At least six tornadoes were reported with no injuries in Wabaunsee County.
On March 14, 2024, a tornado with baseball-sized hail caused damage in eastern Kansas near Alta Vista.
On March 14, 2024, a tornado accompanied by large hail wreaked havoc on eastern Kansas near the town of Alta Vista. The exact location and extent of damage caused by the tornado is not yet known. At least six tornadoes were reported with no injuries in Wabaunsee County, including one that was confirmed to have baseball-sized hail.
The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the area on Wednesday as severe storms moved through Kansas. The sheriff's office also shared pictures of Wednesday night's storm. Most of the damage is roughly 5 miles southwest of Alma, with no cities in Wabaunsee County being struck by tornadoes.
At least one tornado was spotted and confirmed in Kansas on Wednesday as severe storms moved through the state in the evening and overnight.
The National Weather Service office in Topeka had issued multiple tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the area on Wednesday.
, The tornado was spotted near Alta Vista, a small town about 65 miles southwest of Topeka, which is west of Kansas City.
In addition to tornadoes, the weather service warned of high winds and golf ball-sized hail.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive because it does not provide any evidence or sources for the claim that a tornado was spotted and confirmed in Kansas. The author uses vague terms like 'at least one' and 'near' to imply certainty without backing up their assertion with facts. Additionally, the author omits important details such as the time, duration, location, damage extent and casualties of the tornado. This creates a false impression that the situation was more severe than it actually was.
Additionally, the author omits important details such as the time, duration, location, damage extent and casualties of the tornado.
The article is deceptive because it does not provide any evidence or sources for the claim that a tornado was spotted and confirmed in Kansas. The author uses vague terms like 'at least one' and 'near' to imply certainty without backing up their assertion with facts.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing the National Weather Service as a source for information about tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the potential damage caused by golf ball-sized hail.
> At least one tornado was spotted and confirmed in Kansas on Wednesday as severe storms moved through the state in the evening and overnight. <br>The National Weather Service office in Topeka had issued multiple tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the area on Wednesday, including in Alta Vista.<br><b>Appeal to Authority:</b> The article relies heavily on information from meteorologist Jack Maney with KSN News as well as the National Weather Service office in Topeka. <br><i>Inflammatory Rhetoric:</i> The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the potential damage caused by golf ball-sized hail.
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing meteorologist Jack Maney with KSN News as a source for information about tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. <br>In addition, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the potential damage caused by golf ball-sized hail.
Bias
(0%)
The article is biased towards the location of the tornado. The author mentions that Alta Vista and Topeka are located west of Kansas City which implies a negative connotation for those cities.
]Alta Vista is about 65 miles southwest of Kansas' capital Topeka,
On Thursday, the Wabaunsee County Sheriff's Office shared pictures of Wednesday night's storm.
<br>At least half-a-dozen tornadoes were confirmed by spotters and sheriff's office staff.
Damage has been reported to structures in the rural area of the county.
Accuracy
At least half-a-dozen tornadoes were confirmed by spotters and sheriff's office staff.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that 'at least half-a-dozen tornadoes were confirmed by spotters and sheriff's office staff'. However, there is no evidence to support this claim as no specific number of tornadoes was mentioned in any official reports or statements from reliable sources such as the National Weather Service. Secondly, the author uses sensationalism when they describe 'damage has been reported to structures in the rural area of the county'. This statement implies that there is significant damage which may not be entirely accurate. Lastly, selective reporting was used by only mentioning Wabaunsee County and excluding other counties where tornado warnings were issued.
The author uses sensationalism when they describe 'damage has been reported to structures in the rural area of the county'. This statement implies that there is significant damage which may not be entirely accurate.
The author claims 'at least half-a-dozen tornadoes were confirmed by spotters and sheriff's office staff'. However, there is no evidence to support this claim as no specific number of tornadoes was mentioned in any official reports or statements from reliable sources such as the National Weather Service.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing the National Weather Service's issuance of tornado warnings. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric with phrases such as 'damage has been reported'. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction in the phrase 'no cities in the county were struck by tornadoes', which implies that only rural areas were affected.
The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Wabaunsee, Geary and Morris counties.
Bias
(75%)
The author uses language that dehumanizes the people affected by the tornadoes. The phrase 'damage has been reported to structures in the rural area of the county' implies that those living in rural areas are not as important or valuable as those living in cities.
Most of the damage is roughly 5 miles southwest of Alma.
At least six tornadoes were reported with no injuries.
Baseball-sized hail was confirmed by the sheriff's office.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article contains several examples of deceptive practices. Firstly, the author claims that 'at least six tornadoes were reported with no injuries'. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence in the article and could be seen as an exaggeration or a lie by omission. Secondly, the sentence 'In addition, baseball-sized hail was confirmed
The author claims that 'at least six tornadoes were reported with no injuries'. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence in the article and could be seen as an exaggeration or a lie by omission.
The sentence 'In addition, baseball-sized hail was confirmed
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that a tornado siren went off in Topeka without providing any evidence or context for why this is significant. Secondly, the author presents information about severe weather sightings from March 13th as fact when it is not clear if these are verified reports or simply accounts from viewers. This creates a false sense of authority and reliability for the information presented in the article.
The tornado siren went off in Topeka
At least six tornadoes were reported with no injuries
Baseball-sized hail was confirmed by the sheriff's office
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article demonstrates bias by using sensationalized language and exaggerating the severity of the storms. He uses phrases like 'intense night', 'baseball-sized hail' and 'at least six tornadoes' to create a sense of fear and excitement among readers, without providing any context or comparison. He also does not mention any positive aspects of the weather, such as the rapid clearing of storm clouds or the benefits of fresh air and sunshine. Additionally, he relies on unverified sources like viewers who share their sightings to support his claims about tornadoes and hail, without verifying them with official reports or experts.
He uses phrases like 'intense night', 'baseball-sized hail' and 'at least six tornadoes' to create a sense of fear and excitement among readers, without providing any context or comparison.
Most Read Latest News
Updates on the March 13th severe weather will be on WIBW.com.
A tornado accompanied by large hail wreaked havoc on eastern Kansas near the town of Alta Vista.
The exact location and extent of damage caused by the tornado is not yet known.
Accuracy
At least one tornado was spotted and confirmed in Kansas on Wednesday as severe storms moved through the state in the evening and overnight.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it implies the tornado and hail were caused by a supercell when there is no evidence to support this. The author also uses sensationalism by describing the damage as 'havoc' without providing any context or quantification of what was actually damaged.
The article states that a tornado accompanied by large hail wreaked havoc on eastern Kansas near the town of Alta Vista. However, there is no evidence to support this claim and it could have been caused by other weather phenomena such as thunderstorms or straight-line winds.
The author uses sensationalism when describing the damage as 'havoc' without providing any context or quantification of what was actually damaged.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that the tornado and large hail were caused by a supercell. The author does not provide any evidence or explanation for this claim.
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Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The Weather Channel has a conflict of interest on the topics of tornadoes and supercells in Kansas as they are owned by E.W. Scripps Company which also owns KMBC-TV, a local television station that covers Alta Vista where the event occurred.
The article mentions that The Weather Channel has been covering severe weather events across the country and specifically in Kansas for several days leading up to this event. This suggests a financial interest in reporting on these topics as they are likely attracting more viewers.
