Tornado hits northwest Kansas town; latest to batter western plains
SELDEN, Kan. (NewsNation Now) — A tornado caused lots of property damage, but no serious injuries, in the northwestern Kansas town of Selden as strong storms raked the area, the National Weather Service said.
Sheridan County officials reported the tornado hit around 6:30 p.m. Monday, tearing off roofs, crumbling the stone and brick walls of downtown buildings, uprooting trees and crumpling at least one farm silo.
“We know a tornado touched down in Selden,” National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Neilson, in Goodland, told The Associated Press early Tuesday. “We have a survey team out there now to assess the damage and should have more information later in the day.”
Neilson said the team will determine the scale of the tornado. It was one of nearly half a dozen cyclones to touch down in the state Monday.
Sheridan County Sheriff Brandon Carver says 38 properties in and around town suffered major damage from the storm, while another 84 suffered minor damage.
The storm was the latest severe weather cell to batter western plains states this week. On Sunday, there were 86 reports of severe weather, bringing large hail & damaging winds. A total of 14 tornadoes were reported in Colorado and South Dakota alone.
Neilson said residents in northwestern Kansas should be prepared for flash flooding on Tuesday after the storms dumped up to 3 inches of rain in some places, and more storms could hit the area again starting Wednesday.
The National Weather Service is predicting severe thunderstorms for a swath of the country spanning from Southern Oklahoma to the greater St. Louis area.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KSN-TV contributed to this report.