Ottawa County Fire District #4 Bennington

06/13/2026

OTTAWA COUNTY 2:35 PM — A Tornado Watch has been issued to include Ottawa County until 11:00 PM.

06/13/2026

Seasonably cool and mostly dry conditions are expected Sunday and Monday with isolated or widely scattered storms returning to the area late Tuesday.

06/13/2026

Severe Storm Outlook Through 7 PM: Numerous storms will rapidly develop along a southeastward moving cold front in parts of central and northern Kansas. These storms will drift to the east/southeast through 7 PM. The strongest storms may produce wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph, large hail up to golf ball size, and locally heavy rain. A brief tornado may also be possible. Other activity may develop ahead of the front in parts of central and south central Kansas, also capable of producing severe weather.

06/13/2026

06/13/2026

Scattered to numerous storms are possible across much of the area on Saturday afternoon and night. Some of the storms could produce severe weather. In addition, heavy rain may lead to flooding and flash flooding, especially in southeast Kansas.

06/12/2026

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma until 9 PM CDT

06/12/2026

OTTAWA COUNTY 5:20 PM — SHELTER WILL BE CLOSING @ 10:00 PM if nobody has checked in. Over the last few 24 hours, we’ve only had a few residents need to use the shelter, and we did not have anyone stay overnight. With power restored to most areas in the county and temperatures cooling down today, we have decided to close the shelter down tonight if nobody has checked in by 10:00 PM. If you need to stay at the shelter tonight, please call 785-392-7096 before 10:00 PM, or check in at the Minneapolis High-School Gym before 10:00 PM. IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF TRANSPORTATION TO THE SHELTER, it is available upon request before 8:30 PM by calling 785-392-7096.

06/10/2026

Thunderstorms could develop along a weak cold front between 3 and 10 pm today. If storms form, they could be capable of large hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall. Additional chances for storms and severe weather are forecast for Thursday and Saturday.

06/10/2026

(6/10) POWER OUTAGE UPDATES 10:00 AM:

ALL OF OTTAWA COUNTY —
We are setting up a cooling station in the basement of the Ottawa County Courthouse.
A/C, drinks, snacks, and device charging will be provided. Transportation (including handicap-accessible transport) to the cooling center in Minneapolis is available upon request by calling Marie Ballou at 785-392-7294 after 11:00 AM.
Additionally, The Golden Wheel Senior Center in Minneapolis is able to provide cooling, water, device charging & WiFi, card/domino games, and pool tables between now and 2:00 PM. The Golden Wheel Senior Center is located at 114 S Concord in Minneapolis and can be reached by phone at 785-392-3338.

BENNINGTON & STATE LAKE —
Our Emergency Response Unit has been set up at the corner of Nelson Street & W Washington St in Bennington. This unit provides a small room with A/C that can be used to step out of the heat, grab a bottle of water, and charge your devices. Evergy believes they will have power restored to Bennginton, eastern Ottawa County, and SE between late this afternoon and tomorrow mid-day.

TESCOTT, CULVER, and ADA —
We are working with Kansas Department of Emergency Management to get additional resources sent to Tescott, Culver, and Ada with plans for those resources to be centrally located in Tescott. Transportation to the Minneapolis cooling station (including handicap-accessible transport) is available upon request by calling Marie Ballou at 785-392-7294 after 11:00 AM. Evergy estimates that power will be restored late tomorrow for the south-central and SW portions of Ottawa County. We are planning on opening an overnight shelter for residents who are in need of one. Saline County will also be opening a new shelter at the United Methodist Church of the Cross in Salina. More details will be published soon via the Ottawa County Emergency Management Facebook story posts.

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