This is a developing story and will be updated.
Strong winds blew rain sideways across the Kansas City metro on Thursday night.
At 9 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Clay County and Jackson County, which was in effect until 9:45 p.m. It also reported quarter-sized hail. The entire metro area was blanketed by thunderstorms and heavy rain.
Sirens hit in midtown and downtown Kansas City around 9:16 p.m.
Evergy reported 5,700 customers without power as of 9:35 p.m. The Board of Public Utilities had more than 3,200 outages as of 9:41 p.m. Independence had 44 customers without power.
Authorities said flying debris are dangerous to those caught without shelter. Tornado warning conditions mean mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed, and roofs, windows, vehicles and trees will see damage.
