Wednesday afternoon storms down trees, take out power in north Missouri

Update at 4:30: 

Storms pushing east through north Missouri have knocked out power to more than 18-thousand customers, mostly in the Kansas City metro area.

Other areas reported to be without power include Meadville, Sumner, and parts of Salisbury.

The storms are producing winds gusting more than 70 miles per hours at times. Those have damaged homes and barns, downed trees, and blocked roads with debris mostly in northwest Missouri.

One emergency manager is reporting possible tornado damage in Grundy County near Hickory, but there are no confirmed reports of tornadoes in Missouri. More tornado warnings have been issued in Iowa.

Reports since 3:20 p.m. include a 72 miles-per-hour straight line wind gust at Brunswick, gusts of up to 70 miles-per-hour at Callao, a 65 miles-per-hour gust at Kirksville, and a 53 miles-per-hour gust at Whiteman Air Force Base.

The line is now crossing highway 63 into northeast Missouri.

The Weather Service is warning Missourians to take cover as storms approach.

Update at 3:30:

The National Weather Service is tracking a line of thunderstorms moving east through northern Missouri producing winds gusting 50 to 70 miles-per-hour. Storms have blown down trees, taken the roof off of a barn in Chariton County, and left more than 13-thousand customers without power in the Kansas City metro area.

Tornado warnings have been issued in Iowa but none in Missouri for some time.

The storms are moving northeast at 55 to 60 miles per hour, and the line is moving about 45-miles per hour to the east.  The Weather Service is warning people to take cover as storms approach.