Straight-line wind microburst of 70-90 mph hits Oakland, north Topeka during thunderstorm

TOPEKA ( KSNT ) – A representative of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Topeka is weighing in on the damage caused by Wednesday night’s storm that caused damage in several neighborhoods.

Chad Omitt with the NWS told 27 News a thunderstorm downdraft of 70-90 mph winds was responsible for causing damage in the north Topeka and Oakland neighborhoods on Aug. 14. These winds hit the area around 10:30 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., knocking down tree limbs and power lines.

Omitt said the damage cannot be attributed to a tornado but rather to straight-line winds known as a downburst or microburst. The damage caused by these dangerous winds is “some of the worst” Omitt has seen in his time at the NWS office in the Oakland neighborhood.

“I have not seen damage that bad here in Oakland,” Omitt said.

The NWS is continuing to gather information about possible tornadic activity in northeast Kansas from Wednesday night. Omitt said there is evidence of a possible, brief tornado in an uninhabited area consisting of pasture land west of Topeka around 7:25 p.m. on Aug. 14.

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