Summer storm causes hail, high winds and power outages in Salina

By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

A summer storm that hit Salina and Saline County on Thursday night resulted in heavy rain, golf ball-sized hail, high winds and lightning that caused nearly 2,000 homes in south Salina to lose power.

According to the National Weather Service in Wichita, a slow-moving isolated storm system moving from the northeast through central Kansas reached Saline County about 7 p.m. Thursday.

High temperatures in the area, which reached 103 degrees earlier in the day, caused the atmosphere to become extremely unstable, said Chris Jakus, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wichita.

"When it gets that hot, there's just enough focus for the storm to fire with the heat to produce hail and high winds," he said.

Salina received about 1.7 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service station at the Salina Municipal Airport. Golf ball-sized hail also was reported at the airport weather station.

The amount of rainfall was even greater just south of Salina. Nearly 3 inches of rain was measured along a small area between Smolan and Assaria.

Storm spotters and Salina law enforcement officials reported wind speeds of up to 60 mph across the southern portion of Salina. Large tree limbs and power lines were also reported down in some parts of the city.

Tree limbs hitting power lines on Kirwin Street west of Kansas Wesleyan University about 7:30 p.m. caused nearly 1,800 homes and businesses in an area of south Salina to lose power. Downed power poles also were reported in south Salina and near Smolan, causing another 200 area residents to lose electricity, said Tom Sydow, regional director for Westar Energy.

Power was restored to most customers by 9 p.m. Sydow said, although some crews had to work through the night to repair damaged lines.

"The wind and lightning caused most of the damage to the transformers," he said. "I'm surprised we didn't have more."

The wind was so strong at rural Salina resident Darrell Allison's home that it raised the roof off his pole barn and snapped the poles out of the ground at the barn's east end.

"There was tin and lumber in my trees and in my pasture about 1,000 feet away," said Allison, 3442 S. Burma.

Additionally, sliding glass doors leading to Allison's indoor swimming pool flew off their tracks and two trampolines in his backyard were catapulted over a row of evergreen trees.

While the trampolines suffered major damage, Allison said, the sliding glass doors survived relatively unscathed.

"It didn't break them up," he said. "They were leaning against my truck."

Although the temperature in Salina topped 100 degrees again Friday, some relief is on its way, Jakus said. There is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today, resulting in a cold front that will drop temperatures Sunday to a high of 88 degrees followed by a week of temperatures in the mid-90s.

"The air also will be drier, so there will be a noticeable difference," he said.

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.

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