SALINA — A very uncommon atmospheric nighttime event known as a heat burst hit Saline and Ellsworth County overnight.

Gerilyn Billings Wright of the National Weather Service in Wichita reported that the temperature just before midnight in Salina jumped to 96 degrees.  The temperature  jumped to 97 degrees between midnight and 1 a.m. in Ellsworth.

The thunderstorms that rolled across the state brought gusty winds that dramatically increased temperatures and created a significant decrease in dew point as the storm weakened.

Billings Wright said, “Wind speeds peaked at 43 miles per hour and the relative humidity in Ellsworth County dropped to 17 per cent during the event.”