Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 18, NWS Wichita, KS
NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 6, 1986, 6:17 PM CDT for Cowley County, Kansas. It was in force for 43 min. 1 report 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
- Jul 6, 1986, 6:17 PM CDT (23:17 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 6, 1986, 7:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 43 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wichita, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cowley 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 6:24 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Cowley, 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
Ok Cty/Will Rgrs, OK (KOKC), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 216 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1094 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -198 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1068 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 10 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 34 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 49 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KICT 062321 TORICT KSC035-062207- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 617 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 7:00 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OR COUNTIES IN... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... COWLEY AT 6:15 PM CDT...COWLEY COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSE REPORTED A TORNADO NORTH OF WINFIELD AT THE JUNCTION OF U.S. HIGHWAY 77 AND THE LAKE ROAD.... THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AND WAS OBSCURRED BY HEAVY RAIN. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM...GO TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY. A FEW SECONDS MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE. FIND SHELTER QUICKLY. BASEMENTS ARE BEST. CENTRAL PARTS OF HOMES AND BUILDINGS ARE ALSO FAIRLY SAFE. L@EAVE MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES... EVEN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT IS SAFER. TAKE COVER AT ONCE. DON/T WAIT UNTIL THE STORM IS UPON YOU...IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE. LACKEY
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, Jul 6, 3:14 PM CDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 310 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 1986 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON... AT 305 PM AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED FROM ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF PRATT..THROUGH HUTCHINSON TO MC PHERSON. ANOTHER AREA WAS NORTH OF EMPORIA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH OF A LINE FROM COLDWATER TO EMPORIA. THEY WERE ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 5 MPH. SOME URBAN AND LOWLAND FLOODING IS EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE STRONGER STORMS AND PERSONS IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD USE CAUTION AND BE ALERT FOR ANY RAPID RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND ESPECIALLY IN LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS. PERSONS IN THE CENTRAL KANSAS AREA RECIEVING ESTIMATED OR MEASURED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF A HALF INCH OR MORE IN A SHORT TIME SHOULD CALL THEIR NEAREST LAW ENFORCMEXNT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 3:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 335 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 1986 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON... AT 335 PM AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF PRATT TO HUTCHINSON TO MC PHERSON. OTHER HEAVY THUNDERSTORNS WERE BETWEEN EMPORIA AND TOPEKA. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT EXTENDING ACROSS KANSAS. THE FRONT EXTENDED FROM COLDWATER TO JUST SOUTH OF HUTCHINSON TO EMPORIA TO NEAR KANSAS CITY. SOME URBAN AND LOWLAND FLOODING IS EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE STRONGER STORMS AND PERSOwNS IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD USE CAUTION AND BE ALERT FOR ANY RAPID RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND ESPECIALLY IN LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS. RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 4:16 PM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 415 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 1986 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON... AT 410 PM THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED RAPIDLY THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS..WELL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL AKNSAS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST/NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH. IN THE CENTRAL KANSAS AREA..THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURING OVER ALLFEADY SATURADED GROUND AND MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING. IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS..THE HEAVY THUNDERSTOMS MAY WILL CAUSE HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF HEAVY RAIN AND MA6 CAUSE URBAN AND LOW LYING AREA FLOODING. RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 4:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 435 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 1986 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS FOR TONIGHT... AT 330 PM THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED THROUGH CENTRAL AND SOOTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THUNDERSTORMS IN WEST RENO COUNTY HAD DUMPED OVER AN INCH OF RAIN IN LESS THAN ONE HOUR. THE THUNDER/ STORMS IN RENO COUNTY COVERED MOST OF THE NORTH AND WEST HALF OF THE COUNTY..FROM JUST SOUTH OF HUTCHINSON TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THAT COUNTY. SOME URBAN AND LOW LYING FLOODING IS LIKLEY. THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS..SOUOTHWEST AND SOUTH OF WICHITA AND FROM WICHITA..NORTHEAST WILL CAUSE HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN THAT MAY CAUSE URBAN AND LOW LYING AREA FLOODING. RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 5:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 500 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 1986 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS FOR TONIGHT... AT 500 PM AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED FROM 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA TO 10 MILES EAST OF WICHITA TO 5 MILES EAST OF FLORENCE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST/NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH AND WERE DUMPING VERY HEAVY RAIN..THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH OR MORE..AS THEY PASSED THROUGH. A VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER THE HUTCHINSON AREA AND OTHERS NORTHEAST OF HILLSBORO. PEOPLE THROUGHOOT CENTRAL..SOUTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR RAPID RISES IN SMALL STREAMS AND URBAN AND LOW LYING AREA FLOODING. RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 5:45 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 535 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 1986 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS FOR TONIGHT... AT 530 PM A LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 15 MILES WEST OF ENID OKLAHOMA TO CALDWELL KANSAS TO WELLINGTON TO UDALL TO COTTONWOOD FALLS. THE LINE WAS ABOUT 15 MILES WIDE. THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THE LINE WERE MOVING TO THE EAST/NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE CAUSING HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN..WIND GUSTS TO 40 OR 50 MPH AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. THEY WILL DUMP AN INCH OR MORE OF RAIN IN A VERY SHORT TIME. THIS WILL CAUSE RAPID RISES IN SMALL STREAMS AND URBAN AND LOW LYING AREA FLOODING. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL KANSAS HAD DECREASED IN INTENSITY BUT MAY STILL CAUSE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WIND. THE THUDERSTORMS WERE NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM ENID OKLAHOMA TO BEAUMONT KANSAS TO 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TOPEKA. RYAN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Wichita, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 6:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Butler, Cowley, Sumner | 60 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.