Strong winds associated with an intense low pressure system reached speeds over 80 mph at times and did extensive damage over the area that was estimated in the millions of dollars. Most of the damage occurred to homes, power lines and businesses.
Every event with a place to put it; 23 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS TOP wrote it up.
Strong winds associated with an intense low pressure system reached speeds over 80 mph at times and did extensive damage over the area that was estimated in the millions of dollars. Most of the damage occurred to homes, power lines and businesses. Near Ottawa the winds blew the roofs off of 2 barns and destroyed several farm sheds. Also near Ottawa a barn was blown onto highway 68 as winds of 85 mph were recorded at the Ottawa airport. Traffic lights were blown down in Topeka. Windows were blown out of many homes across the area. Large trees were severely damaged and vehicles were overturned on area roads. Three semi tractor trailers were overturned on Interstate 70 between Topeka and Maple Hill. A semi was overturned on Interstate 70 13 miles east of Junction City along with several other vehicles. Power outages occurred from downed power lines. It was the worst windstorm over a widespread area in many years.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 11, 2:45 AM CST, 9 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
345 AM CDT WED APR 11 2001
THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE THIS MORNING AND THEN WIND AND TEMPERATURES ARE
MAIN CONCERNS.
ENERGY FROM UPPER LOW SPINNING OUT INTO STATE SENDING FINAL BAND OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EAST OUT OF CENTRAL KANSAS. MODELS FAIRLY SIMILAR
THROUGH ABOUT 24 HOURS. VERTICAL MOTION FIELDS STRONG THROUGH THE
MORNING HOURS THEN DECREASE RAPIDLY OVER ALL BUT FAR NORTHERN AND NORTH
CENTRAL COUNTIES IN THE AFTERNOON. WILL KEEP THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
EAST IN THE MORNING HOURS SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE. FOR THE AFTERNOON MODELS
DRIVING A MID LEVEL DRY SLOT OVER THE EAST AND WILL GO WITH JUST
PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. WILL KEEP SOME CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL UNDER COLD UPPER LOW AND WRAP
AROUND. WIND WISE...WILL HAVE A WIND ADVISORY FOR ALL BUT THE FAR
WESTERN PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL WHERE SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK...BUT
THESE SHOULD PICK UP HERE AS WELL BY LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TEMP
WISE NEAR GUIDANCE OVER THE WEST AND A LITTLE ABOVE OVER THE EAST.
FOR TONIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY...MODELS SHOWING SOME LOW LEVEL RH PIVOTING
SOUTHWARD. H850 MB WIND IN THE 40 TO 50 KT RANGE AND WILL KEEP ADVISORY
FOR THE EVENING HOURS EAST. LOWS TONIGHT NEAR GUIDANCE OR SLIGHTLY
ABOVE. DIMINISHING WINDS ACROSS AREA DURING THE DAY THURSDAY.
GOING WITH COMPORMISE ON MAV/FWC NUMBERS FOR HIGHS AND LOWS THURSDAY
NIGHT.
.TOP...WIND ADVISORY TODAY INTO THIS EVENING FOR ALL BUT CLOUD...REPUBLIC
...OTTAWA...WASHINGTON AND CLAY COUNTIES.
PFPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
742 AM CDT WED APR 11 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0515 AM 4 SW MILLER KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 LYON ROOF BLOWN OFF AND
1 WALL OF SHEDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
744 AM CDT WED APR 11 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0128 AM SCANDIA KS 65 MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 REPUBLIC
0130 AM 4 NE CONCORDIA KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 CLOUD BARN DESTROYED ABOUT 3
TO 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF
CONCORDIA.
0135 AM 3 S CONCORDIA KS 60 MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 CLOUD AT BLOSSER AIRPORT
0139 AM 3 ENE BELLEVILLE KS 60+ MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 REPUBLIC
0210 AM 3 W WASHINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON POSSIBLE TORNADO,
DAMAGE TO MACHINE SHED.
0215 AM WASHINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON ALONG HIGHWAY 36, POWER
LINES DOWN HADDAM TO
WASHINGTON.
0215 AM 3 N WASHINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON HOUSE WINDOWS BLOWN OUT.
0215 AM 8 E HOLLENBURG KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON ROOF BLOWN OFF OF
BUILDING.
0435 AM BURLINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 COFFEY POWER LINES AND TREES
DOWN AT NUMEROUS
LOCATIONS ACROSS THE
COUNTY. (NON TSTM WINDS)
0455 AM POMONA KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 FRANKLIN DAMAGE TO HOUSE AND
BARN ROOF. SPORADIC
DAMAGE REPORTS COUNTY
WIDE. (NON TSTM WINDS)
0509 AM EMPORIA KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 LYON LARGE TREES DOWN.
0515 AM 4 SW MILLER KS MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 LYON WIND DAMAGE ROOF AND 1
WALL OF SHED
0520 AM 4 N OVERBROOK KS NON TSTM WINDS
04/11/01 OSAGEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
858 AM CDT WED APR 11 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0340 PM 1 N TUTTLE CREEK RES KS WIND DAMAGE
04/10/01 RILEY BOAT DOCK AND 2 BOATS
DAMAGEDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
945 AM CDT WED APR 11 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0505 AM LE ROY KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 COFFEY TREES UPROOTED, SHEDS
LEVELED, SEVERAL POWER
POLES AND POWER VLINES
DOWN, POWER OUT UFN.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
948 AM CDT WED APR 11 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0135 AM 3 S CONCORDIA KS 60 MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 CLOUD AT BLOSSER AIRPORT
0139 AM 3 ENE BELLEVILLE KS 60+ MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 REPUBLIC
0210 AM 3 W WASHINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON POSSIBLE TORNADO,
DAMAGE TO MACHINE SHED.
0215 AM WASHINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON ALONG HIGHWAY 36, POWER
LINES DOWN HADDAM TO
WASHINGTON.
0215 AM 3 N WASHINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON HOUSE WINDOWS BLOWN OUT.
0215 AM 8 E HOLLENBURG KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 WASHINGTON ROOF BLOWN OFF OF
BUILDING.
0435 AM BURLINGTON KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 COFFEY POWER LINES AND TREES
DOWN AT NUMEROUS
LOCATIONS ACROSS THE
COUNTY. (NON TSTM WINDS)
0455 AM POMONA KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 FRANKLIN DAMAGE TO HOUSE AND
BARN ROOF. SPORADIC
DAMAGE REPORTS COUNTY
WIDE. (NON TSTM WINDS)
0500 AM LE ROY KS MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 COFFEY TREES UPROOTED, SHEDS
LEVELED, SEVERAL POWER
POLES AND POWER LINES
DOWN, POWER OUT UFN,
0509 AM EMPORIA KS WIND DAMAGE
04/11/01 LYON LARGE TREES DOWN.
0515 AM 4 SW MILLER KS MPH TSTM GUST
04/11/01 LYON WIND DAMAGE ROOF AND 1
WALL OF SHED
0520 AM 4 N OVERBROOK KS NON TSTM WINDS
04/11/01 OSAGEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
23 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2001
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5240249, 5240250, 5240251, 5240346, 5240347, 5240348, 5240349, 5240350, 5240351, 5240352, 5240353, 5240354, 5240355, 5240356, 5240357, 5240358, 5240359, 5240360, 5240361, 5240362, 5240363, 5240364, 5240365.