WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A line of severe storms that started Sunday in northwest Kansas and moved across the state into Oklahoma has been classified as a derecho.
The National Weather Service is Norman, Oklahoma, said on Monday that the unbroken line of storms produced at least five winds gusts in excess of 70 mph.
According to the weather service, a storm is classified as a derecho if the wind damage swath extends more than 250 miles and has wind gusts of at least 58 mph along its length, along with several larger gusts.
Tornado that killed one in Sedgwick County rated an EF2: NWS
Derechos can happen any time of year but often occur during the summer, when the air is hot and humid.
The word “derecho” was coined in 1888 by Dr. Gustavus Hinrichs, a professor of physics at the University of Iowa. Hinrichs used the term in a paper published by the American Meteorological Journal to distinguish thunderstorm-induced straight-line winds from the rotational winds of tornadoes…