A People's History of Kansas City

← A People's History of Kansas City21 Oct 2025 · 28 min

Are tornado urban legends like the ‘Tonganoxie Split’ real?

Are tornado urban legends like the ‘Tonganoxie Split’ real?21 Oct 202528 min

For decades, urban legends have held that tornadoes seem to “split” around certain cities, like Tonganoxie, Kansas, or avoid sacred places, like Burnett’s Mound in Topeka. Mackenzie Martin and Maya Cederlund investigate whether these weather myths are backed up by evidence — or if they’re just stories we tell ourselves in the dark.