OTTAWA – A small but powerful storm pelted Ottawa and Franklin County with heavy rain, hail and high winds late Tueday afternoon. The storm system erupted just south of I-70 and then went southeast, ripping into Franklin County, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jarrod Leighton. The storm kept barreling to the state line where it weakened, he said. Golfball and baseball-sized hail and winds of 60 miles an hour were reported in Franklin County during the storm, breaking some windows near Centropolis. Four inches of rain was recorded at KOFO in a little more of an hour. The Ottawa water plant, which is the official National Weather Service reporting station, recorded 3.75 inches in north Ottawa. The storm produced flash flooding in Ottawa streets and yards. At one point, water rose so quickly the Ottawa Fire Department was called to rescue a woman stranded in a car in two to three feet of water in the Wal-Mart parking lot near KFC. The woman had gotten out and walked away from the car before firefighters arrived, Fire Chief Jeff Carner said. Eight to10 inches of water was reported along parts of Cedar Street at the height of the storm. The intersections at 23rd and Eisenhower and 5th and Poplar were underwater for some time. Kansas City Power & Light reported power outages in the northwest part of Franklin County and most of Miami County Tuesday evening. There were otherwise no major flooding or damage reported in Miami County, the sheriff’s department said.
Wednesday, June 19, 8 a.m.
