KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The deadly tornado that tore through Westmoreland, Kansas, Tuesday night packed winds of 140 mph, making it an EF3 tornado.
The National Weather Service released its preliminary storm review Wednesday afternoon, estimating the storm traveled more than 2 1/2 miles at a maximum width of 100 yards over an eight-minute period.
One person died and three others were injured in connection to the storm.
That storm continued to track east, sliding north of Topeka and Lawrence before losing strength as it approached the Kansas City area.
The storm also produced tornadoes near Grantville, Kansas — northeast of Topeka — and Williamstown — north of Lawrence.
Williamstown experienced an EF1 with 107 mph winds. NWS reported the six-minute storm was 1.88 miles in length and 100 yards in width.
Weather officials are still reviewing reports to determine the severity of the storm in Grantville.
The Westmoreland EF3 tornado is the strongest in the area since an EF4 tornado struck parts of Linwood, Kansas, in May 2019. The last EF-3 in the state of Kansas was on April 29, 2022 in Andover. For those wondering, the last EF-3 tornado in Missouri took place on Oct. 24, 2021 near Fredericktown.
One additional tornado was reported Tuesday night in north central Kansas. Weather officials said an EF1 tornado formed in Vermillion, Kansas. The storm, which packed 110-mph winds, traveled more than 3 1/2 miles before dissipating in Centralia.
Evergy, which provides utility service in the area, said the Westmoreland tornado caused "significant damage to the area's electrical system." The company estimated most customers had power restored overnight.
We extend our gratitude to the Evergy crews who worked through the night to restore power to our communities in northeast Kansas after Tuesday evening’s storms. Our crews head into dangerous situations as these storms cause great damage to safely restore power in our communities. pic.twitter.com/pjLraW3uAc
— Evergy (@evergypower) May 1, 2024
KSHB 41 meteorologist Cassie Wilson contributed reporting to this story.
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