Kansas Tornado Outbreak, April 23, 2026: Five Confirmed Tornadoes Sweep the Flint Hills

Severe thunderstorms producing tornadoes moved across eastern Kansas on the evening of Thursday, April 23, 2026. A Tornado Watch was in effect across portions of central and southeast Kansas until 11 p.m. CDT, and the National Weather Service confirmed multiple tornadoes on the ground between roughly 6:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. CDT, primarily through the Flint Hills counties of Wabaunsee, Lyon, and Morris.

Unlike the April 17 event that damaged Belton and Raymore on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro, tonight's touchdowns largely spared the KC metro itself. The story of this outbreak sits about an hour to the southwest, in small prairie communities that took direct hits.

The most significant confirmed damage of the evening occurred near Lake Kahola in Morris County, Kansas. According to preliminary Local Storm Reports from the NWS Topeka forecast office, a tornado touched down at approximately 6:29 p.m. CDT one mile west of Dunlap and tracked southwest, with damage reported at 4 miles southwest of Dunlap near Lake Kahola.

The NWS relayed a report from local emergency management noting at least three homes damaged near Lake Kahola from a tornado, with an additional report of a roof blown off of a home near Kahola Lake. One of the earlier LSRs also noted the tornado was confirmed by photo on social media.

Lake Kahola is a recreational reservoir in Morris County, roughly an hour southwest of Topeka and about two hours from downtown Kansas City. No fatalities or injuries have been reported as of this writing.

Initial National Weather Service Local Storm Reports described "at least 3 homes damaged near Lake Kahola" — an accurate floor based on the evening-of reports available. As of Friday morning, local news outlets covering the lake community have expanded that picture considerably.

KVOE radio in Emporia reports that nearly 20 structures at the lake were damaged, along with an Airbnb rental property. Four garages were demolished and four boats were flipped on the water. Several limestone fence posts — a Flint Hills signature — were ripped out of the ground, a detail that will inform the National Weather Service's EF-rating calculation in the official damage survey.

Lake Kahola sits on the Chase–Morris county line, not solely in Morris County as the LSRs placed the touchdown point. The Chase County Sheriff's Office told KAKE-TV in Wichita that the most severe damage was on the northeast side of the lake, in Morris County. Emergency officials reported no injuries — the strike hit cabins and outbuildings, not occupied primary residences.

The storm knocked out power to lake-adjacent buildings for hours. Additional coverage from KWCH-Wichita and KSN-Wichita confirms the consolidated picture.

The same line of storms produced at least three additional confirmed tornadoes across adjacent Flint Hills counties in rapid succession:

- Eskridge, Wabaunsee County — WIBW-TV in Topeka reported that at 6:15 p.m. CDT a confirmed tornado was located 5 miles northwest of Eskridge, moving east at 30 mph. - Bushong, Lyon County — KSNT-TV reported a tornado was detected near Bushong at 6:30 p.m. CDT. - Harveyville, Wabaunsee County — KSNT confirmed a tornado four miles southwest of Harveyville around 7:10 p.m. CDT.

Eastern-Kansas supercells on the evening of April 23 were capable of producing long-track tornadoes, and it is possible the Eskridge–Bushong–Dunlap/Kahola path was a single long-track event rather than a family of shorter tornadoes. The NWS damage survey will resolve that question; formal EF ratings are pending.

The Kansas City metropolitan area was placed under tornado warnings on the evening of April 23, including a warning for portions of Clay County and Jackson County, Missouri, but KCUR reported that the metro primarily experienced heavy rain, quarter-sized hail, and strong winds rather than a confirmed tornado.

Evergy reported more than 5,700 customers without power at the height of the storms, with additional outages across Board of Public Utilities and Independence Power & Light service areas. No structural damage from a tornado was reported inside the metro proper.

NWS Topeka storm survey teams are expected to be on the ground in Wabaunsee, Lyon, and Morris counties beginning Friday morning, April 24. Those surveys will:

1. Confirm whether the Flint Hills touchdowns were a single long-track tornado or a family of shorter tornadoes. 2. Assign Enhanced Fujita (EF) ratings based on observed damage. 3. Produce path-length and width measurements for each tornado. 4. Catalog the number of structures damaged or destroyed at each touchdown point.

This article will be updated as survey results are released. For the most current Local Storm Reports, see the SPC Storm Reports page and the NWS Topeka public information statement feed.