Power remains out to thousands as Hays cleans up from an early morning storm that brought strong winds and more than an inch of rain.

According to Matt Gerard of the National Weather Service, winds in Hays were reported at 80 mph at just before 6 a.m. — when a tree branch fell and broke monitoring equipment.

Gerard said the storms developed in northeast Colorado overnight and moved east-southeast. When the front rolled through Graham County, meteorologists were seeing the possibility of tornadic activity.

“That signature diminished and went away,” Gerard said. “That’s when it took on a bow echo configuration … which is indicative of a lot of wind.”

Midwest Energy was reporting more than 180 outages across Ellis and Russell counties, with about 4,400 customers affected. Some the outages could be prolonged, Midwest said. Click HERE for Midwest’s online outage viewer.

“Midwest Energy’s electric system was hit hard by storms the morning of July 13. At 8 am, there are more than 4,400 customers now without power in Ellis and Russell Counties. Due to the number of poles down, the cities of Victoria, Gorham and portions of eastern Ellis County and Russell County could be without power into the evening, or longer. Residents are encouraged to prepare now for a prolonged outage,” the utility said in a statement. “If you encounter; please DO NOT try to move a downed line yourself! Call it in at 1-800-222-3121 and we’ll respond as quickly as possible. Dozens of Midwest Energy crews, and contract crews from across Kansas are in route to assist with restoration efforts. We thank you for your patience as we work to safely restore power.”

Portions of the exterior of Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hays State University were torn off by the strong wind, as well.

Check Hays Post for more information as details become available.

Damage in Victoria