Two hurt as storm that might have included a tornado does considerable damage at Overbrook
A storm that may have included a tornado did considerable damage about 6:17 a.m. Tuesday at Overbrook in northeast Osage County.
Two people were taken to a hospital with injuries suffered when the mobile home they were in was thrown into a field, said relatives, who weren't willing to share their names.
A confirmed tornado then touched down at 6:27 a.m. Tuesday in the area of the unincorporated community of Richland in far southeastern Shawnee County, the National Weather Service said.
A storm spotter watched the twister on the ground as he called in the report to the weather service, said Brandon Drake, a meteorologist for its office in Topeka.
Damage "consistent with a weak tornado" was subsequently located in the area of S.E. 105th and DuPont Road, said Dusty Nichols, director of Shawnee County Emergency Management.
Cars, roofs and trees suffered damage
Car damage, minor roof damage and uprooted trees were located in a roughly quarter-mile area, Nichols said.
The weather service was sending a team to the area Tuesday to assess damage and confirm whether the storms were indeed tornadoes at both Richland and Overbrook, Drake said.
More than 2,000 homes and businesses without power early Tuesday
Tuesday morning's damage came as severe thunderstorms swept through northeast Kansas.
More than 120 electrical power outages affecting 4,871homes and businesses remained in effect early Tuesday afternoon in the area served by the Evergy electrical utility, including northeast Kansas, Evergy reported on an online "outage map" it maintains.
The weather service had cautioned Monday that Tuesday morning's storms might involve "a tornado or two."
Shawnee County's first twister this year came March 13, when a tornado measuring at EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale touched down near Rossville.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Storm that might have included a tornado does damage at Overbrook
