Alert archive / Kansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1987
Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Wichita, KS
NWS Wichita, KS issued this flash flood warning at Aug 12, 1987, 9:16 PM CDT for Butler County, Sedgwick County, Kansas. It was in force for 3 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 12, 1987, 9:16 PM CDT (02:16 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 13, 1987, 12:10 AM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Wichita, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Butler County, KS, Sedgwick 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, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 193 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
- 1425 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -31 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 826 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 68 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 148 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.4
- Supercell composite
- 3.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KICT 130217 FFWICT KSC015-173-130510- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 916 PM CDT WED AUG 12 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1210 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS... BUTLER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... EASTERN SEDGWICK HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DROP RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR OVER THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF SEDGWICKCOUNTY INCLUDING THE WICHITA AREA AND OVER THE EAST AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF BUTLER COUNTY INCLUDING THE CITIES OF EL DORADO AND AUGUSTA. RUNOFF FROM THESE RAINS IS PUSHING SMALLER RIVERS AND STREAMS WELL ABOVE BANKFULL AND ALTHOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAINS WILL BE OVER DURING THE NEXT HOUR TO HOUR AND ONE-HALF RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED ONLY WHEN FLASH FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED OF IS EXPECTED SHORTLY. TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS NOW. SWAIN )
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, Aug 12, 7:36 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
735 PM CDT WED AUG 12 1987
...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH
CENTRAL KANSAS...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED FOR
RENO AND KINGMAN COUNTIES EXPIRED AT 730 PM CDT...
AT 7305 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN AND AROUND THE WICHITA
AREA...IN WESTERN BUTLER COUNTY AND OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SUMNER
COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...
HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE STORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH.
OTHER SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE IN A BROAD AREA ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE
FROM NEAR TOPEKA TO JUST WEST OF EUREKA TO 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
WICHITA.
INTENSE STORMS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MOST OF THE EVENING HOURS SO PEOPLE
IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS.
WILSONSpecial weather statement, Aug 12, 7:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
735 PM CDT WED AUG 12 1987
...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH
CENTRAL KANSAS...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED FOR
RENO AND KINGMAN COUNTIES EXPIRED AT 730 PM CDT...
AT 730 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN AND AROUND THE WICHITA
AREA...IN WESTERN BUTLER COUNTY AND OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SUMNER
COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...
HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE STORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH.
OTHER SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE IN A BROAD AREA ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE
FROM NEAR TOPEKA TO JUST WEST OF EUREKA TO 50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
WICHITA.
INTENSE STORMS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MOST OF THE EVENING HOURS SO PEOPLE
IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS.
WILSONSpecial weather statement, Aug 12, 7:54 PM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 753 PM CDT WED AUG 12 1987 ...INTENSE STORMS WEAKENING SLOWLY HOWEVER URBAN FLOODING REMAINS A POSSIBILITY FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... DUE TO 24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS OF FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER SECTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AREAS...URBAN FLOODING IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY. LOW LYING AREAS SHOULD BE AVOIDED UNTIL THE THREAT OF HEAVIER RAIN PRODUCING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS OVER. AT 750 PM CDT...STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST. WILSON
Special weather statement, Aug 12, 8:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 805 PM CDT WED AUG 12 1987 ...INTENSE STORMS WEAKENING SLOWLY HOWEVER URBAN FLOODING REMAINS A POSSIBILITY FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... AT 800 PM CDT...RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WERE INTENSE AND THESE WERE LOCATED 50 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST OF WICHITA NEAR MATFIELD GREEN AND 25 MILES TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST OF WICHITA NEAR EL DORADO. STORMS HAD DECREASED OVERALL SINCE 730 PM BUT WILL STILL CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN. WITH THE GROUND ALLREADY SATURATED...MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ADD TO ALLREADY HIGH WATER AREAS ESPECIALLY IN THE USUAL FLOOD PRONE AREAS. WILSON
Special weather statement, Aug 12, 8:41 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 840 PM CDT WED AUG 12 1987 ...ISOLATED INTENSE STORMS PERSIST ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... ...SMALL STREAMS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE DUE TO CONTINUED HEAVY TO MODERATE RAIN... AT 830 PM CDT...RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WERE INTENSE AND THESE WERE LOCATED 30 MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST OF WICHITA NEAR MULVANE AND IN EXTREME WESTERN GREENWOOD COUNTY 15 MILES TO THE NORTHWEST OF EUREKA OR 55 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST OF WICHITA. STORMS HAD DECREASED SLIGHTLY SINCE 730 PM BUT WILL STILL CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN. OTHER SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE NUMEROUS ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL... CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THESE WERE ALONG AND 170 MILES TO THE WEST OF A LINE FROM TOPEKA TO 70 MILES EAST OF WICHITA TO 20 MILES EAST OF ARKANSAS CITY. !URBAN FLOODING WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM UNTIL THE HEAVIER RAIN PRODUCING STORMS MOVE AWAY FROM ALLREADY SATURATED GROUND. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. NW
Special weather statement, Aug 12, 9:12 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 910 PM CDT WED AUG 12 1987 ...SMALL STREAMS CONTINUE TO RISE RAPIDLY IN THE WICHITA AREA... AT 805 PM CDT...RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS WERE INTENSE AND THESE WERE CLUSTERED IN AN AREA 20 MILES WIDE ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM NEAR EL DORADO TO 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WICHITA TO NEAR WINFIELD. ISOLATED HEAVY RAIN PRODUCING STORMS WERE ALSO ACROSS CENTRAL GREENWOOD COUNTY AND EXTENDED INTO ELK COUNTY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AND WILL CONTINUE MOVING INTO THE WESTERN PARTS OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. WILSON
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Kansas, 1987Every flash flood warning in 1987
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.