A torrential downpour swept through the eastern half of Kansas and Nebraska on Friday, sending tornadoes, catastrophic gusts of wind and heavy hail to both states. A large tornado developed just before sunset in the eastern suburbs of Wichita before entering the city of Andover, where it caused significant damage. There are no immediate reports of injuries, but many homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) declared a state of emergency after the storm. The swirl on social media showed a swift, violent storm destroying Andover like a saw. Among the structures that suffered severe damage was a YMCA where cars flew into the building, which partially collapsed. “The Andover YMCA suffered significant damage as a result of the storm that hit the Andover region this afternoon,” the YMCA wrote in Wichita on its Facebook page. “We are grateful that all the staff and members who took refuge in the branch at the time of the storm were not injured.” The Wichita Eagle reported that twelve houses were destroyed in a nearby subdivision. The Andover tornado was among 14 reports of spinning in the plains received by the National Weather Service on Friday night, 11 from Kansas and three from Nebraska.
How the Andover tornado developed As it approached a cold front, a rotating storm or superstorm formed over Wichita. The isolated cell evolved from a sub-severe storm to a tornado in about 30 minutes. As it passed through Andover, about 10 miles east, the tornado hurled debris up to 21,000 feet. Early analysis shows that the Andover tornado can score at least EF3 on a scale of 0 to 5 for tornado intensity. Additional storms swept through the area as the cold front passed, complicating initial response efforts. The first tornado warning was issued for Hurricane Andover at 8:10 p.m. central time. At 8:13 p.m. a confirmed tornado was monitored near the city. It continued northeast to El Dorado, where a tornado was reported southwest of the city at 8:51 p.m. The same storm triggered additional tornadoes east of El Dorado, where a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” triggered a particularly dangerous warning. At 9:32 p.m. the great tornado was located 15 miles west of Eureka and was flooded by a series of storms to the west, eventually reducing the threat of a tornado. The storm broke Andover about 31 years after an even more devastating tornado. On April 26, 1991, an F5 twister, the highest possible score, roared in parts of the city, killing 17 and injuring 225. It was part of a fire that dropped 55 tornadoes on the plains. One of the most viewed tornado videos of the season came from McConnell Air Force Base as it passed. Additional storms that formed earlier in the day in the north, especially near the Kansas and Nebraska borders, also caused several tornadoes. For the most part they seem to have hit fast and weakly, causing little impact. Several reports of gusts of wind up to 80 to 90 mph were recorded by the Meteorological Service. A report of a four-inch hailstorm came from northeastern Kansas with the first round of thunderstorms. The possibility of heavy hail south in Oklahoma was blocked by a layer of hot air called a cap. A lid tends to prevent storms, but when it does break, storms can break out and quickly turn violent. such was the case in Andover. Jason Samenow contributed to this report.
