... On this date in weather history...
In 1990... the infamous "inland hurricane" roared across
south central Kansas. A 30 mile wide path from Pratt to
Emporia was whip lashed by 80 to 120 mph winds. Several
buildings were unroofed... and almost all of the TV and
radio stations were knocked off the air. These
incredible winds caused $80 million damage and injured 33
people. In 1992... two rounds of severe thunderstorms
ravaged south central Kansas. Round one struck early in
the morning when severe thunderstorms erupted over
Sedgwick County... bombarding some areas with hail as
large as softballs. Later that morning... round two
struck an even larger area with baseball to softball
sized hail. The two episodes combined to injure 59
people... and caused around $650 million damage. At the
time... it was the costliest natural disaster in Kansas
history.
