Power outages, 3-inch hail, downed trees and power lines in south-central Kansas
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Storms knocked out power to 85,000 homes and businesses across south-central Kansas.
- Gusts reached 102 mph at Wichita airport and hail up to 3 inches was reported.
- Evergy deployed over 1,000 responders as downed trees hinder cleanup.
More than 10,000 homes and businesses in Wichita were without power as of 11:50 a.m. Wednesday after storms throughout the day Tuesday hit south-central Kansas, bringing hail up to 3 inches and wind gusts around 80 mph.
The storm knocked down trees and power lines. First responders in Augusta reported a snapped power pole leaning onto a home, according to reports to the National Weather Service in Wichita.
It also led to flooding that left some motorists stranded.
Power outages
About 11,800 homes and businesses remained without power around 10:15 a.m., the Evergy power outage map showed At its height, around 85,000 homes and businesses were without power, Evergy said.
Evergy has around 1.68 million customers in its coverage area, which spans from central Kansas into western Missouri.
“Early morning storms included winds in excess of 100 mph and rounds of evening storms included tornado and flood warnings,” Evergy said. “The strong storms resulted in trees, wire and poles down throughout the area.”
Evergy said it has crews from five states joining its Kansas workers to help restore power.
“Today a workforce of more than 1,000 line and vegetation personnel and support teams will be working in the Wichita area,” Evergy said.
Storms hit
Wichita first saw severe weather between 4 and 5 a.m. Tuesday. At 4:22 a.m., the NWS in Wichita said it clocked a wind gust at 101 mph — it actually was 102. The measurement was taken at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, where the NWS in Wichita is housed.
“Take cover now if you are in the path of this storm!” the NWS in Wichita said.
The storm also brought heavy rains.
The rains and winds subsided by late morning, but storms started again around 5 p.m. and continued until around midnight. The highest wind gust measured at the airport was 44 mph between 8 and 9 p.m.
Both storms caused damage, including power outages. Most of Sedgwick County saw over 3 inches of rain on Tuesday, according to the Kansas Mesonet.
Here are some of the reports made to the weather service about the evening storm:
5:08 p.m.: Emergency management, presumably Sedgwick County Emergency Management, reported “several powerlines down throughout the metro.”
5:13 p.m.: An estimated 60 to 70 mph wind gust was reported at Pawnee and Oliver. A trained weather spotter reported the gust.
5:22 p.m: Law enforcement reported 1.75 inch hail four miles south, southwest of Conway Springs in Sumner County.
5:34 p.m.: A trained weather spotter measured hail at 2.75 inches five miles southeast of Conway Springs.
5:35 p.m.: A trained weather spotter reported an estimated 80 mph gust two miles east of Andover in Butler County.
5:35 p.m.: Emergency management reported a vehicle stalled in water at 15th Street North and Westridge in Wichita.
At 5:36 and 5:39 p.m., emergency management also reported a vehicle stalled in four feet of water in Bel Aire and a vehicle stalled in water one mile northeast of downtown Wichita.
5:38 p.m.: Someone reported a two-foot wide “trees down.”
5:52 p.m.: First responders reported a snapped power line leaning on a home in Augusta.
6:35 p.m. Someone in Wellington reported “flooding on all the roads through downtown” and on parts of Highway 160.
7:27 p.m.: Storm chaser Hunter Hurley tweeted a photo of 3-inch hail he found near a Casey’s in Arkansas City. In a tweet just before that, he reported hail cracked a windshield in Arkansas City.
There were also reports of high wind gusts and hail in south-central Kansas through 9 p.m.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 12:15 PM.