photo by: Kathy Hanks

Tree limbs are caught in power lines at 2127 Barker St., after severe thunderstorms moved through Lawrence, Friday morning, June 21, 2019.

Story updated at 6 p.m. Friday

A strong thunderstorm raced through Lawrence about 9:30 a.m. Friday, downing power lines, trees and branches.

As of 6 p.m., Westar Energy’s website was reporting power outages at 1,211 households around the city. As many as 7,700 customers were without power on Friday morning.

“Most of the damage we are hearing about are power lines, limbs and trees down,” said Jillian Rodrigue, assistant director of Douglas County Emergency Management, on Friday morning. “We have seen pictures that show tree limbs on cars in several different places, but we haven’t heard of any major damage.”

Rodrigue said the damage was spread from Rock Chalk Park on the west side of the city to Prairie Park on the east side.

“It was pretty widespread with straight-line winds,” Rodrigue said.

That storm was actually the second to hit town Friday morning. The first storm started about 5 a.m, according to Kris Craven, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka.

By 10 a.m. a total of 1.08 inches of rain had been reported at the Lawrence Municipal Airport. Craven said the squall line that moved through Lawrence was quickly headed southeast. Wind gusts of 60 mph were being reported to the National Weather Service in Topeka.

Following the storm, city employees responded to more than 50 requests for help with trees down around town, said Crystal Miles, horticulture and forestry manager for Lawrence Parks and Recreation.

“The wind was serious today. We have been responding to calls for tree issues all over town, from Naismith Street south of (the University of Kansas) campus to Old West Lawrence and North Lawrence,” Miles said.

By late Friday afternoon, Miles said she thought all the tree debris had been cleared from city streets. For homeowners with downed tree limbs in their yards, the city’s compost facility at 1420 E 11th St. will be accepting tree debris and other yard waste from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The cost to drop off debris is $5 per pickup truck load.

More storms are expected to form over the weekend, Craven said. Thunderstorms are possible Saturday night through Sunday night, with temperatures heating up into the 90s.

Monday and Tuesday could bring a break from the storms, Craven said, but the unsettled storm pattern is expected to continue through the next week.

photo by: Kim Callahan

A downed tree limb sits on a car in the 1000 block of Pennsylvania Street, Friday, June 21, 2019, after severe thunderstorms moved through Lawrence.

photo by: Kathy Hanks

A downed tree limb is visible in a yard at 1202 W. 19th Terrace after severe thunderstorms moved through the Lawrence area Friday morning, June 21, 2019.