Storms roll through Midwest with hail, winds

More strong storms rumbled through the Midwest overnight with a tornado reported in Kansas and other places seeing heavy rain, large hail and strong winds.

The National Weather Service said a tornado was confirmed near Cedar Vale, Kan., Monday night. It also cited hail the size of ping-pong balls.

In the Kansas City area, Kansas City International Airport recorded about a half-inch of rain on Monday. Downtown Airport had nearly 3/4 of an inch. Both New Century AirCenter near Gardner and Pleasant Hill, Mo., had nearly an inch. Lee’s Summit had less than 1/10th of an inch.

On Sunday, 1.14 inches of rain fell at Kansas City International Airport, while nearly an inch of rain was reported at St. Joseph. Downtown Airport had 1/2 inch, Pleasant Hill had 3/4 inch and New Century AirCenter had 1 1/2 inches.

Chances for thunderstorms returns Tuesday night into Wednesday as a frontal boundary lifts north through the area, according to the National Weather Service.

Rain totals through Wednesday high should be about 1/4 inch, with some areas hit by thunderstorms receiving higher amounts.

Another round of storms will be possible Thursday night into Saturday as a cold front slowly moves through the area.

Tuesday’s highs are expected to be in the lower to middle 80s. Hot conditions are expected Wednesday and Thursday with highs in the middle 80s to lower 90s. Heat index values could reach the upper 90s to near 100 degrees.

During Monday’s storms, hail nearly 2 inches in diameter was reported near St. Louis. Rain fell at nearly an inch per hour.

The weather service issued a flood warning for Dardenne Creek because of the 2 to 4 inches of rain since Monday evening, with up to an inch more forecast before dawn.

Two tornadoes hit earlier Monday in northern Michigan. Jim Keysor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said they damaged property but caused no injuries. To the south, flooding closed some roadways.

A storm spotter was hospitalized in Iowa on Monday after he was struck by lightning while watching a system a night earlier that left swollen rivers, power outages, trees down and campers overturned. Crawford County Emergency Management Director Gregory Miller said the man was treated at a Sioux City hospital.

Winds of at least 70 mph knocked down trees and left limbs and other debris strewn about in Denison and Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, where a few people were treated for minor injuries. Heavy rain estimated at about 6 inches in two hours caused flash flooding. Several highways were covered at various points during the storm.

About 70 residents of a neighborhood in Missouri Valley, Iowa, were evacuated after water from the overflowing Boyer River broke through a levee early Monday near U.S. Highway 30. A shelter was set up in the city of 2,700, but most people were staying with relatives or friends, Mayor Clint Sargent said.

Staff and wire reports

This story was originally published September 2, 2014 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Storms roll through Midwest with hail, winds."