The towering storm system loomed in the Monday night sky over Ron and Debbie Sickler’s Louisburg, Kansas, home.
In videos the Sicklers shared with The Star, tornado sirens could be heard sounding in the distance as imposing clouds crawled across the sky, occasionally lit up by lightning.
The system, which cut south of the Kansas City metro Monday night, produced destructive tornadoes and left a swath of damage in its wake in several communities south of the metro.
The National Weather service said the system produced a EF-2 tornado in Ottawa, Kansas, before developing a second tornado near the Hillsdale Lake area in northern Miami County. That tornado also reached an EF-2 level and struck the small town of Hillsdale.
Both communities began picking through damaged buildings on Tuesday.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 6:02 PM.
Related Stories from Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star
Nathan Pilling is a breaking news reporter for The Kansas City Star. He previously worked in newsrooms in Washington state and Ohio and grew up in eastern Iowa.