On Monday afternoon, strong to severe thunderstorms blew through Johnson County and much of the Kansas City metro, knocking down trees and cutting power to thousands of residents.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the region at about 1:40 p.m. That watch warned of the potential for widespread hail, possibly as large as apples, and scattered wind gusts that could reach 70 mph.
About two hours later, the first severe thunderstorm warning was issued at approximately 3:20 p.m. Forecasters warned of the potential for up to ping-pong ball-sized hail across much of Johnson County…