Andover, Kansas struck by intense damaging tornado

Tornado watchers know the name. Andover, Kansas. The city was struck by an F5 tornado during a major tornado outbreak in April 1991.

Andover was hit again during a regional tornado outbreak Friday that focused its fury on the eastern half of Kansas and Nebraska. The Andover tornado was one of what was probably more than a dozen twisters, but it seems to be by far the most intense of the day.

Given the tornado’s apparently strong to violent nature on video as it passed through parts of Andover, the fact there are only a handful of injuries reported thus far is quite remarkable. KAKE out of Wichita was reporting at least one serious injury as of publish, with initial emergency response to the tornado ongoing.

Initial radar analysis suggests that the tornado will be rated in the EF3 to EF4 range. Debris was tossed to 21,000 feet.

The mayor of Wichita tweeted that 50-100 structures were damaged, mainly in Andover but also in eastern Wichita. In a news briefing, it was stated that almost 1,000 structures were in the tornado’s path, although it was unclear how much each was affected.

This is a developing story