A Kansas tornado (Photo credit: NOAA)
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Forecasters Call Saturday Storms "Life Threatening"
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — The National Weather Service says fierce storms are likely Saturday in a band running through the middle of the nation from Texas north to Minnesota. The Norman, Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center's predictions were highlighted when a twister touched down nearby Friday afternoon. Norman Regional Hospital spokeswoman Kelly Wells says about 10 people were treated for "bumps and bruises. The tornado was part of a large storm system expected to pass through the nation's midsection Saturday and Saturday night.
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One Western KS Tornado Causes No Significant Damage
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The National Weather Service is reporting that a tornado was on the ground for about half an hour in a rural area in southwest Kansas. But meteorologist Mike Scott says there have been no reports of significant damage. The tornado developed on the Ford and Hodgeman county line north of Dodge City. The closest it came to Dodge City was about 10 miles.
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Weather Outlook Prompts Schools to Move Proms to Other Locations
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Saturday's threat of powerful tornadoes has administrators at some Kansas high schools taking no chances with student safety. KSNW-TV reports at least three high schools in south-central Kansas are moving their Saturday night proms to safer locations. Goddard High School's prom had been planned for a hall in Wichita. But principal Doug Birdwell says administrators decided Friday to hold it in the school itself, where students can take shelter in safe rooms if needed. Maize and Valley Center high schools are also moving their proms to buildings with FEMA storm shelters. Those measures would make sense to residents of Hoisington, where a massive tornado struck without warning on April 21st, 2001. Students attending prom at Hoisington High School huddled in the basement as the twister tore the roof off the building.
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KS Air Base Moves Expensive Tankers Due to Risk of Large Hail
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita is relocating 16 aerial refueling tankers because a series of storms could pelt the area with large hail. Base spokeswoman, Lt. Jessica Brown, says the KC-135 Stratotankers were being moved to Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. She described the relocation as a precaution, noting the planes would be costly to fix.
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Forecasters: Dangerous Storms Moving into Midwest
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Baseball-sized hail has been tearing the siding off homes in northeast Nebraska, a tornado touched down in Kansas and forecasters are warning residents across the nation's midsection to brace for "life threatening" storms. The National Weather Service says a rain-wrapped tornado touched down in southwest Kansas Saturday afternoon, while at least three possible tornadoes were reported earlier in central Oklahoma. No injuries were immediately reported. But forecasters are expecting the most dangerous weather later in the day and are warning residents across the region of possible fast-moving tornadoes overnight. Officials say a large area spanning from Minnesota to Texas could be at risk. In Nebraska, Boone County Sheriff David Spiegel says large hail also damaged vehicles and shattered windows in and around Petersburg, about 140 miles northwest of Omaha.
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