Alert archive / Kansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Topeka, KS

May 16, 1986Marshall County, Riley County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this flash flood warning at May 16, 1986, 9:13 PM CDT for Marshall County, Riley County, Kansas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 16, 1986, 9:13 PM CDT (02:13 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1986, 2:00 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Marshall County, KS, Riley County, KS

The radar

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

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 00:00Z on 1986-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2634 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1986-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 100 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
2634 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
769 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTOP 170213
FFWTOP
KSC131-005-085-013-087-149-161-117-170700-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
913 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTHEAST KANSAS...NEMAHA...ATCHISON...JACKSON...BROWN...JEFFERSON...
 POTTAWATOMIE...RILEY AND MARSHALL

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST KANSAS UNTIL 200 AM
SATURDAY MORNING ALONG AND EAST OF THE BIG BLUE RIVER BASIN AND
NORTH OF THE KANSAS RIVER.  HEAVY RAINS OF FROM 2 TO 3 INCHES OVER
WEST PART OF THIS AREA IS WILL SPREAD EASTWARD THROUGH THE MIDDLE
PART OF THE NIGHT CAUSING SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOODING.

FLASH FLOODING WILL LIKELY RESULT FROM THE HEAVY RAIN.  STAY AWAY
FROM AREAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING LIKE SMALL STREAMS..LOW LYING
AREAS AND UNDERPASSES.

 ALL CITIZENS SUBJECT TO FLOODING SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS
 FROM RAPID RISING WATER.

SHIDELER

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, May 16, 5:29 PM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
528 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND
   NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
...SEVE
Special weather statement, May 16, 7:24 PM CDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
720 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 179 VALID UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR MUCH OF
NORTHCENTAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS HAS BEEN CANCELLED WEST%
OF A LINE FROM SABETHA TO ABILENE TO HERINGTON. THIS WATCH
CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 10PM TO THE EAST OF THIS LINE AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM LYNDON TO LEAVENWORTH.  TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 181
ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHCENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 11PM
Special weather statement, May 16, 7:38 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
735 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 179 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR NORTH CENTRAL
KANSAS.

AT 735 PM CDT A LINE OF INTENSE TO8 SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF HIAWATHA IN EXTREME NORTHEAST KANSAS TO
30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.  THE
LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

PHILLIPS 0038
Special weather statement, May 16, 8:20 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
815 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PART OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL
KANSAS UNTIL 200 AM...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN WABAUNSEE
COUNTY AND NORTHWEST SHAWNEE COUNTY UNTIL 830 PM...

AT 815 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH WESTERN SHAWNEE COUNTY
PRODUCING PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL..AND WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR.
THIS STORM WILL AFFECT THE CITY OF TOPEKA UNTIL ABOUT 930 PM. PEOPLE
IN TOPEKA AND SURROUNDING AREAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ALERT AS THESE
THUNDERSTORMS PASS.

MCNULTY
Special weather statement, May 16, 8:52 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
850 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

AT 850 PM CDT A NEWLY DEVELOPED THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN
GUSTY WINDS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SOME HAIL WAS 7 MILES EAST OF
ELLSWORTH IN CENTRAL KANSAS.  THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING WAS 10 MILES NORTH OF ABILENE AND WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST
AT 25 MPH.

OTHER LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE EAST OF A
LINE FROM OMAHA NEBRASKA TO CLAY CENTER KANSAS TO GREAT BEND.  THE
AREA WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH AND HAD SHOWN SOME NEW DEVELOPMENT
IN THE WEST PORTION.

PHILLIPS 0152
Local storm report, May 16, 9:06 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
900 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

ALL TIMES CDT AND AREA IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

208  PM   1/2 INCH HAIL IN SOUTHERN CLOUD COUNTY.
253  PM   3/4 INCH HAIL 11/2 EAST OF AURORA KANSAS IN CLOUD COUNTY.
314  PM   GOLF BALL HAIL 11 MILES WEST OF CLAY CENTER IN CLAY COUNTY.
400  PM   TORNADO REPORTED 5 MILES EAST OF CLAY CENTER.
435  PM   3/4 INCH HAIL OVER KANOPOLIS LAKE IN ELLSWORTH COUNTY.

STAPLETON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 7:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee, Wabaunsee40 min
May 16, 8:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee50 min
May 16, 9:13 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPAtchison, Brown, Jackson, Jefferson, Nemaha, Pottawatomie5 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kansas, 1986Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.