TOPEKA (KSNT) — The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed one of the tornados that hit northeast Kansas was an EF3. The deadly tornado that hit the town of Westmoreland now has an official rating. The NWS confirmed to 27 News that the tornado is rated as an EF3. The path length of that tornado was 2.5 miles long, with wind speeds at 130-140 miles per hour. Two other tornadoes hit northeast Kansas counties Tuesday afternoon. The NWS said the tornadoes that went through Nemaha County and Williamstown in Jefferson County are rated EF1's. For more local news, click here. Keep up with t ..read more

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly plans to veto the new tax package passed by the state Legislature in an overnight session Wednesday. The governor's Chief of Staff, Will Lawrence, sent the following statement to Nexstar's Kansas Capitol Bureau. “Governor Kelly will veto the tax plan agreed to in Conference Committee Report for Senate Bill 37. She will call the Legislature back into legislative session if this is the tax plan sent to her desk.” Governor Kelly's Chief of Staff Will Lawrence The tax package, which passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, includes a two-r ..read more

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The Shawnee County Planning Commission will consider a wind energy ban and a one-year solar energy moratorium. At 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13, a public hearing will be held at the East Wing of the Great Overland Station at 701 N Kansas Ave. “This public hearing process is a very important step to take as Shawnee County considers banning wind farms, and a moratorium on solar farms,” Director of the Shawnee County Planning Department Joni Thadani said. “We look forward to hearing from the community. Even if you are unable to attend in person, you can watch the meeting on the Shawnee ..read more

WESTMORELAND (KSNT) - With families picking up the pieces after a tornado ripped through Westmoreland, these programs could provide the financial assistance needed to make it through. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Department offers single-family housing repair loans and grants in Kansas for families badly impacted by severe weather. The Section 504 Home Repair program provides loans or grants to very low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards. The maximum loan amount is $40,000, the maximum grant amount is $10,000 and they can be combined for a tota ..read more

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Topeka's Customer Service Center, Water Pollution Control facilities and Topeka Fire Station 11 are experiencing outages after a fiber optic line was cut. After 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the City of Topeka announced some services were experiencing outages. Customers calling for these services may experience delays, according to the city. City spokeswoman Taylor Bugg says the outage isn't impacting emergency services. If you need services performed by the City Express Center, you can still walk in for assistance at the Cyrus K. Holliday Building at 620 SE Madison. Images show destru ..read more

WESTMORELAND (KSNT) - KSNT News compiled photos and videos of the damage caused by a tornado that hit Westmoreland, a town of about 700 people. On Wednesday, 22 houses were destroyed or deemed "unlivable", three RVs were damaged and 13 residences and businesses were damaged after a tornado struck Westmoreland. According to Pottawatomie County Public Information Officer Becky Ryan, one person was killed. At a news conference Tuesday evening, she confirmed that three Westmoreland residents were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Images posted to social media showed a tornado on the groun ..read more

We'll have a, nearly, stationary front draped across the area today, and that may be the focus for some showers and storms to develop later this morning. While those are not expected to become severe, there may be some hail embedded in the strongest cells. More storms are expected to develop to our west and move eastward later this afternoon and evening. Some of those storms, at times, could become strong or even severe. Damaging wind gusts, large hail, and isolated tornadoes are all possible again later today. Scattered showers and storms continue through the day Thursday, and several inches ..read more

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Following a round of deadly storms Wednesday night, the Soldier Township Fire Station is providing a place to safely discard tree debris. Soldier Township announced it would be opening the Road Department West Yard to assist in debris removal in Topeka. If you have tree debris you can dispose of it at 334 NW 62nd St in Topeka for the rest of the week ..read more

WESTMORELAND (KSNT) - Evergy provided an update on the storms that caused severe damage in northeast Kansas. Evergy says the tornado in Westmoreland damaged the city's electrical system. There were almost 1,000 customers without power. Additional crews were called in from surrounding areas to help restore power and rebuild. They said crews would be in the area today to do clean-up work. "Unfortunately, given the substantial damage to some homes due to the tornado, we won't be able to restore power at this point as structural repairs and rebuilding is needed," Evergy Communications Manager Kale ..read more

JUNCTION CITY (KSNT) - USD 475 approved the hiring of a new Lincoln Elementary and Spring Valley Elementary principal at the last regular school board meeting. At Lincoln Elementary, Daniel Dinkel was hired to take over the 2024-24 school year following the retirement of long-serving principal Kathi Teeter. Dinkel is currently an instructional coach at Eisenhower Elementary. Dinkel has worked as a district STEM coach and as a fourth-grade teacher at Sheridan Elementary from 2007 to 2015. At Spring Valley Elementary, Abby Allen will be replacing principal Sierra Jackson who will retire at the e ..read more