This story was updated at 11:45 a.m. Friday.
By SALINA POST
The severe storm cell that rolled across central Kansas Thursday night produced several tornadoes and brought heavy rain to Russell, Lincoln and northwest Saline counties.
The National Weather Service reported 6 to 7 inches of rain in central and northeast Russell county over the past 24 hours. Additionally, hail reported by trained spotters was as large as one inch wide.
Just after 5 p.m. Thursday, trained spotters reported multiple funnel clouds east and northeast of Russell. At 5:25 p.m., a trained spotter also reported that a tornado touched down briefly three to five miles northeast of Bunker Hill in Russell County.
Additionally, the Russell County emergency manager reported 1.25-inch hail six miles north of Bunker Hill, and 1.50-inch hail at Lurray, which broke out bank windows.
As the storm moved eastward, there were multiple reports at approximately 5:54 p.m. by trained spotters of a brief tornado touchdown just northeast of Dorrance in Russell County.
Then at 6:20 p.m., a trained spotter reported that a tornado touched down briefly approximately six miles south of Sylvan Grove in Lincoln County. At 6:39 p.m., a trained spotter reported that a tornado touched down briefly in Lincoln County approximately 10 miles north of Ellsworth.
The tornadic activity then moved into northwestern Saline County where a trained spotter reported at 7:26 p.m. that a tornado touched down briefly four miles south of Glendale. At 7:30 p.m., a trained spotter reported that a tornado touched down briefly three miles southwest of Glendale.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning that his office had received no reports of structure damage due to the tornadoes.
Additionally, a couple of vehicles were blown off of Interstate 70 but there have been no reports of injury from Thursday's storm.
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