The Tonganoxie Split
 

I was talking to one of my customers today that lives in Valley Center, KS outside Wichita. He was telling me most of the heavy storms that head that way split, and the bad stuff either goes just North, or swings around to the south down by Andover.

West of KC there's a phenomenon I've been aware of since I was a kid called the "Tonganoxie Split." Same kind of deal. When a bad line of storms approaches KC, it tends to split in two, with the really bad stuff going just north or just south of the Metro.

Have you heard of that term, and what do you think? Is it a real thing? I believe it is!

https://www.reddit.com/r/kansascity/...s_radar_image/

The lay of the land can absolutely influence how storms track.

We have a similar phenomenon that most attribute to the geography of eastern SD and extending into western MN...it's called "Buffalo Ridge"... and, yes, it seems pretty real most of the time.

https://www.keloland.com/weather/how...n-our-weather/

I’d heard KC avoids tornadoes largely because of all the buildings which prevent surface winds from gaining speed. That’s prob apocryphal but I’ve heard that

I have always heard that rivers and waterways contribute to paths tornados take. Don’t know if it’s true or not but seems to work around my area.

my Dad said the Native American Indian community around Carthage used to claim a tornado would never hit the town because; something about how the town was basically encapsulated by rivers and (I guess) the belief was that a tornado couldn't cross the rivers? No idea - I just remember hearing that.

I've heard the term "Tonganoxie Split" in relation to weather and in relation to harlots plying their trade behind the Casey's so take your pick.

Most definitely heard of it from my time in Lawrence. We always thought it was the river that caused, but really have no idea.

We experienced the same in Frisco, TX. The prevailing thought is that the hot concrete caused the split.

ROFL

I was raised in Parsons, KS. The Native American leaders in the 1800s told the settlers that tornadoes wouldn't go into the area where the town is now located. No tornado hit there until the April 2000 one did. Severely. All the time growing up, they would just miss the town on both North and South sides.

Honey Creek Valley on my way to work, usually seems to told a slight weather change. Like if it's raining, it will turn to snow in the Valley OR visa versa. Tornados have only caused damage on either side of the valley. Maybe just a coincidence but the rain/snow thing happens regularity.

A lot of cities have a heat island effect. Since it is warmer, storms have a harder time getting in.
Not to say that it cant.

Here it splits north or south. They are coming and just go around. Anoka HS is called the tornados. That is where the storms used to go when the city is smaller. Now they go farther north.

It is also rare for some to cross the river from N to S

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The heat off the concrete would make the storm intensify

Hadn't heard the term, but do feel like I've observed it my whole life. Some hellish storm, snow or tornadoes or whatever, is tracking across Kansas and gonna kill us all in a few hours when it hits. Then it all goes north or south.

We have the I-44 split, weather can vary on either side of it.

In Branson, we have a thing called "The Branson Bubble" Seems like it can be raining outside of the bubble and not in Branson, or visa versa