Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Wichita, KS

April 7, 1986Greenwood County, Woodson County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 7, 1986, 5:32 PM CST for Greenwood County, Woodson County, Kansas. It was in force for 28 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 7, 1986, 5:32 PM CST (23:32 UTC)
Expired
Apr 7, 1986, 6:00 PM CST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Greenwood County, KS, Woodson County, KS

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 7, 5:35 PM CSTTornado F1Greenwood, KS
Apr 7, 5:45 PM CSTTornado F2Greenwood, KS
Apr 7, 5:55 PM CSTTornado F0Woodson, KS
Apr 7, 6:01 PM CSTTornado F2Woodson, KS

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 128 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 1986-04-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 582 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 1986-04-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 120 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
582 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-132 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1496 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KICT 072334
TORICT
KSC073-207-080000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
532 PM CST DAY APR 07 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600  PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

SOUTHEAST KANSAS NORTHEAST GREENWOOD..NORTHWEST WOODSON

AT 530 PM CST  A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR NEAR MAIDSON IN
NORTHEAST GREENWOOD COUNTY MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN
HOUR.  BASEBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED FROM THIS STORM AT ABOUT
525 PM.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.  DON/T HESITATE.
A FEW SECONDS MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE.

TAKE COVER AT ONCE.  DON/T WAIT UNTIL{ THE STORM IS UPON YOU...IT

HEAVY RAIN OVER THE WARNING AREA WILL LIKELY RESULT IN RUNOFF THAT
WILL SEND SMALL STREAMS OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

SWAIN

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 7, 4:10 PM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
405 PM CST MON APR 7 1986

AT 400 PM CST A SCATTERED LINE OF HEAVY TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORM HAD
DEVELOPED FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS NEAR FREDONIA TO COTTONWOOD FALLS
TO NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS NEAR MINNEAPOLIS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY
WINDS...ALONG WITH HAIL.

FH
Special weather statement, Apr 7, 4:45 PM CST, 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
440 PM CST MON APR 7 1986

..A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN
KANSAS AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI UNTIL 1100 PM..

AT 430 PM CST A SCATTERED LINE OF HEAVY TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORM
EXTENDED FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS 10 MILES WEST OF CHANUTE NEAR BUFFALO
TO COTTONWOOD FALLS TO 25 MILES SOUTH OF CONCORDIA NEAR MINNEAPOLIS.

THESE THUNDERSTORM1S MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG GUSTY
WINDS...ALONG WITH HAIL.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

HEAVY THUNDERSTORM WERE IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA 10 TO 30 MILES SOUTH
OF COFFEYVILLE.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

FH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wichita, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 8:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman, Reno50 min
Apr 6, 8:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey, Sedgwick41 min
Apr 6, 10:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman, Reno59 min
Apr 7, 4:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTWilson, Woodson45 min
Apr 7, 5:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTAllen, Neosho57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.