Severe thunderstorms swept through the Kansas City metro on Tuesday evening, October 13, bringing damaging winds, a brief tornado warning, and widespread power outages.
What happened
Weather service alerts for parts of Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties in Missouri warned of winds up to 60 mph, with some warnings citing gusts as high as 80 mph. Central Clay County, including Gladstone, Liberty, Claycomo, Excelsior Springs, and Pleasant Valley, was briefly under a tornado warning that expired without incident. A flood watch remained in effect into Wednesday morning.
The outage numbers
Outage totals climbed through the evening. Evergy reported just under 20,000 customers without power around 7:40 p.m., about 33,000 by 8 p.m., close to 44,000 before 9 p.m., and more than 50,000 by 10:30 p.m. The Board of Public Utilities in Wyandotte County reported several hundred outages. Evergy said high winds caused downed wires and broken poles and that crews began repairs right away.
What to do if you’re affected
- Check Evergy’s outage map or the Board of Public Utilities site for current counts and restoration estimates, since numbers change quickly.
- Treat any downed power line as live and stay well away from it. Report it to your utility.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to help food stay cold longer.
- Use flashlights rather than candles, and never run a generator indoors.
- Avoid driving through flooded roads, and treat dark traffic signals as four-way stops.
Why it matters
October storms like this one are less common than spring storms but can be just as disruptive, especially with trees still holding leaves. It’s a good reminder to keep a basic outage kit: batteries, a phone charger, and some shelf-stable food.
Looking ahead
This post reflects reports from Tuesday night. Check local weather and utility updates for the latest on restoration and any additional damage.
