A massive tornado plowed through the western Kansas City suburb of Linwood, Kan. Tuesday night leaving a trail of destruction and injuries. The twister, which was just one of four that touched down in the metro, was broadcast on area news channels causing one TV reporter to choke up as she viewed the damage.
The storms injured dozens of residents and wiped homes and businesses off foundations but no deaths have yet been reported.
READ: Photos show extent of Jefferson City tornado damage
For Kansas City it was the 12th straight day that at least one tornado was reported, according to the National Weather Service office in Pleasant Hill, Mo.
The central U.S. has actually had record low numbers of twisters for at least 10 years though this year has been closer to normal. The stormy spring weather has made it in to the presidential campaign as Sen. Elizabeth Warren made an erroneous claiming “global warming” is causing record numbers of tornadoes during that same record low period.
But records or not, residents across the Midwest are a little weary of nightly tornado and thunderstorm warnings. According to weather forecasters the pattern may continue for some weeks until warmer Summer weather arrives and the threat decreases.
For Kansas City it has been a particularly busy tornado season. Tuesday night’s large and dangerous tornado touched down on the western edge of the metro, the National Weather Service office reported. The massive twister hit in a relatively low density housing area causing major damage but it could have been much worse. Just a few miles away is some of the region’s most dense neighborhoods of single family homes and businesses.
Debris from the tornado fell for 60 miles in a path that crossed Kansas City International Airport where flights were delayed until the storm passed and runways could be cleared. Passengers were evacuated from terminals and sheltered in the airport’s basement or lower level of parking garages.
At least a dozen people were admitted to the hospital in Lawrence, 40 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the University of Kansas, hospital spokesman Janice Early said. Damage also was reported in the towns of Linwood, Bonner Springs and Pleasant Grove in Kansas.
Severe weather returns to the region this afternoon and evening according to the National Weather Service.