Blow Kansas winds blow! Kansas is known for the winds of the plains. Sunday a strong south wind blew through Kansas on into Nebraska with wind gusts reported from 40 upward of 50 miles per hour. As I drove to church, going west to east on the highway, I had to keep a tight hold on the steering wheel as I tried to keep the vehicle on the roadway. The main door into the church foyer opens to the south. After the service as people opened the door to walk out and the blast hit them. One small woman had a hard time standing up as she walked toward her car. It was not a good hair day for sure.
On the way home, there were places along the roadway where the dirt from the newly planted wheat fields, and the dust off the freshly harvested milo fields, blew across the road making it hard to see. Dried milo leaves flew up heading northward. A couple leaves hit my windshield. I was glad to arrive home but then it was a challenge to make my way from the garage to the house, carrying my purse, books and Bible. My hair whipped about in the wind and I was glad to get through the back door and into the comfort of my house.
Looking out the patio window, the wood post that held one of the bird feeders was blown over and post and feeder were lying on the ground. A plant stand that was stationed on the patio table had been blown over. It was rolling across the deck. A rug placed on the front porch floor was blown across the porch. The swings in the swing set were blowing back and forth as if someone was using them. Dried leaves off the trees in the yard were swirling here and there.
I wondered how strong Kansas wind gusts have gotten. After doing some research, I found they could be worse. One hundred, one miles per hour wind gusts were reported at the airport in Wichita on July 14, 1948. On July 8, 1996, wind gusts were 76 miles per hour, and on June 29, 2013, the wind gusts were 89 miles per hour. Compared with these reports, Sunday’s winds were just a Kansas breeze.
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