Thursday storm dumps more than 10 inches in some areas

Rural communities like Holyoke often pray for rain — but not this much rain.

Beginning Thursday afternoon, Aug. 19, and stretching well into the night, a storm dumped rain in Phillips County in a way that doesn’t happen very often around here.

Holyoke’s official weather observer Dan Kafka reported 4.26 inches of rain.

However, many rural residents can attest to more than double that amount.

Holli Purkeypile, who lives about 5 miles south and 2 miles east of Holyoke, said their rain gauge filled up once and then filled again for a total of about 10.5 inches or more.

“It just hovered over us,” she said of Thursday evening’s storm system.

To put it into perspective, Holyoke’s total precipitation in 2020 was just shy of 13 inches, so when the region gets 4-11 inches of rain in one day, it’s going to cause some damage.

Holyoke’s drainage system was overwhelmed for a time, and the city streets were flooded with water. The Frenchman Creek, which is normally dry, also filled up Thursday.

State workers were stationed on Highway 6 several miles east of Holyoke to alert motorists that water was running across the highway.

As of the beginning of this week, multiple county roads were still closed east of Holyoke due to water on the roads. As the waters recede, county employees will be assessing the damage to see what needs to be done for repairs.

In some areas of the county, crops were a total loss. Whether it was because of the heavy rain, the howling wind or the small hail that the storm brought with it, cornstalks took a beating and were left completely flattened.

Many residents, both in town and out of town, experienced extensive leaks, flooding and water damage on their property.

Those who weren’t hauling gallon after gallon of water out of their basements were treated to a fantastic lightning display as the sun went down Thursday. There was even one report of lightning striking a house several miles east of Holyoke, causing significant damage to electronics.

Holyoke JR/SR High School, which is in the middle of a major construction project, reported that some ceiling tiles were damaged around the air conditioning units that weren’t completely installed and sealed up. Moisture samples of the drywall were taken to determine that none of the drywall in the project had to be taken out. Repair of the ceiling tiles started Saturday and was expected to be complete Monday.

“The storm created extra clean-up and extra work, but the project is still on track,” said Holyoke School District Superintendent Kyle Stumpf.

Some locals took advantage of the unexpected rain last week. Kids in town splashed in their new backyard “swimming pools,” and others launched kayaks on new “rivers and lakes” flowing through the countryside.

According to the National Weather Service website, Holyoke’s 4.26 inches of precipitation didn’t quite match the 4.55 inches recorded July 29, 1936.

Garage destroyed by possible tornado

In addition to massive amounts of rain, Thursday’s storm also resulted in reports of tornadic activity from both residents and storm chasers in east Phillips County.

Around 4:30 p.m., Randy and Karin Kramer’s son Bret alerted them when he saw rotating clouds over their property 10 miles east and 4.5 miles south of Holyoke.

As the three Kramers and a friend who was at the house began to make their way to the basement, the sky turned dark from dirt and rain and a horrible cracking sound was heard close to the house. On the way down the stairs, Bret said, “Well I think there went the garage!”

Karin said no one got hurt and the house itself only has a few cracks in the siding. The nearby garage, however, was picked up by the wind, broken into pieces and scattered across the yard. An electric meter pole fell, and while the wire hit the roof of the house, the pole missed it by about 6 inches.

Additionally, a small shed and its contents were damaged, a picnic table was knotted and found in an evergreen tree, a stack of hay bales was knocked over, a cattle trailer tipped, and the roof of a shed at the family’s feedlot was ripped off.

Ironically, the vehicle that was in the garage survived the storm with only a scratch.

The Kramers are thankful for the family and friends who helped clean everything up Friday.

Other clean-up tasks and repairs across the county will take some time.