Storms break heat wave this week, KCK still recovering from August SPLASH event

After a lengthy late summer heat wave baked the Mid-Missouri River Valley for about 10 days or so, storms reappeared on the radar this past Sunday. For some, the scattered storms brought needed moisture to parched lawns, while others got more than they bargained for with a turn for the severe side.

High winds in one thunderstorm broke power poles and tree branches in parts of Nodaway and Gentry counties near Conception Junction. Another nasty storm downed trees and produced hail as large as golf balls near Pattonsburg. Later that Sunday evening, another severe thunderstorm swept through the St. Joseph area, leaving behind some tree damage in spots, mainly minor. The same storm also left a home heavily damaged by a large tree in Gower, trapping two residents and leaving one with minor injuries.

While strong summer storms occasionally pack a punch in this part of the country, their impacts don’t often involve a lengthy recovery process. Believe it or not, parts of the Kansas City area are still recovering from storms that struck late August 18th and early August 19th. One of the worst hit areas was Wyandotte County, KS, where an emergency disaster declaration was issued by Governor Laura Kelly due to extensive wind and hail damage. This week, that declaration was extended through October 4th, as additional resources are still needed to aid in debris removal and repairs to the electrical grid. 

For more reasons than one, the August storm that has parts of the KC area still picking up the pieces was particularly vicious. The National Weather Service KC/Pleasant Hill Office estimated straight-line winds of 70 to 80 mph produced extensive damage to trees and structures. An astounding volume of wind-driven hail also contributed to damages. Some locations in the path of the storm had to dig out from several inches of hail, which accumulated like snow. This includes the Kansas City Downtown Airport which brought out snow removal equipment to clear the runways.

The National Weather Service deemed the deluge of hail a SPLASH event, an acronym in the weather world for Storms Producing Large Amounts of Small Hail. These events occur when strong organized thunderstorms form in moist environments with a deep warm layer. Strong updrafts are able to loft water droplets high into the freezing layer of the atmosphere, forming lots of hail, which melts into smaller sizes as it surges downward toward the surface. 

In this case, hail loaded downbursts brought a one-two punch of pulverizing hailstones and destructive straight-line wind gusts from parts of KCK eastward to downtown KC and eventually Independence. The lesser-known breed of damaging thunderstorms is one many area residents will never forget.