Feb 27, 2023

9 tornadoes Sunday in Kansas, Oklahoma and NW Texas

Posted Feb 27, 2023 5:00 PM
 A 345-kv transmission line belonging to Sunflower Electric, the  power supplier for Wheatland Electric that was damaged in Sunday's storms-photo courtesy Wheatland Electric
 A 345-kv transmission line belonging to Sunflower Electric, the  power supplier for Wheatland Electric that was damaged in Sunday's storms-photo courtesy Wheatland Electric

SEWARD COUNTY —Parts of southwest Kansas, Oklahoma and northwest Texas counted the injured and surveyed the damage Monday after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through.

Police in Norman, Oklahoma, responded Sunday night to storm damage in parts of the city, about 20 miles south of Oklahoma City. Officials said there were 12 confirmed weather-related injuries there, none considered critical.

80 mph winds in Haskell County in southwest Kansas caused damage Sunday night.-photo courtesy Thunder Strike Bowling in Sublette
80 mph winds in Haskell County in southwest Kansas caused damage Sunday night.-photo courtesy Thunder Strike Bowling in Sublette

Crews canvassed the damaged area looking for others who might be injured. Possible tornadoes and wind gusts as high as 90 mph  were reported in Oklahoma, with downed trees and power lines, road closures and damage to homes around Norman and Shawnee.

Frances Tabler, of Norman, told KOCO-TV that she suffered a small cut on her head when a storm hit her home, tearing off much of its roof and sending debris flying. She said it was a miracle her children weren't hurt, although her daughter was trapped for awhile in a bedroom.

“I could hear the wind coming. All of a sudden all the back windows, where the kids bedrooms are, I could hear them just crashing, busting out. And I got up, and then the wind just threw me back, and I’m screaming," Tabler told KOCO. “It was just like a blizzard in the house with all the debris flying. I was screaming for my kids.”

Tornadoes touched down Sunday near Liberal, Kansas and near Ingalls in Gray County Kansas according to the National Weather Service. More than a dozen homes were reported damaged.

NWS Dodge City
NWS Dodge City

There were reports of nine tornadoes in Kansas, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas, said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster for the weather service. Weather service teams planned to survey storm damage Monday to determine the strength of the tornadoes.

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SEWARD COUNTY— Severe weather rolled across Kansas Sunday night with tornadoes, damaging winds and heavy rain.

The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes in Seward and Gray County. In Liberal, several homes, trailer houses, highway signs and sheds were damaged, according to Sgt. Efrain Chavez with the Seward County Sheriff's office.  Portions of the county also had a brief power outage. 

Some buildings were damaged and power poles down in Gray County, according to Emergency Management Preparedness Coordinator Sean Wendel.

In Finney County, U.S. 50 from Holcomb to Anderson Road in both directions is closed the next two days as crews repair downed power lines from Sunday's storm. Tyson employees, other motorists are advised they cannot take the highway to the plant.

Wind gusts of over 80 miles per hour in Sublette downed power poles and damaged a bowling alley at 1103 West La Lande Avenue, according to the Haskell County Sheriff's office. There are no reports of injuries from the storm.