to our west.

The watch includes the following counties and cities in Kansas (see SPC county map):

Douglas- including Lawrence- as well as Jefferson- Jackson - Shawnee- including Topeka- as well as counties/cities west and southwestward- including Manhattan- Emporia- Junction City and Abilene.

A flash flood watch also continues in effect for some of these same areas in Kansas- as well as most of the about northern third of Missouri- including Metro and MetroRegion Kansas City.

The precipitation in and around Metro K.C. is not severe at this time- expect any of that later tonight.

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CSW Weather: Possibly Excessive Rains- Flooding in MetroRegion Kansas City

The storm system that will affect Metro and MetroRegion Kansas City later today will also produce heavy- possibly "excessive" rains and possibly flash and general stream flooding- according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

One branch of the NWS- the Hydro Prediction Center (HPC)- forecasts a "moderate" risk for excessive rainfall from eastern and northeastern Kansas into northwest and northern Missouri by Thursday morning.

Rainfall rates of one to two inches per hour and locally higher amounts are forecast and will create flash flood conditions.

The forecasted heavy rainfall also will create- continue and/or worsen river flood conditions in those affected parts of the MetroRegion.

Current shower and thunderstorm activity is over Kansas: generall along and west of the KS Turnpike/I-335-35 from the Topeka to Wichita areas- moving northeast around 35 m.p.h..

The warm front has already moved into the southern Metro- 75 degrees with a dewpoint of 66 degrees at New Century airport near Gardner KS compared to K.C.I. airport a little over 25 miles further north- it's 60 degrees with a dewpoint of 59 there.

Showers/storms will tend to develop/move along this warm front through the evening.


CSW will be on it with any flash flooding reports and any other severe weather information....

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Overland Park Residents Sue City Over Flash Flooding

Some Overland Park residents of a subdivision next to Tomahawk Creek are suing the city of OP over flash flooding issues.


Residents contend that unabated development upstream of their homes have contributed greatly to flooding.

On July 30- 2008- more than 8-inches of rain in the Tomahawk Creek watershed created flash flooding in the subdivision of Hawthorne Valley.

The KANSAS CITY STAR story states a girl had to rescued that day from a flooded basement.

A screen capture of the rain amounts of that day- plus the resulting flooding of Indian Creek in KC-MO- shown in this CSW YouTube video are displayed here.

The announcement today of the flood lawsuit is somewhat ironic- the NWS has the Metro under a "moderate risk" of possible flash flooding later today- more on that in an upcoming post.

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CSW Weather: Severe Storms Possible Today In Metro-MetroRegion Kansas City

As the spring weather pattern has become more active- we find the Central States again under the gun today through Thursday morning for a chance of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Today's risk area is right in the Kansas City MetroRegion and although the NWS' Storm Prediction Center (SPC) says there's a "slight risk" unlike the high risk of Monday- the area for possible tornado development extends right into the K.C. Metro.

Storms will likely fire-up later this Wednesday afternoon into evening- so be prepared.

Updates as needed here at CSW....

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CSW BREAKING: Industrial Accident in KC-KS' Fairfax Area Critically-Injures 2

It was around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning when the report came over the KC-KS Fire frequency that there had been "an explosion at a tar pit at Owens-Corning- 300 Sunshine Road."


When fire crews arrived- they found 2 critically-injured men- burned and disfigured from the explosion and hot tar.

One was reported by KC-KS FD-EMS as "a 37-year-old male- with 80% coverage of 3rd-degree burns all over his body."  His condition was very critical.

The second injured employee was reported by EMS as "a 56-year-old male" with facial and other injuries.

I did not hear of any burns on the 2nd man- but his condition was judged by the EMS paramedic to be critical as well.

There's an investigation underway as to why the tar container exploded- and no word as to the operational status of the plant itself.

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10th Anniversary of Kansas City MO Tornado Some Local TV Mets May Forget

During the evening of May 11- 2000- I was feeding severe weather information to the breaking news Website I had at the time- 'The Corner Coffeeshop.'

There was a lot of information to feed that night- the Storm Prediction Center had put all of Metro Kansas City under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch No. 265 around 6:30 p.m..

Then at 8:53 p.m.- a small tornado touched down in southern Jefferson County KS near Grantville (see accompanying image 'Storm Reports') and moved east- striking Tonganoxie in southwestern Leavenworth County around 10 p.m..

We're never under a Tornado Watch as that tornadic storm continues to move east across Wyandotte County KS toward the Missouri Metro.

By 11:15 p.m.- at least 2 meteorologists on Kansas City television stations report that the storm is weakening- and there's little to no threat of a tornado in or around Kansas City.

At 11:22 p.m.- the SPC issued a new Severe Thunderstorm Watch- Number 267- that includes Metro Kansas City.

At that time- the "weakening" tornadic storm cell had crossed the Missouri River into Kansas City near the Waterworks area on M-9 and U.S. 169 and had strengthened.

Three minutes later at 11:25 p.m.- the storm cell dropped a tornado onto a car dealership in the 4100 block of North Oak in Kansas City's Northland.

The tornado tore down the dealership's building- flipping a few cars in the lot- tangling power lines and toppling power poles- then lifed to tree-top level as it continued moving east- northeastward.

The tree-top-height funnel coursed across the Northland- generally following a path along Parvin Road until it retracted completely back into the parent storm near Worlds of Fun.

Fortunately- no one was hurt in the Northland.

It was sort of shocking as I had listened to the KC-MO Fire dispatcher call the NWS office in Pleasant Hill on the MERS radio channel at 11:26 p.m. telling them of the North Oak touchdown- then hearing the NWS office tell them back that they were issuing a tornado warning.

Well- I guess no more shocking to me than the fact we were never under a Tornado Watch- even after Tongie got hit- and that 2 of the 'premier' TV weather people in this town had downplayed the tornado threat before the North Oak touchdown.

That's why I'll stay up late at night if necessary to watch severe storms threatening the Metro (see also May 2- 2008) and put little credence into the opinions of local TV weather people when it comes to vagaries of Mother Nature.


Wonder if Horner and Busby (or Lezak and Thompson) will note this 10th anniversary of a damaging Kansas City MO tornado?

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Woman Injured in South Kansas City MO House Fire

A "75-year-old" woman suffered non life-threatening smoke inhalation after her house caught fire on Kansas City's South Side Tuesday morning.

The alarm sounded for 5 KC-MO fire companies at 7:44 a.m. to the address on East 85th Street near Main.

The first fire company arriving at 7:47 a.m. reported "light smoke showing-" withing a minute a "working fire" was confirmed- with an additional fire company sent as well as EMS.

Fire crews used 2 handlines on the fire- reported "under control" at 8:02 a.m..

Fire department EMS (FD-EMS) took the female resident to a local hospital suffering smoke inhalation- and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

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CSW Weather: "High Risk" Of Severe Storms- Tornadoes Later Today in The Central States

Actually- Metro Kansas City has only a "slight risk" of severe thunderstorms later today- but areas of central thru northeastern Oklahoma through southeast Kansas into extreme southwestern Missouri are under a "high risk" of severe storms and tornadoes.

Only a "moderate risk" extends into the extreme southern portions of the K.C. MetroRegion- near Nevada MO and Fort Scott KS..

A sample of a few cities in the high risk area are Oklahoma City- Tulsa- Bartlesville- Coffeyville- parsons and Independence KS..

The best chance for the ugly weather will be from about 5 through 10 p.m. this Monday afternoon and evening in the high risk areas as well as the slighter-risk areas.

In these high-risk situations- there's usually an enhanced tornado risk- especially for strong/violent- long-track twisters- similar to what hit Mississippi several weeks ago.

Any severe weather watches will be posted here at CSW as soon as we get them....

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