Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Wichita, KS

July 6, 1986Cowley County, Kansas

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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 6, 6:24 PM CDTTornado F0Cowley, 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Ok Cty/Will Rgrs, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-07-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1094 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, Ok Cty/Will Rgrs, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-07-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 6, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley, Sumner60 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.