Severe Storm With +100 MPH Winds Leaves 28,000 Without Power, Traffic Signals Out
More than 28,000 customers across Salina and Saline County remained without power as of 5:52 a.m. Tuesday following severe thunderstorms that tore through the area around 10:00 p.m. Monday.
The storm brought sustained winds of 45 mph with gusts reported as high as 113 mph (Category 3 Hurricane Strength - but this data is not confirmed yet and could be an anomaly), causing widespread damage throughout the region. The National Weather Service recorded 1.43 inches of rain during the event.
Extensive Damage Reported
The powerful winds left a trail of destruction across Salina, bending telephone poles and toppling trees throughout the city. Inside city limits, just over 23,000 customers are without electricity, while an additional 5,000 county residents served by other providers are also affected.
Evergy has lost transmission service at multiple substations. Crews are working as quickly as conditions allow to restore power, though restoration times have been delayed.
Impact on Daily Operations
The outage has knocked out power to a large portion of commercial businesses across the city, forcing many to close. Summer school has been cancelled due to the power loss.
Approximately 90% of traffic signals in Salina were flashing red as of 1:52 am. Drivers should treat these intersections as four-way stops until power is restored.
Evergy continues to assess the damage and work toward restoring service to affected customers.
Oakdale Park
