Storms pack nearly 90 mile an hour wind, cause widespread power outages across Kansas

A severe thunderstorm that packed nearly 90 mile per hour winds swept through Emporia overnight.

The ASOS site at the Emporia airport measured a wind gust at 89 miles per hour just before 1:30 a.m.

The Lyon County Emergency Communications Center had intermittent phone service following the storm. Calls were transferred to surrounding counties to handle the high load.

At one point early Friday, over 15,000 Westar customers were without power across the state, as the storms started in Central Kansas before midnight and swept eastward through the early morning hours.