This video shot by Terrence Nichols of Wellington showed the rotating clouds west of Wellington yesterday afternoon.

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The great storm of 2016 passed through Sumner County, not coming close to its pre hype. However, there has been some slight flooding and Woods Park in Wellington is now closed until further notice the city of Wellington just announced.

Sumner County Emergency Management Director James Fair said two funnel clouds formed in the Mayfield-Perth area, but neither one would touch to the ground.

“Not that we know of,” Fair reiterated.

Fair said the funnel system formed just north and west of Perth, but lowered slightly never reaching the ground. The second funnel was located south of Mayfield, but it too did not touch ground. The tornado-like system traveled north and dissipated about two or three miles south of Anson.

As far as hail is concerned, that too would not match the hype. Fair said there was some quarter to half-dollar sized hail in the Conway Springs area. But the rest of Sumner County was spared of any hail damage.

The county did get some nice rain from the storm. Wellington received one inch of rain. Argonia had 2.5 inches. Belle Plaine had 1.34 inches and there was two inches in Peck.

“It varied greatly across the county,” Fair said.

The storm, overall, will not be a memorable one and failed to meet the hype generated on social media and the various weather stations.

“This was the first major weather event of the season,” Fair said. “The weather service wanted to get people’s attentions, hoping so people could protect themselves. Oftentimes that results in overplaying the situation.”

Fair said there were over a hundred storm chasers in the area, mostly private individuals looking for an adrenaline rush (more on that later). He said it is a situation that is creating issues for those who are professionally trained to handle weather situations.

The storm at one point on Monday was considered to be a major one.

According to the National Weather Service on Monday:

“Supercell storms will have the potential to produce long-track, damaging tornadoes along with destructive hail greater than three inches in diameter.”

The potential for serious weather comes from a combination of a low pressure cold front that was established in eastern Colorado that moved towards Hays and then south toward Wichita Falls, Texas. A potent dry line was extended from near Salina eastward.

As these two frontal systems collide during the afternoon (heating hours), and with mid-level winds pulling warm moist Gulf air northward, helping to create unstable areas in the atmosphere…thus the south/north development of severe super cell thunderstorms will be possible.”

But by Tuesday morning, the NWS determined that the potent dry will continued to move through the area at a high enough pace that the severe thunderstorm tornado like did not have time to develop in Sumner County. 

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