A tornado that struck east central Kansas caught forecasters off guard, leaving Ottawa, Kansas residents to clean up widespread damage the next morning, after an earlier National Weather Service outlook showed almost no chance of tornadoes that day.
The article describes how the National Weather Service issued a warning only minutes before the storm hit, and says the tornado did not seriously injure anyone despite major property damage. Still, it reports that forecasters typically know hours in advance where tornadoes are likely, and that this event was unusual.
Coverage points to reduced weather observation capacity as a concern. It describes staffing losses at the National Weather Service since Trump took office and says that on the morning of the April 13 Ottawa tornado, weather balloons were not released in vast areas that would normally be covered. The piece also notes that the National Weather Service says nearly all balloon sites are functioning normally, while meteorologists and others argue that missing or delayed balloon data can degrade forecasts because models depend on timely observations.
For Kansas residents trying to stay prepared, the article includes local severe-weather guidance from the National Weather Service office in Topeka, Douglas County Emergency Management alerts and storm-damage reporting contacts.