Heat Persists in the South Central U.S. and Southwest; Heavy rains in the Desert Southwest and Central Plains

Sweltering heat remains across the South-Central Plains, Lower/Middle Mississippi Valley, and the Southwest this week with limited nighttime relief. Thunderstorms will bring heavy rainfall leading to localized flash flooding in portions of the Desert Southwest and central Plains. Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across portions of the central Plains into the Northeast. Read More >

Overview

On Monday evening (4/13/26), scattered severe storms developed across portions of east central Kansas. Very large hail up to baseball size (2.75 inches) were reported from Lyon, Osage, and Franklin counties. Additionally, two tornadoes were confirmed, one of which produced a wide swath of EF-2 damage across Ottawa in Franklin county. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured from these events. Timelapse to right is of the rain wrapped tornado near Ottawa, KS, as seen from due east (courtesy of Daniel Reese).

Tornado
Hail
Photos & Video
Radar
Storm Reports

Tornadoes:

Tornado - OTTAWA
FRANKLIN COUNTY

Date	04/13/2026
Time (Local)	7:23 PM - 7:48 PM CDT
EF Rating	EF-2
Est. Peak Winds	125 MPH
Path Length	7.30 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	3/0
Summary: A tornado quickly developed a few miles west of Ottawa before entering the southern side of the city. Much of the damage occurred to businesses and homes in Ottawa and locations just east of the town.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - QUENEMO
Osage County

Date	04/13/2026
Time (Local)	7:02 - 7:03 PM CDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	65 MPH
Path Length	0.03 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A brief tornado occurred and was confirmed by multiple reports and video from trained spotters.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Hail

Large hail up to baseball size was reported Monday evening in and around Ottawa.


Hail Up to 2 Inches in Diameter in Ottawa (courtesy of Kevin Snider)	Hail Up to 2 Inches in Diameter in Ottawa (courtesy of Kevin Snider)

Photos & Video

Tornadoes and Damage


Courtesy of John Kulmann. Ottawa Kansas took a direct hit from a significant tornado. This was the tornado near the 15th Street area, East of main.	Tree Damage in Ottawa	Damage to Motel in Ottawa	Damage to Home Near Ottawa

Radar

Tornado Reflectivity and Velocity Images from Ottawa and Quenemo


KEAX Reflectivity and Velocity of Ottawa Tornado at 7:26 PM CDT	KEAX Reflectivity and Velocity of Ottawa Tornado at 7:39 PM CDT	KTWX Reflectivity and Velocity of Quenemo Tornado at 7:02 PM CDT

Storm Reports

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Heat Persists in the South Central U.S. and Southwest; Heavy rains in the Desert Southwest and Central Plains

Severe Storms and Tornadoes Hit Eastern Kansas 04/13/2026