A stunned woman could only scream as she watched her Kansas neighborhood being ripped apart by a tornado.
One person died on Tuesday when a tornado ripped through the small city of Westmoreland in northeastern Kansas, authorities said.
Pottawatomie County officials said on Facebook that a tornado struck the city on Tuesday evening, damaging multiple structures.
First responders were conducting grid searches in Westmoreland to survey damage and to search for people who may have been injured.
A Pottawatomie County spokesperson confirmed the single fatality in a news release sent to media. The name of the person who died was being withheld pending family notification.
Westmoreland is about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Topeka.
Images posted to social media showed a tornado on the ground in Westmoreland, as well as damaged homes, uprooted trees and a flipped semi.
Tuesday’s storms came just two days after tornadoes tore through Oklahoma on Sunday, killing four people and injuring at least 100. On Friday, tornadoes twisted through Nebraska and Iowa, demolishing homes and businesses and leaving one person dead.
fter a tornado was spotted in Westmoreland, a siren alert was raised in Topeka Tuesday. The twister heading from Wichita towards Des Moines would soon leave its impact on Topeka. Following this, it is expected to reach Kansas City.
The National Westher Service (NWS) Topeka placed several Kansas Counties, including Jackson County, Pottawatomie County, Shawnee County, until 6:00 PM CDT. In a post on X, NWS Topeka said that the storm could be accompanied by hail of up to two inches size.
At 5:58 p.m. CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was detected two miles northwest of Silver Lake, moving southeast at 25 mph. The primary hazards include a tornado and golf ball-sized hail, according to a severe weather warning from NWS Topeka..
Residents in affected areas, including Northwestern Topeka, Rossville and Silver Lake, have been advised to seek shelter immediately, as flying debris poses significant danger. Mobile homes are especially vulnerable to damage or destruction, and damage to roofs, windows, vehicle and trees is likely. Interstate 70 between mile markers 354 and 355 falls within the warned area.
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The National Weather Service has also issued a tornado watch for Far Eastern Colorado, Western Kansas and Far Southwest Nebraska until 11:00 p.m. CDT. The highest risk for tornado activity is expected to be in southwest Kansas.
Among the other counties in Kansas under tornado watch are Atchison, Coffey, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Lyon, Miami, Morris, Osage, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee, Wabaunsee and Wyandotte.
A tornado watch until 9 p.m. CDT has also been issued for 11 counties in northwest Kansas.