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Supercell brings wind, hail but not much rain to area
Tuesday supercell
A supercell brought wind and hail but not much rain to Barton and Pawnee Counties Tuesday evening. - photo by Hugo Gonzalez

For all its bluster, a mammoth supercell that worked its way through Pawnee and Barton counties Tuesday didn’t bring much moisture to the area.

Rainfall reports from Tuesday’s storm varied from a quarter-inch low at Susank to a high of 3.1 inches west of Larned, with most reports at an inch-and-a-half or less.

Instead, the storm brought high winds, marble sized hail and visibility and flood hazards to motorists, mostly to the Larned and Great Bend communities, while outlying areas enjoyed on most accounts a short but heavy rain.

Fortunately, the storm did not impact the course of the Wall That Heals as it made its way down the prescribed route through town early Tuesday afternoon to its setup location at Al Burns Field in Great Bend’s Veterans Memorial Park.

By the beginning of rush hour, however, the storm let go, with sheets of rain and hail that tested the mettle of motorists, law enforcement and street crews.

As intersections along 10th Street were beginning to flood around 5 p.m., the railroad crossing at 10th and Harrison malfunctioned, leaving some motorists stalled while others sought alternate routes. Awnings of businesses and residence carports were a welcome temporary refuge, but impacted owner access.

The Great Bend Police Department was inundated with stalled vehicles and other reports for most of the rush hour, leading up to the railroad crossing malfunctioning again at 6 p.m.

The Great Bend Fire Department reported a trampoline that had blown up against a power line in the 100 block of McKinley Street, causing it to arc.

Wheatland Electric also reported a power outage to the Quail Creek area of Great Bend from approximately 8-9 p.m. due to a malfunctioning insulator.

In Larned, meanwhile, pea- to marble-sized hail fell with the rain until about 6 p.m., but citywide damage was limited to small tree limbs and leaves. The Larned Police Department was also busy with motorist assistance as vehicles stalled in various locations of high water in the community.

The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a downed power line at the junction of K-156 and U.S. 183 west of Larned.