Thousands left without power as severe storms, 70 mph winds sweep across Kansas City
Thousands of people in the Kansas City area were waking up without power Wednesday after strong and severe thunderstorms swept through the area.
Winds of 70 mph were reported in St. Joseph and the north side of the Kansas City metro area as a line of showers and thunderstorms rolled through. The severe weather was over in the Kansas City area by 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 55,000 customers lost power to the storms, with most of those in the Kansas City area, Evergy said on Twitter. The utility had restored power for more than 80% of the customers affected.
As of 8:05 a.m., Evergy was reporting 9,025 of its customers were without power. The areas hardest hit was Clay County, which reported 2,009 customers without power, followed by Jackson County with 1,613 customers without power. In Platte County, 1,025 customers were left in the dark along with another 1,115 customers in Buchanan County.
Meanwhile, there were 471 customers without power in Johnson County and 156 customers without power in Leavenworth County
“The widespread storm damage means that we do not have restoration estimates currently,” Evergy said on Twitter. “Our crews will be working to restore power for our customers as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Evergy urged people to watch out for tree limbs that were in contact or could come in contact with power line. People should not attempt to remove them.
“Please stay at least 35 feet away from downed lines or limbs on lines,” the utility said.
Meanwhile, there were 469 customers without power in Johnson County and 156 customers without power in Leavenworth County
The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities reported that 562 customers were without power in Wyandotte County.
In Independence, 936 customers were in the dark, according to Independence Power & Light.
This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 7:48 AM.
