The video, submitted by a person named Kayla Calkins, shows a vehicle driving through a storm in Lakin, a city in the state’s southwest region.
The camera captures a few trucks and the overhead signals of a railroad crossing. Country music plays through the vehicle’s speakers. However, the swirling dust quickly swallows those objects. The sound of dust and debris hitting the vehicle drowns out the music.
The headlights of an oncoming vehicle briefly reveal themselves just before the video ends.
High winds throughout the state have reached speeds of 84 to 90 miles per hour, according to KAKE-TV. The winds have caused low visibility on roadways and multiple vehicle collisions, according to The Kansas City Star. At least 29 road closures in the state were reported by 4 p.m. Wednesday, including major interstates.
“Motorists should continue to use extra caution and avoid travel if possible,” the Kansas Department of Transportation said in a Wednesday news release.
Troopers in the state’s north-central region were dispatched to help four semi-trucks that the winds toppled over, the Star reported. At least three other semis elsewhere in the state were also overturned by the wind, the news outlet noted.
The debris also caused delays at the nearby Kansas City International Airport as work crews toiled to sweep it away so planes could take off and land.
Strong winds ripped a wall off of the Frito Lay plant in Topeka, the state’s capital city, WIBW reported. Winds also tore off the roof of the Caldwell Elementary School’s gymnasium in Wichita, The Wichita Eagle reported.
The winds have caused power outages across the state, as well. Over 100,000 outages in the east Kansas region appeared on an outage map generated by Evergy, a regional electric utility company. Evergy said it will take days to restore power to some of the hardest-hit areas, according to KMBC.
Concurrently, there have been reports of numerous large fires across western Kansas, according to Andrew Lyons, a forecaster at the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center. The fires have exhibited quick spread rates and “extreme behavior,” Lyons added, with firefighting crews unable to extinguish them due to road closures and blowing dust.
The NWS warned those living close to the fires to prepare for evacuation. Meanwhile, the strong winds have blown the smoke and ash into nearby areas, reducing visibility and clean air.
