A powerful tornado struck Kansas in the U.S. on Friday evening, leaving a trail of destruction, knocking out power for thousands but reportedly causing only a handful of injuries.
Dramatic footage of the twister was captured by extreme meteorologist Reed Timmer from multiple angles.
In one video shot from the ground, the tornado can be seen rotating and gathering force as it lofted debris into the air in all directions, tearing through the small suburb that's located just about 15 miles east of Wichita. Timmer said the tornado strengthened so rapidly that it went "from 10 [mph] to 300 mph in seconds."
Destructive tornado tearing through Andover KS minutes ago pic.twitter.com/O5KL1Zdcrk
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) April 30, 2022
In another video, recorded by Timmer using a drone, the twister can be seen forming as a rope tornado and twisting a path of destruction as it ripped through Andover. Officials said nearly 1,000 buildings in Andover were damaged or destroyed.
As of Saturday morning, Andover Police reported that Highway 54 through the town was still closed.
The tornado that hit Andover was part of a larger system of severe weather that moved through the nation's midsection late Friday.
According to numerous reports in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri late Friday, multiple homes and businesses sustained damage as severe thunderstorms erupted.
The storms produced hazards ranging from grapefruit-sized hail to damaging winds and tornadoes. The preliminary reports included 14 tornado reports, around 130 wind reports, and over 85 hail reports across six states as of early Saturday morning.
"The storms from the afternoon through the overnight from Kansas and Nebraska to Oklahoma and Missouri, were powered by an area of low pressure which took shape in central Kansas earlier on Friday," explained AccuWeather meteorologist Joseph Bauer. A slew of storm reports, including four preliminary tornado reports, were sent to the local National Weather Service office after 8 p.m. on Friday.
