Two tornadoes touched down and knocked out power Sunday night in Johnson County: NWS
At least two EF-1 tornadoes caused damage as they tore through Johnson County, Kansas Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The first tornado started near Mill Valley High School in Shawnee around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a storm survey from the National Weather Service. It crossed the campus of the high school and moved northeast across Monticello Road, fizzling out around 10:36 p.m. on Johnson Drive.
The tornado moved for 1.75 miles in total, reaching wind speeds up to 110 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Mill Valley High school was closed for classes Monday after the storm damaged a gas line connected to the school’s HVAC system.
The second tornado was reported on the west side of Prairie Village, starting at 10:39 p.m. The twister moved northeast through Prairie Village toward Fairway, according to the NWS, before ending near Mission Hills at 10:50 p.m..
The Prairie Village tornado reached top speeds of 95 mph, the NWS reported. It mostly caused the type of damage you would see from an EF-0 tornado.
EF-1 tornadoes can move up to 110 mph — not enough to tear the roof off a house, but enough to rip off shingles.
Meanwhile, EF-0 tornadoes are weaker, staying under 100 mph, and are capable of taking a the gutter off of a house.
Storm damage was significant Sunday night in Johnson County and beyond, as reports of downed tree lines and power outages dominated several counties.
Over 19,000 Evergy customers were still without power in the Kansas City metro and Eastern Kansas on Monday morning.
At one point, 93,000 people were without power, Evergy reported.
Multiple schools in Olathe, including Prarie Trail Middle and Meadow Lane Elementary, also canceled classes due to damage or power loss.
Smaller storms could be seen tonight near the Iowa and Nebraska borders, according to the NWS, with quarter-sized hailstones.
Depending on how storms develop into Tuesday, additional tornadoes could hit southern Missouri later in the week.
Previous reporting by Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Robert Cronkleton and Andrea Klick were used in this article.
This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 6:48 PM.
