Storms bring power outages, rounds of rain to Kansas City; severe weather looming
More than 2,200 people woke up Tuesday morning to no power after rounds of storms swept across the Kansas City area overnight.
The bulk of the outages were in Liberty, where about 1,900 KCP&L customers were without power as of 6:15 a.m., according to the utility’s website. About a half hour later, power was restored in Liberty and the utility reported that only 671 customers were without power.
Steady rain continued to fall across the Kansas City area as early morning storms brought lightning and thunder.
The Kansas City area was relatively unscathed by the storms that moved through the metro area overnight Monday. But the threat of severe weather continues to loom.
On-and-off showers and thunderstorms are expected Tuesday through Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill.
Widespread severe weather was not expected Tuesday, but a few stronger storms could produce gusty winds of 40 to 55 mph and hail up to 1 inch in diameter. The threat of any tornadoes is low, according to the weather service.
The primary concern is the possibility of flash flooding. A flash flood watch remains in effect for the Kansas City area until 1 a.m. Thursday.
Several rounds of rain are expected between Tuesday and Thursday morning, with 1 to 3 inches of rain expected across a wide area. Some areas could see between 3 and 5 inches of rain. Local streams continue to run high and the ground is saturated from recent rains, according to the weather service.
The stronger storms are likely to move through the Kansas City metro between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Additional rounds of thunderstorms are expected Wednesday, with some of those storms becoming severe in the afternoon and evening.
Heavy rains from these storms could lead to both river flooding and flash flooding. While flash flooding is the primary threat, gusty winds of 50 to 65 mph, golf ball-sized hail and a few tornadoes will be possible.
This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 7:14 AM.
