Alert archive / Kansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Topeka, KS

September 27, 19864 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this flash flood warning at Sep 27, 1986, 11:45 PM CDT for 4 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 27, 1986, 11:45 PM CDT (04:45 UTC)
Expired
Sep 28, 1986, 3:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Coffey County, KS, Franklin County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Osage 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, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 59 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 1986-09-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1986-09-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 104 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2492 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
104 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 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 KTOP 280445
FFWTOP
KSC111-139-031-059-280800-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1145 PM CDT SAT SEP 27 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 300 AM CDT SUNDAY FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

  ...OSAGE FRANKLIN NORTHWEST COFFEY AND THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF LYON

AT 1145 PM CDT AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAINS
CONTINUED OVER THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE WARNING AREA. THESE THUNDER/
STORMS HAVE PRODUCED OVER TWO INCHES OF RAIN IN LESS THAN AN HOUR AND
COMPUTER ESTIMATES OF NEARLY THREE INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE IN
THE WARNING AREA. THIS WARNING INCLUDES MUCH OF THE AREA THAT RECEIVED
VERY HEAVY RAINS THE LAST 24 HOURS SO THE GROUND IS ALREADY SATURATED.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IN PROGRESS OR EXPECTED TO
OCCUR SHORTLY. TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY.

RUNOFF FROM HE@AVY RAINS WILL LIKELY FLOOD STREAMS AND LOW AREAS. BE
CAREFULL DRIVING AND DON/T TRY TO CROSS WATER RUSHING ACROSS ROADS.
STAY AWAY FROM AREAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING LIKE SMALL STREAMS...
LOW LYING AREAS AND UNDERPASSES.


KAYS

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, Sep 27, 7:09 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
705 PM CDT SAT SEP 27 1986

AT 705PM CDT ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS
WERE APPROACHING A PART OF EASTCENTRAL KANSAS. ONE INTENSE STORM
WAS OVER NORTHEAST GREENWOOD COUNTY. THIS STORM SHOULD BE MOVING INTO
SOUTHWEST COFFEY AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST LYON COUNTY BY 725 PM CDT. THE
STORM COULD PRODUCE HAIL VERY HEAVY RAINS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND GUSTY
WINDS OVER =45 MPH AS IT MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH.
KAYS
Special weather statement, Sep 27, 9:12 PM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
908 PM CDT SAT SEP 27 1986

AT 908PM CDT A SCATTERED AREA OF VERY HEAVY TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
STRETCHED FROM NEAR BALDWIN CITY IN SOUTHERN DOUGLAS COUNTY TO NORTH
OF BURLINGTON IN CENTRAL COFFEY COUNTY THEN ACROSS SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY
SOUTH OF EMPORIA. THE MOST INTENSE STORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY
HEAVY RAINS GUSTY WINDS OVER 45 MPH HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...WERE
OVER SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP ALONG
AND JUST TO THE NORTH OF THIS GENERAL LINE OF PRECIPITATION. THE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EASTNORTHEAST AROUND 30 MPH.

WITH HEAVY RAINS AGAIN FALLING IN AREAS SOAKED BY RAINS LAST NIGHT...
PERSONS OVER EASTCENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR LOWLAND
FLOODING AGAIN TONIGHT WITH THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA.
KAYS
Special weather statement, Sep 27, 10:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1020 PM CDT SAT SEP 27 1986

AT 1020 PM CDT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM THE KANSAS CITY
AREA SOUTHWEST THROUGH SOUTHERN OSAGE AND NORTHERN COFFEY INTO LYON
AND SOUTHERN MORRIS COUNTY. THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE JUST SOUTHEAST
OF LYNDON IN SOUTHEAST OSAGE COUNTY...ACROSS THE EMPORIA AREA AND OVER
EXTREME SOUTHEAST MORRIS COUNTY. NONE OF THE THUNDERSTORMS APPEARED
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER VERY HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY
WINDS OVER 40 MPH WITH CONSIDERABLE DEADLY LIGHTNING WERE LIKELY.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP TO THE NORTH OF WICHITA AND MOVE
EASTNORTHEAST AROUND 30 MPH. THE ENTIRE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS ALSO
SHOWING A GRADUAL NORTH MOVEMENT AROUND 10 MPH.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF EASTCENTRAL KANSAS
TONIGHT. HEAVY RAINS FALLING ON NEARLY SATURATED SOILS MAY CAUSE FLASH
FLOODING.
KAYS
Special weather statement, Sep 27, 11:10 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1105 PM CDT SAT SEP 27 1986

AT 1105 PM CDT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN AN AREA AROUND 40 MILES
WIDE OVER EASTERN INTO CENTRAL KANSAS. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
INTENSE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM EAST OF
OSKALOOSA IN EASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY TO NEAR MELVERN RESERVOIR ACROSS
NORTHERN LYON COUNTY ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH OF EMPORIA CONTINUING ON
SOUTHWEST TO THE NORTH OF WICHITA. THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE JUST
NORTH OF OLATHE...ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF OTTAWA...OVER THE NORTH/
WEST PART OF JOHN REDMOND RESERVOIR...AND SOUTHWEST OF EMPORIA NEAR
COTTONWOOD FALLS. THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE LIKELY PRODUCING VERY
HEAVY RAINS...GUSTY WINDS OVER 40 MPH AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. THE STORMS
WERE MOVING TO THE EASTNORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MPH WHILE THE ENTIRE AREA
MOVED NORTHEAST AROUND 10 MPH.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE P(ART OF EASTCENTRAL KANSAS
TONIGHT. HEAVY RAINS FALLING ON NEARLY SATURATED SOILS MAY CAUSE FLASH
FLOODING.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS AFTER
MIDNIGHT.
KAYS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 28, 2:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay50 min
Sep 28, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud56 min
Sep 28, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWashington54 min
Sep 28, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWashington63 min
Sep 28, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJewell, Mitchell60 min
Sep 28, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud60 min

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.