Mass Street In Lawrence-KS On A Spring Afternoon

This view- courtesy of the Lawrence Journal-World- is looking south on Massachusetts (Mass) Street in Downtown Lawrence.

Note the darkened sky on the southern horizon. This is from severe thunderstorms in southeastern Kansas which will move into rain-drenched southwestern Missouri later this afternoon.

Other storms are developing northwestward into eastern and northern Kansas- as seen on this latest radar image (click to enlarge) from NWS Pleasant Hill-MO..

The entire Kansas City MetroRegion remains under a slight risk for severe storms- mainly large hail- later today into early Wednesday morning.

At this time of post- there are no severe weather warnings or watches affecting any part of the MetroRegion.

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Metro Kansas City's BREAKING NEWS: House Fire In Overland Park

An extra fire company and MEDACT-EMS unit has been called to assist 5 other fire companies from Overland Park-KS and Fire District 2 on a working house fire in the 5900 block of West 87th Terrace.

The initial alarm sounded around 9:15 am- and heavy smoke was showing from the structure when the first firefighters arrived.

It's reported to be a fire in the basement and garage of the home- occupany yet unknown- but initial interior searches have yet found no victims.

Update here at CSW if needed....

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K.C. Metro-MetroRegion WEATHER: NWS-SPC: "Slight Risk" Of Severe Tstms Later Today

It's spring in the Central States- and there's a slight risk of severe thunderstorms later today through early Wednesday.

There could be 2 windows for storms to develop: early this Tuesday afternoon and again later tonight. Large- damaging hail is the primary severe threat along with the usual thunderstorm hazards.

Also- heavy- possibly flooding rains are expected over the Central States during the next 5 days.

Refering to the rain graphic- an area of 3-4-inch rainfalls is forecast by the NWS in the MetroRegion and yes- right here in Metro Kansas City.

Here are the latest visible satellite and NWS Doppler radar images:

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KC-MO Finds $7-Million For Bike- Pedestrian Trails

The STAR has a story about how KC-MO "plans to spend about $7 million this year" on new biking and walking trails.

This is after the City Council cut $15-million from the police department budget- putting basic police protection for the City's citizens in jeopardy.

I must have a brick head. I cannot in any way- shape or form approve spending half of the police's budget cuts for bike and pedestrian trails.

It appears the mayorial recall didn't include ENOUGH city politicians....

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Metro K.C. BREAKING NEWS: House Fire In Lee's Summit-MO

Four companies of Lee's Summit firefighters were called out at 12:27pm to a reported house fire in the 1100 block of Southeast Talonia Drive in the southeastern part of that 100000-plus Kansas City suburb.

There are indications an occupant broke out and jumped from a first-floor window. There is yet no report on the extent of injury to that person.

At 12:45pm- firefighters report "fire in the basement"- and all firefighters have been pulled from the interior to attack the fire from outside.

More here as received....
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UPDATE - 1:30pm: The house fire in the 1100 block of S.E. Talomia is out- and the fire reportedly was as a result of a domestic disturbance.

I still don't have word on the injuries to one of the occupants- but indeed those injuries were not life-threatening.

The house is heavily-damaged with no firefighter injuries thus-far reported.

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Latest NWS U.S. 5-Day Rain Forecast - OUCH

Let's hope this map is wrong...

Folks in southeastern Oklahoma through Mississippi have been getting lambasted (sorry Tom Skilling) with heavy rains over the past week to 10 days- and it looks like that situation will move northward.

An area of 3-inch rainfall totals over the next 5 days is shown just southeast of Metro Kansas City- centered about over Clinton-MO..

Edges of that 3-inch rainfall area nudge the southern and eastern parts of the Metro.

Showers and storms- some severe- are expected in our area late Tuesday into Wednesday- and again late Friday into Saturday.

Of course I'll keep you informed on this development....

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American Soldier Kills 5 Of His Own Troops In Iraq

Unless you have been in a war zone- you would have little clue as to the stress that military personnel are under.

Apparently- one American soldier who was under-going stress treatment at an American military base in Iraq snapped and gunned-down 5 other American soldiers- according to the Associated Press.

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Cowtown Ballroom...Sweet Jesus

It had previously been an roller skating rink and a dance ballroom- located on the east side of Gilliam Road between 31st Street and Linwood.

Refurbished in 1971- it became Kansas City's new mecca for music: The Cowtown Ballroom.

For a mere 38 months- Cowtown played host to a virtual who's-who of rock musicians of the day (a complete list of who played Cowtown can be found HERE).

My memories are many- and now two Kansas Citians have put together a documentary highlighting other people's Cowtown memories.

You can see "Cowtown Ballroom...Sweet Jesus" beginning May 22 at Westport's Tivoli Theater and join in the pre-sceening activities too.

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ANNIVERSARY: May 11- 2000: Tornado On North Oak

As we are now in the thick of "tornado season"- with severe storm chances locally late Wednesday-Thursday and again possibly Saturday- remember back nine years ago tonight:

I was on-duty- feeding a news/discussion forum I had on-line at that time "The Corner Coffee Shop."

Just before 10pm- Tonganoxie-KS in Leavenworth County was hit by a small tornado- and the storm cell responsible for the twister was moving across Wyandotte county toward Kansas City's Northland.

A Tornado Watch had been and remained in effect for Metro Kansas City until midnight that night.

In the time period between about 10:50 and 11:15pm- 2 K.C. TV meteorologists (I have both on video tape) state on the air that "the threat of tornadoes in the Metro appears to be over."

Yet at 11:25pm- the KC-MO Fire department dispatches companies to a "possible tornado strike at 40th Street and North Oak" just as the National Weather Service on the MERS radio channel is telling KC Fire of "strong rotation indicated by radar" in the area of the touchdown and that then NWS was issuing a tornado warning.

Indeed- a tornado- later rated only as "F-1" had touched down right on top of the Jay Wolfe car dealership- ripping the showroom building apart and tossing some cars in the lot.

This "threat" wasn't done yet.

Staying at mostly tree-top level- the funnel moved east generally along Parvin Road- tearing out treetops and sometimes roofing on homes along the way.

The funnel lifted back into the clouds near the Worlds of Fun area.

Fortunately- no one was hurt.


Below are some of the storm statistics from that day- along with the subsequent NWS storm survey results from a publication I'm working on preliminarily-titled "Metro Kansas City Extreme Weather Events Since 1950:"

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MAY 11, 2000... The Tonganoxie, KS and Kansas City, MO. -North Tornado ...

As long as a day prior to this event, a moderate to high risk of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes was forecast by meteorologists over the Central Plains states.


County: Jefferson 404 Grantville 05/11/2000 07:53 PM Tornado F0 0 0 1K 0

Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 07:53:00 PM CST Begin Location: 1 Mile South of Grantville Begin LAT/LON: 39°05'N / 95°34'W
End Date: 11 May 2000, 07:56:00 PM CST End Location: 1 Mile South East of Grantville End LAT/LON: 39°04'N / 95°33'W
Length: 1 Mile Width: 40 Yards Magnitude: F0 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 1.0K Crop Damage: $ 0.0
State: Kansas County: Jefferson

Description: A tornado formed just south of Grantville and moved east for a mile over open country doing minor power line damage before dissipating.
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County: Jefferson 405 Williamstown 05/11/2000 08:27 PM Tornado F1 0 0 108K 0

Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 08:27:00 PM CST Begin Location: 1 Mile North of Williamstown
End Date: 11 May 2000, 08:40:00 PM CST End Location: 8 Miles East North East of Williamstown
Length: 8 Miles Width: 75 Yards Magnitude: F1 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 108.0K Crop Damage: $ 0.0
State: Kansas County: Jefferson

Description: A tornado touched down just north of Williamstown and moved east until it crossed into Leavenworth county at 2040 cst. Windows were blown out of a house north of Williamstown. East of Williamstown it struck a farmstead where 2 homes were damaged, 5 pole barns destroyed and 2 others damaged. Metal from an outbuilding was carried 100 feet and hung in a tree 10 feet above ground.
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County: Leavenworth 406 Tonganoxie 05/11/2000 08:40 PM Tornado F1 0 0 2.6M 0

Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 08:40:00 PM CST Begin Location: 6 Miles West South West of Tonganoxie Begin LAT/LON: 39°05'N / 95°11'W
End Date: 11 May 2000, 09:12:00 PM CST End Location: 2 Miles North of Basehor End LAT/LON: 39°10'N / 94°56'W
Length: 16 Miles Width: 440 Yards Magnitude: F1 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 2.6M Crop Damage: $ 0.0
State: Kansas County: Leavenworth

Description: The tornado, which had formed in Jefferson County, entered southwestern Leavenworth County at around 9:40 pm CDT, 6 miles west-southwest of Tonganoxie. The tornado moved east-northeast and lifted 2 miles north of Basehor at 10:12 pm. The 16 mile long path was as wide as 1/4 mile at times, though the average was around 100 yards wide. In Leavenworth County, 200 homes were affected and six were destroyed. One apartment building suffered roof damage. Thirteen businesses were damaged, and two were destroyed. The Leavenworth County Fairgrounds in Tonganoxie suffered extensive damage, approaching a half-million dollars. Total damage was estimated by County Emergency Management officials at $2.6 million. Thunderstorms developed rapidly south of a cold front in eastern Kansas, and then tracked eastward. While the early evening storms were primarily hail producers, one late evening storm produced a tornado that tracked across southern Leavenworth County, resulting in damage in Tonganoxie.
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County: Clay 178 North Kansas City 05/11/2000 10:25 PM Tornado F1 0 0 5.0M 0
Event: Tornado
Begin Date: 11 May 2000, 10:25:00 PM CST Begin Location: 2 Miles North of North Kansas City
End Date: 11 May 2000, 10:32:00 PM CST End Location: 1 Mile North East of Avondale
Length: 5 Miles Width: 350 Yards Magnitude: F1 Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Property Damage: $ 5.0M Crop Damage:$ 0.0
State: Missouri County: Clay

Description: The tornado formed rapidly in southwest Clay County in Kansas City, MO, causing considerable damage to two auto dealerships at 39th and North Oak Trafficway. A nearby apartment complex suffered roof damage. Many trees and power lines were downed as the tornado moved east, lifting near Parvin Road and Chouteau Trafficway. Thunderstorms that developed explosively in eastern Kansas tracked into western Missouri. While early evening storms were hail producers, a late night thunderstorm on the north side of Kansas City spawned a short lived tornado, which produced millions of dollars in damage in Kansas City's "Northland."

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A F-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BETWEEN 11:25 AND 11:30 P.M. CDT NEAR (N.) MAIN STREET AND 40TH STREET IN KANSAS CITY MO. THE TORNADO TRAVELLED EAST, LIFTING NEAR PARVIN ROAD AND CHOUTEAU TRAFFICWAY AROUND 11:35 P.M. CDT.
MOST SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS IN VICINITY OF (N.E.) 39TH AND NORTH OAK, TWO AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIPS WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. NEARBY APARTMENT COMPLEX SOME DAMAGE. MANY TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED, MOSTLY MINOR ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE FOUND.
DOLAR ESTIMATES ON THE DAMAGE ARE STILL BEING ASSESSED.

THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF TWO-TENTHS OF A MILE AND LENGTH OF 4.5 MILES.

A TORNADO, RATED F-1, MVD FRM SE JEFFERSON COUNTY INTO INTO SW LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS SHORTLY AFTER 9:40 P.M..

THE TORNADO STRUCK TONGANOXIE AT 9:57 P.M., DAMAGING APPROXIMATELY 100 HOMES, 10 BUSINESSES AND ONE SCHOOL. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. DAMAGE CONTINUED TO A POINT ON THE N SIDE OF BASEHOR, WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN.

THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 1/4-MILE WIDE AND THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 23 MILES IN LENGTH.

THE DEGREE AND AMOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM GRANTVILLE EASTWARD TO NEAR WILLIAMSTOWN NEARLY PARALLELING HIGHWAY 24 WAS VERY ISOLATED AND MINIMAL. THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF ISOLATED TREE LIMBS BEING DOWNED ALONG WITH A FEW POWER LINES. THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE IN THESE AREAS WAS ASSIGNED AN F-0 RATING ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE. IT APPEARED THAT THE TORNADO IN THESE AREAS ONLY TOUCHED DOWN VERY INTERMITTENTLY AND WAS ALOFT AS A FUNNEL CLOUD MOST OF THE TIME.

HOWEVER, EAST OF THESE LOCATIONS AT THE INTERSECTION OF WELLMAN ROAD AND 21ST STREET IN FAR SE JEFFERSON COUNTY, A SMALL AREA OF F-1 DAMAGE WAS IDENTIFIED.

HERE A HOUSE RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WITH PART OF THE ROOF TORN OFF. TWO OUT BUILDINGS EAST OF THE HOUSE, ONE CONSTRUCTED OF SHEET METAL, WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED WITH THE DEBRIS CARRIED TO THE E AND SE SOME 150 FEET. PART OF THE SHEET METAL WAS THEN WRAPPED AROUND THE TRUNK OF A TREE SOME 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND ABOUT 100 FEET FROM THE FOUNDATION. THREE LARGE TREES ON THE WEST AND NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE, WITH TWO TO THREE FOOT DIAMETER TRUNKS WERE ALSO SNAPPED OFF SOME TEN TO TWENTY FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. LARGE DEBRIS FROM ONE OF THESE TREES WAS CARRIED SOME 200 FEET TO THE EAST. DOWNED LIMBS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE HOUSE.

THE F-1 DAMAGE WAS NARROW, SOME 75 YARDS WIDE AND ABOUT A QUARTER TO AS MUCH AS A HALF A MILE LONG. WIND SPEEDS AT THIS LOCATION WERE ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100 m.p.h.. ...


A TORNADO, RATED A MAXIMUM OF F-1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE, MOVED FROM SE JEFFERSON COUNTY INTO INTO SW LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS SHORTLY AFTER 9:40 p.m..

THE TORNADO STRUCK TONGANOXIE AT 9:57 p.m., CAUSING DAMAGE TO APPROXIMATELY 100 HOMES, 10 BUSINESSES AND ONE SCHOOL. AGAIN, NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. DAMAGE CONTINUED TO A POINT ON THE N SIDE OF BASEHOR, WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN.

THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 1/4-MILE WIDE AND THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 23 MILES IN LENGTH.

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT ... NWS KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO ... 455 p.m. CDT FRI MAY 12 2000
...INITIAL STORM SURVEY RESULTS: CLAY COUNTY MO AND LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS TORNADOES MAY 11TH...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PLEASANT HILL CONDUCTED A STORM DAMAGE SURVEY ACROSS SW CLAY AND S LEAVENWORTH COUNTIES FROM THE LATE EVENING STORMS OF THURSDAY MAY 11TH.

AN EXAMINATION OF DAMAGE, COMBINED WITH EYEWITNESSES AND DOPPLER RADAR DATA, INDICATE THAT AN F-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BETWEEN 11:25 AND 11:30 p.m. CDT NEAR (NORTH) MAIN STREET AND 40TH STREET IN KANSAS CITY MO. THE TORNADO TRAVELLED EAST, LIFTING NEAR PARVIN ROAD AND CHOUTEAU TRAFFICWAY AROUND 11:35 p.m. CDT.

THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS IN THE VICINITY OF (NORTHEAST) 39TH AND NORTH OAK, WHERE TWO AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIPS SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. A NEARBY APARTMENT COMPLEX ALSO SUFFERED SOME DAMAGE. MANY TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED AND MOSTLY MINOR ROOF AND SIDING DAMAGE WAS FOUND. DOLLAR ESTIMATES ON THE DAMAGE ARE STILL BEING ASSESSED.

THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF TWO-TENTHS OF A MILE AND LENGTH OF 4.5 MILES.

A DAMAGE SURVEY ACROSS LEAVENWORTH COUNTY INDICATES THAT A TORNADO, RATED A MAXIMUM OF F-1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE, MOVED FROM SE JEFFERSON COUNTY INTO INTO SW LEAVENWORTH COUNTY KS SHORTLY AFTER 9:40 p.m..

THE TORNADO STRUCK TONGANOXIE AT 9:57 p.m., CAUSING DAMAGE TO APPROXIMATELY 100 HOMES, 10 BUSINESSES AND ONE SCHOOL. AGAIN, NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. DAMAGE CONTINUED TO A POINT ON THE N SIDE OF BASEHOR, WHERE TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN.

THE TORNADO ATTAINED A MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF 1/4-MILE WIDE AND THE DAMAGE PATH WAS 23 MILES IN LENGTH.
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT ... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS ... 240 p.m. CDT FRI MAY 12 2000

...STORM SURVEY RESULTS: SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY KS...

METEOROLOGISTS FROM THE NWS IN TOPEKA CONDUCTED A STORM SURVEY THIS MORNING TO DETERMINE THE INTENSITY OF THE TORNADO THAT TRACKED ACROSS S JEFFERSON COUNTY LAST EVENING.
BEFORE GOING OUT ON THE SURVEY, RADAR DATA FROM THE EVENT WAS REVIEWED TO DETERMINE SPECIFIC LOCATIONS THAT WERE AFFECTED BY THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCED THE TORNADO. STORM REPORTS FROM JEFFERSON COUNTY WERE ALSO EXAMINED ALONG WITH THE RADAR DATA.

THE STORM SURVEY THEN FOUND THE FOLLOWING: THE DEGREE AND AMOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM GRANTVILLE EASTWARD TO NEAR WILLIAMSTOWN NEARLY PARALLELING HIGHWAY 24 WAS VERY ISOLATED AND MINIMAL. THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF ISOLATED TREE LIMBS BEING DOWNED ALONG WITH A FEW POWER LINES. THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE IN THESE AREAS WAS ASSIGNED AN F-0 RATING ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE SCALE. IT APPEARED THAT THE TORNADO IN THESE AREAS ONLY TOUCHED DOWN VERY INTERMITTENTLY AND WAS ALOFT AS A FUNNEL CLOUD MOST OF THE TIME.

HOWEVER, EAST OF THESE LOCATIONS AT THE INTERSECTION OF WELLMAN ROAD AND 21ST STREET IN FAR SE JEFFERSON COUNTY, A SMALL AREA OF F-1 DAMAGE WAS IDENTIFIED.

HERE A HOUSE RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WITH PART OF THE ROOF TORN OFF. TWO OUT BUILDINGS EAST OF THE HOUSE, ONE CONSTRUCTED OF SHEET METAL, WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED WITH THE DEBRIS CARRIED TO THE E AND SE SOME 150 FEET. PART OF THE SHEET METAL WAS THEN WRAPPED AROUND THE TRUNK OF A TREE SOME 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND ABOUT 100 FEET FROM THE FOUNDATION. THREE LARGE TREES ON THE WEST AND NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE, WITH TWO TO THREE FOOT DIAMETER TRUNKS WERE ALSO SNAPPED OFF SOME TEN TO TWENTY FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. LARGE DEBRIS FROM ONE OF THESE TREES WAS CARRIED SOME 200 FEET TO THE EAST. DOWNED LIMBS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE HOUSE.

THE F-1 DAMAGE WAS NARROW, SOME 75 YARDS WIDE AND ABOUT A QUARTER TO AS MUCH AS A HALF A MILE LONG. WIND SPEEDS AT THIS LOCATION WERE ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100 M.P.H..

... BARLOW/HOLDERBACH

Critical Injury In Overnight Overland Park Crash

A man driving a small car crashed his vehicle on the southbound I-635 ramp to I-35 just before 2 am Saturday morning.

It took firefighters about 20 minutes to extricate the driver- said by paramedics to be in his middle-20's.

The man was taken to an area medical trauma center unconscious and in critical condition.

(Compare this story as I worked it to The STAR's piece on this incident.)

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More Photos From KSNF-TV Joplin Tower Break

A rapid-moving complex of severe thunderstorms raced from western Kansas late Thursday night through southern and southeastern Kansas overnight to around dawn- then sped east through southern Missouri during Friday morning.

The complex produced an arc of high- straight-line winds ahead of it- gusting possibly as high as "120 MPH" said the Associated Press.

Trees- power lines- homes- churches and other structures in the path of these winds suffered some degree of damage.

A woman was killed in Wilson county-KS and damage was heavy in the towns of New Albany and Fredonia.

The powerful gust front reached Joplin in southwest Missouri around 7 am..

Around that time is when the wind broke KSNF NBC-16's tower.

I call it a tower break and not a collapse because only about the top half of the 1000-foot-plus tower fell.

The tower piece(s) fell in a southeasterly trajectory as indicated by the dark line I've drawn on a Google Satellite pic-map of the incident.

The part of the tower that fell straight down landed on part of the TV station itself- a building shared by sister station and ABC affiliate KODE Channel 12.

Though the building was damaged- no one was hurt. Both stations are off the air.

A section of the tower then crashed down across Cleveland Street in southwest Joplin-
and onto an unoccupied SUV- crushing it- and part of the house where the vehicle was parked.

Three children and their mother was inside the house at the time- but none of them were injured.

The storms bolted eastward into the Republic- Springfield- Bolivar and Lebanon areas- doing damage- injuring people and even killing at least 3 more all along their path into the Ohio and Tennessee Valley areas by Friday afternoon.

(All photos courtesy of KSNF-TV Joplin)

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