Extreme weather caused at least five deaths, including a dust storm that blew 100 miles per hour and battered the states of Kansas and Minnesota. This was less than one week after tornadoes ravaged five other states in the Mississippi Valley.
On Wednesday’s powerful storm, which was accompanied by record temperatures, affected more than 100 million residents in the Midwest and Great Plains. The National Weather Service called it an ‘historical day’.
Extreme winds caused blinding conditions for Kansas drivers, and semi trucks were also knocked down in Colorado and Iowa. They also fanned wildfires throughout the Oklahoma panhandle, leaving more than 300,000.
“The Central US has not seen a December Storm like this,” tweeted Bill Karins (a MSNBC meteorologist), who said it was a’multihazard, life-threatening storm today.
According to AP reports, a 40 foot tree fell onto a Minnesota home and killed a 65 year-old man in Olmsted County.
The State Patrol has confirmed that a truck driver in Iowa was killed when high winds rolled his vehicle on the southbound U.S. Highway 151.
In Kansas, three people were killed in two separate car crashes due to a blinding dust storm with powerful winds of 90mph that tore through half of the state.
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After winds swept across Kansas’ central and northern plains, Wednesday saw several roads closed and wildfires erupted.
After a powerful thunderstorm struck Hartland, Minnesota Wednesday afternoon, community members surveyed the damages.
On Thursday, several buildings were damaged in the Southside of Neola. This was just a few days after the storm that ravaged the region.
Harland, Minnesota: An electrician assesses the impact of a powerful thunderstorm on Wednesday night.
Hartland, Minnesota: Residents help to clean up and remove fallen trees following a severe thunderstorm that ravaged the area Wednesday night
One day after strong winds of wind caused severe weather, a grain trailer was found amongst the wreckage of an Iowa farm building.
On Thursday, a utility pole was seen leaning over a field in Jefferson, Iowa. This is the day following an extremely strong storm, which produced winds of well above 70 miles/hour.
Iowa: A Greene County grain bin completely fell under the power of strong winds. The windstorms tore through Iowa and knocked out electricity lines, leaving Iowans without electricity.
On Thursday, a cleanup crew will begin at a farm in Jefferson, Iowa. This is just days after the storm that decimated Iowa’s state, leaving many residents without power.
After tornadoes and strong winds ravaged the state, Wednesday’s strong winds wrapped a metal sheet around the stump of an Iowa utility pole. It is located near Jefferson.
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s tornadoes, sheetings of metal litter were found in a field in Jefferson, Iowa.
On Wednesday, a powerful winter storm front was captured at Boulder, Colorado. The wall of wind expanded rapidly in less than a minute.
After strong winds blew through Chicago, a Department of Streets and Sanitation employee gets down to the work of removing the tree from several vehicles.
Members of Chicago Fire Department removed a section of a structure that had begun to hang over the sidewalk at the intersection after a night of strong winds.
The utility pole that was damaged by a storm had been evicted from its root, and it now lies in front of the Chicago house.
A large tree fell onto Ogden in Iowa overnight, damaging the front of the home.
A tornado could have destroyed the Rudd Library in Floyd County.
A tornado that swept through Northeast Kansas Wednesday night caused severe damage to the Clifton region’s structure.
High winds cause truck to flip over in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is the terrifying moment that happened Wednesday.
Following a devastating storm in the Midwest, an Iowa historical storm almost completely destroyed a large Iowa-based tree.
Iowa State Patrol trooper works the scene at the wreckage of a semi-truck on I-80’s westbound shoulder
After extreme winds that reached speeds of up to 100 miles an hour, a garage door in Gunthrie Center in Iowa was blown away
After a severe storm that caused widespread destruction in the Midwest, an outdoor learning environment roof was torn off in Iowa.
GMC trucks in Kansas are covered by tree branches after they were damaged during a dust storm.
Following the severe storm which ravaged the region this week, the branches of a Kansas State University sorority home were torn from their tree.
Wednesday’s wind storm had the most hurricane-force wind gusts of any storm since at least 2014, the Washington Post reported.
More than half a billion homes and businesses were without power due to the storm. The majority of outages were caused by the high winds that battered eight states.
According to the Weather Channel, all outages occurred in Colorado, Kansas and Iowa as well as Missouri, Illinois, Missouri, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Video footage of the storm in Kansas shows winds whipping dust at high speeds. KSN meteorologists warn that there is no visibility as the wind gusts were up to 90mph. Drivers had to stop and apply their brake lights.
‘Visibility was extremely low,’ Jaclyn Liberator, who took a video of the dangerous storm, told KSHB.
According to the article, “There was one point that depended on which car was ahead of us… we could not even see it being a flatbed truck and it wasn’t pulling the flatbed. It was only about 10 to 20 feet away.”
The National Weather Service has issued a severe wind advisory to Leavenworth County and advised residents to shelter from the storm. Kansas Department of Transportation reported that all highways in Kansas are now closed and employees had to evacuate the Kansas City International Airport air traffic control centre. This could have caused delays and diverted traffic during busy holidays.
Wichita’s National Weather Service reported that wind speeds in Russell were 100 miles per hour at the airport on Wednesday, at 4pm.
According to the Topeka Capitol Journal, however, it appeared that the hurricane’s brunt would strike Hutchinson or central Kansas sometime between 4 and 5 p.m.
Within one hour power outages in Hutchinson rose from 48 to 455, impacting approximately 500 customers to over 455, and affecting more than 5,700 customers.
By 5.15pm the count had reached 672, leaving approximately 7,835 customers without power. Emergency personnel from the area responded to downed poles and powerlines.
Hutchinson’s large storage building also fell Wednesday night after witnesses reported that the roof had fallen from the other side. Greg Payne, KWCH’s reporter was on the scene with Alex Flippin and Greg Payne as the debris fell from the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport roof.
Officials claim that the roof of one hangar was torn off by wind gusts of up to 77 mph.
Payne stated that he had a roof that was just ripped on Wednesday’s live broadcast. He said that he didn’t know what he heard before he saw the debris fall.
Jane Welch from the Division of Emergency Management of the State stated to the New York Times that winds caused fires across the state in central and western areas. However, no deaths or injuries have been reported.
Weather forecasters warned earlier that dry winds and high temperatures could lead to a rife with the possibility of a blazing grassland fire.
Storm damage has caused a tree to fall apart in northeast Kansas. This was after a strong storm hit the Midwest with winds gusting up to 100 MPH.
One semi-truck was struck by strong winds during a stormy northeast Kansas.
Iowa: As a semi-truck rolled eastward, a tornado was observed approaching I-80 at Atlantic.
KANSAS: Images and video shared on social media show visibility dramatically reduced by the duststorm that swept across Kansas
OKLAHOMA, OK: Smoke billowed through the skies in Guymon (Oklahoma), in the state’s panhandle
COLORADO – A rainbow was formed above the huge dust clouds that were created by the Colorado storm on Wednesday
New Mexico: On Wednesday, a powerful storm blew down small aircraft at Santa Fe Regional Airport.
MISSOURI – The wind gusts were so strong, at 90 mph, they managed to blow over an 18-wheeler during the storm
The storm was over Kansas on Wednesday evening and extended to Missouri, Colorado.
As the storms approached, a lot of Central America was placed under weather watch
Eric Metzger (Meteorologist, National Weather Service, Wichita) said that there was the greatest fire in Russell County, central Texas. There, two large-scale fires had’merged’ into one big fire.
“It’s likely about 40 miles long,” he stated, noting the fact that Kansas hadn’t seen rain in over a month.
“I’ve been living here for over 20 years,” he stated. “This is historic.”
Welch pointed out that there was so much wind that emergency crews couldn’t fight the fires from above, which made it too hazardous for them to do so. Therefore the National Weather Service advised that people might have to evacuate.
Wichita’s Air Quality Index, however, was at 99. This puts the city in danger of falling into unhealthy territory.
Officials from the city wrote that they were advising people, particularly those who are sensitive, to limit their time outside until better air quality is achieved.
Governor Kelly issued an inclement weather declaration for Shawnee County at 3:00pm. Laura Kelly declared inclement Weather for Shawnee County. This effectively closed state offices in that area. A tornado warning was issued for the west.
The powerful wind gusts that battered northeast Kansas Wednesday caused a portashed to fly into a tree and then crash into it.
KANSAS: A large storage facility collapsed in Hutchinson, Kansas collapsed after witnesses saw the roof blow off from one side as if ‘it was hinged,’ around 6pm, KWCH reporter Alex Flippin tweeted
Winds topple tractor trailers in Colorado
Colorado’s 107 mph wind was strong enough to snap phone poles and flip tractor trailers. More than one dozen were down in the Pikes Peak area.
The Colorado Department of Transportation tweeted that several roads were closed due to the high winds and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Golden said a highway was closed due to downed power lines and a truck that toppled over.
Lamar’s Mayor Kirk Crespen stated that the crews had been on the ground all day cleaning up damage and repairing telephone poles.
Mike Smaldino of the Colorado Springs Fire Department was also a public officer and said that winds gusting up to 100 MPH caused substantial damage.
CNN: His fire department’s roof had partly collapsed, he said. He also mentioned that he saw about twelve semitrucks fall on his drive to the city.
COLORADO – The wind was so strong that it blew over tractor trailers like this one from Colorado Springs. Here, paramedics tend to an injured man on I-25 North’s ramp.
COLORADO. Two semi-trucks traveling in different directions on I-25 were destroyed by the hurricane.
He said also that the number of calls to fire departments had almost quadrupled since 5pm.
Fort Carson in Texas, an Army base, was damaged by winds. The base had to be closed.
CNN was told by a public information officer that they were still looking into the damage to the base. However, it seems minor. No injuries have been reported.
More than 500 flights had to be delayed at Denver International Airport. 146 were canceled. According to NBC News the Federal Aviation Administration made a temporary ground stop at Denver International Airport until 6 PM local time.
However, at one point, there was a complete rainbow above all the dust clouds.
COLORADO – Members of Colorado Springs Utilities Catamount removed a fallen tree which had crushed a car
COLORADO – Passers by took photos of the tree that fell on Wednesday in Arvada
COLORADO. An electronic overhead warning sign warned motorists travelling westbound along I-70 that dangerous winds were ahead
Oklahomans are forced to evacuate due to massive fires
Oklahoma’s panhandle also had to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon. Due to strong winds and wildfires, all lanes on US Highway 287 were shut down.
These large fires created heavy smoke, which made visibility poor. Authorities closed US 64 in Guymon and US 412 in Guymon. Residents were asked to evacuate.
Comanche County Management stated that the fire was under control and the order was cancelled just hours later. The five volunteers who were on scene remained to remind people not to go near the fire.
And in Mooreland, fires were egged on by high winds and hay bales, KOCO reports.
Oklahoma: People living in Oklahoma’s panhandle initially were told to evacuate. However, the order was later cancelled
Debbie Hargis of Arlington said, “I just received a call form a friend.” She said, “I was doing taxes down and are you watching?” You can see a flame across the street from my house.
Hargis stated that he came out to water the plants and began to work. This year, it’s being installed.
She quickly received the assistance of other neighbours who tried to quell the fire.
She said, “This is a small group.” ‘Everybody helps everybody.
“My neighbors were trying to help me connect my water hoses. I was so grateful that he took the time to assist me in my yard.
Even though Wednesday’s winds had slowed down, Mooreland Fire Department was still on scene looking for any sparks that might land in the yards of neighbors.
Nebraska and Iowa are plowed by tornadoes
According to the National Weather Service, at least 13 tornadoes were recorded in Nebraska and Iowa, Wednesday. The winds reached 70 mph across much of the state.
Brian Barjenbruch of the National Weather Service in Valley (Nebraska), told the Associated Press that it was unusual to experience this many windstorms simultaneously.
“It is very unusual for this to happen in December.”
IOWA – Photos of the Iowa storms rolling into South Ames were shared to social media
According to KCCI the storm raged over the land and quickly subsided, as reported by Des Moines Register. But, it did not stop Jefferson from being flattened, according the Register.
Officials urged people to remain in their homes Wednesday night, as Nebraska officials recorded windspeeds clocking in at 100mph, KETV reports.
Greg Butcher (the city administrator of Seward in Nebraska) said that Wednesday saw a wall of cloud roll towards him as he stood in his city hall office. Butcher stated that he prepared for a big hit, but the most severe damage so far appears to have been a handful of toppled telephone poles.
He said, “We were lucky.” It came in very quickly.
These tornadoes occurred amid record temperatures in Omaha, which reached 71 degrees Wednesday morning.