Tornado sirens sounded in Wichita earlier tonight even though the city was not threatened by the storm that triggered the tornado warning because it’s all or nothing for Sedgwick County Emergency Management. The warning system has to be sounded countywide because it does not have the capability to activate only those sirens in the threatened areas.
Monitor radar and warnings closely. Western Sedgwick County is under threat, and as the storms move northeast west Wichita could experience strong winds, hail and heavy rain….
The sirens are blaring in Sedgwick County as a tornado warning has been issued for portions of Sedgwick, Sumner and Kingman counties.
A thunderstorm is moving to the northeast, and radar is indicating rotation in the upper atmosphere. Residents of Viola, Clearwater, Cheney and Garden Plain should be prepared to take shelter.
No tornado has been reported in connection with this warning.
Stay tuned.
I just got off the phone with Wichita storm chaser and weather photographer Jim Reed, who is tracking the tornadic storm in Reno County. He confirmed the tornado on the ground, describing it as a “landspout” that weakened as it approached a farmstead.
He said the storm merely “sandblasted” outbuildings on the farmstead. Other parts of the storm could produce large hail and strong winds.
A tornado has been reported on the ground in Reno County, threatening Hutchinson and South Hutchinson.
The tornado was reported a half-mile west of K-96, with the storm moving east at 45 miles an hour.
Residents of Hutchinson and South Hutchinson should seek shelter immediately.