As large hail and damaging winds swept through the Kansas City area Tuesday night, a Reddit user posted , “Looks like we get to test the Tonganoxie Split.”
In Kansas City weather lore, the small Leavenworth County town of Tonganoxie has an outsized role. Located about 35 miles west of Kansas City, with a population of 5,573, Tonganoxie gives its name to the legend of the “Tonganoxie Split,” which is mentioned in social media comment sections whenever there’s severe weather.
As most urban legends go, the definition of the “Tonganoxie Split” is as cloudy as a rainy day.
The “Tonganoxie Split” is loosely described as a phenomenon where storms and tornadoes coming across Kansas split north and south or dissipate as they reach Tonganoxie, sparing the Kansas City area from the storm’s worst effects.
Is the ‘Tonganoxie Split’ a real thing?
According to National Weather Service meteorologists Hallie Boza and Brent Pesel, it’s not.
“It’s not been seen scientifically to have any real impact, and there are storms that go over there all the time,” Boza said.