Two EF-2 tornados hit northeast Kansas, NWS says

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The National Weather Service (NWS) has released new details about the tornados that struck parts of northeast Kansas on Wednesday night.

27 News spoke with NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Chad Omitt about the severe weather experienced on the night of March 13. He spent Thursday surveying storm damage and has confirmed two tornadoes caused damage in Shawnee and Wabaunsee Counties.

Omitt said the tornado in Wabaunsee County is rated as an EF-2 with wind speeds reaching up to 115 mph. No injuries have been reported. Omitt said this tornado primarily caused tree damage but some outbuildings were also damaged.

The second tornado, which touched down near Rossville in Shawnee County, was also rated as an EF-2 with wind speeds reaching 120 mph. Omitt said this tornado damaged homes but resulted in no injuries.

The NWS uses the EF ranking scale to mark the severity of detected tornados. A tornado can be placed anywhere between an EF-0 and an EF-5 rank with an EF-5 being the strongest and most destructive ranking on the list. Nearly 30 different damage indicators are used to judge where a tornado ranks on the EF scale such as structures, trees and building type.

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