Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly declares state of disaster emergency ahead of severe weather (2024)

MORE MUGGY RIGHT NOW THAN IT WAS YESTERDAY AT THIS TIME. THE DEW POINTS CLIMBED UP INTO THE 60S. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY MORNING. THIS STRONG SOUTHEAST WIND IS BRINGING IN ADVECTING IN THIS VERY TROPICAL AIR MASS, AN IMPORTANT INGREDIENT FOR SEVERE WEATHER. AND WE’RE GETTING THAT KIND OF SET IN PLACE HERE IN KC. HERE ARE THE DETAILS YOU NEED TO KNOW RIGHT OFF THE BAT. TODAY IS A WEATHER ALERT DAY. SO SPECIFICALLY BETWEEN 8 P.M. TONIGHT AND 1:00 TOMORROW MORNING. THAT’S WHEN WE’RE GOING TO HAVE STORMS ROLLING IN WITH DAMAGING WIND. I’M NOT EVEN GOING TO WORRY ABOUT THE HAIL. IT’S THE DAMAGING WIND AND THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES THAT I WANT TO PREPARE YOU FOR. LET ME SET THE STAGE. THIS IS A RADAR OF THE LAST HOUR, AND WHAT POPS UP IS THE WELL, LET IT POP UP AGAIN. THE TORNADO WATCH THAT WILL GO UNTIL 7 P.M. AND LEADING INTO THAT RIGHT NOW IS THE FIRST THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AND ALREADY THEY’VE GOT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. WE’RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT SHOWERS COMING UP FROM OTTAWA, BUT THAT’S NOT GOING TO INHIBIT OUR STORM DEVELOPMENT LATER TONIGHT. THIS IS WHERE THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS CIRCLED THE RISK OF SEVERE, SEVERE WEATHER. ON A SCALE FROM PARK CITY TO VERY LIKELY AND WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT HERE IN THIS ORANGE AREA WHERE OUR THREATS WOULD BE PRIMARILY 60 TO 75 MILE AN HOUR STRAIGHT LINE WIND. AND THAT POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES AND THE TORNADO RISK KEEPS GETTING HIGHER WITHIN OUR VIEWING AREA. THINK GARNETT LA CYGNE YOU’RE IN THIS AREA, SHADED IN RED, WHERE LARGE TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE, INCLUDING LARGE HAIL. AND THEN THAT JUST WORSENS BETWEEN WICHITA AND OKLAHOMA CITY. WE’RE LOOKING AT STRONG, DAMAGING LONG TRACK TORNADO AND GIGANTIC HAIL. 2 TO 4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL MAY FALL TONIGHT NEAR OKLAHOMA CITY. OKAY, I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING I DON’T USUALLY SHOW, BUT BECAUSE WE’VE GOT SO MANY STORM CHASERS IN TOWN, I WANT TO SHOW YOU THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE USE. THIS INDICATES TO US WHERE STORMS MAY ROTATE. ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS ARE WHAT PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND CAN PRODUCE A TORNADO. NOT ALL ROTATES. THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE A TORNADO, BUT I CAN AT LEAST SHOW YOU WHERE THE ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE AT 6:00. THEY’RE DEVELOPING NEAR WICHITA. WATCH AS THAT LINE DEVELOPS. CONTINUES MOVING EAST. I WANT TO PAUSE IT HERE AT 8:00. WICHITA IS RIGHT HERE. THAT’S A SIGNIFICANT ROTATING THUNDERSTORM VERY CLOSE TO WICHITA. WE’LL BE TRACKING THAT FOR YOU. NICK BENDER IS GOING TO BE OUT IN STORMTRACKER 9 KEEPING AN EYE ON THESE STORMS FOR US AS THEY GET CLOSER TO THE METRO. LET’S CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. WE’RE AT 11:00. NOTICE WE START TO GET THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME ROTATION IN THAT SQUALL LINE THAT COMES THROUGH. BUT THEN THIS IS AS WE APPROACH 1:00. THIS LOOKS REALLY BAD IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA. AND THAT CONTINUES TO MOVE OFF TO THE EAST WITH THAT POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING LONG TRACK TORNADOES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WHEN THAT IS THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME. THERE’S NO GOOD TIME FOR A TORNADO LIKE THAT, BUT WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE IT, THAT’S OFTEN VERY SCARY. THIS IS ANOTHER VIEW OF FUTURESCAN, THE ONE THAT YOU’RE MORE FAMILIAR WITH. THIS SHOWS US THE INTENSITY OF THE RAINFALL WITH THESE AS THEY MOVE IN, AND GIVES US AN INDICATION OF WHERE THOSE CELLS WILL BE. HERE’S OUR SQUALL LINE AROUND 930 COMING THROUGH THE METRO AREA. AND THAT’S WHEN WE EXPECT OUR WORST WEATHER. OBVIOUSLY, THAT WILL BE WHEN WE GET THOSE SEVERE STORMS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF SEVERE STORMS. HAVE YOUR SAFE PLACE HANDY. ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, THERE IS ANOTHER RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER JUST EAST OF KANSAS CITY, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE COAL CAMP AND WARSAW AND PARTS OF SEDALIA.