Kansas districts dismiss early as Wibw Weather threat grows
Wibw Weather drove early dismissals and closures across Kansas on Monday as school districts moved students out ahead of severe storms later in the day. As of 10:30 a.m., Ell-Saline, Southeast of Saline, Twin Valley and Chapman had changed schedules, while Lyons opened a second tornado shelter for residents.
Saline County schedule changes
The Southeast of Saline school district dismissed classes at 2:30 p.m. Monday and moved its eighth-grade promotion from Monday evening to Tuesday. The district posted: “Please make all necessary arrangements for the early dismissal as we try to beat the storms predicted for this evening,” a note that tied the schedule change to the timing of the forecast.
Ell-Saline dismissed students at 1 p.m., Twin Valley Schools in Ottawa County dismissed students at 1 p.m., and Chapman in Dickinson County ended its day at 2 p.m. Those changes came as the severe weather threat spread across multiple counties before the evening storm window.
Salina Library and Lyons shelter
The Salina Public Library closed at 2 p.m. because of the severe weather threat. In Lyons, the city opened a second tornado shelter and directed residents needing shelter to City Hall at 201 W. Main Street.
The shelter move gave Lyons residents another place to go before the stronger storm period later Monday. The warning area was forecast mainly along and east of a Russell to Pratt line, with the most severe weather risk centered ahead of the evening line of storms.
Monday storm window
A cold front moving across Kansas later Monday was expected to trigger another round of severe storms. Storm Team 12 said very large hail, intense wind gusts and a tornado or two were possible between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m.
That timing kept the day split in two: early changes in classrooms and public access, then the later arrival of the most serious weather risk. For people in the affected districts and in Lyons, the practical step Monday was to leave early, reroute evening plans and use the shelter option already opened.
