Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 101, NWS Topeka, KS

August 17, 1987Marshall County, Riley County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 1987, 11:17 PM CDT for Marshall County, Riley County, Kansas. It was in force for 63 min. 6 reports 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
Aug 17, 1987, 11:17 PM CDT (04:17 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 1987, 12:20 AM CDT
In force
63 min
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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 17, 11:35 PM CDTHail 1Marshall, KS
Aug 17, 11:50 PM CDTHail 1.75Marshall, KS
Aug 18, 12:05 AM CDTHail 0.75Marshall, KS
Aug 18, 12:10 AM CDTHail 1Marshall, KS
Aug 18, 12:15 AM CDTHail 1Riley, KS
Aug 18, 12:20 AM CDTHail 0.75Marshall, 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

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 4.3 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 1987-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2117 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 1987-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2117 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1440 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTOP 180417
SVRTOP
KSC117-161-180520-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1117 PM CDT MON AUG 17 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1220 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF
 
NORTHEAST KANSAS... MARSHALL... NORTHERN RILEY
 
AT 1111PM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY RADAR ABOUT 15
MILES NORTHWEST OF MARYSVILLE KANSAS IN NORTHWEST MARSHALL COUNTY.
THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 30 MPH. THIS STORM HAS
A HISTORY OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND WINDS AROUND 80 MPH
NORTH OF FAIRBURY NEBRASKA EARLIER THIS EVENING. THIS STORM WILL
EFFECT THE MARYSVILLE 6AREA BY 1130 PM CDT. THE STORM WILL ALSO EFFECT
THE NORTHERN PORTION OF TUTTLE CREEK RESERVOIR.
 
THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING
WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  SEEK SHELTER FROM THIS STORM.
 
SDK

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 17, 7:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTION TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
740 PM CDT MON AUG 17 1987

...THUNDERSTORMS ARELMOVING INTO NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS EVENING...

AT 740 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN SPREADING
INTO WESTERN SMITH COUNTY FROM NEAR SMITH CENTER TO KENSINGTON.  AN
INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 25 MILES NORTH OF HILL CITY. THE THUNDER/
STORM WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.  BRIEF BUT HEAV?Y RAIN AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE THUNDERSORMS.

PETERSEN
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 9:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTION TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
920 PM CDT MON AUG 17 1987

AT 920 PM CDT RADAR INTICATED AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHWEST MCPHERSON
COUNTY JUST WEST OF LINDSBORG.  SMALL HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH THIS THUNDER/
STORM AT MARQUETTE.   THE THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE TO THE SOUTHEAST AND WILL
LIKELY MOVE INTO THE MCPHERSON AREA BY 10 PM CDT.  VERY HEAY RAIN STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

PETERSEN
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 10:23 PM CDT, 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1020PM CDT MON AUB 19 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MUCH OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL
   KANSAS TIL 4 AM TUESDAY MORING....

AS OF 1010 PM CDT NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED IN NORTHEAST
OR EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. THE ONLY THUNDERSTORM IN THE AREA WAS LOCATED
IN THE EXTREME NORTHEAST CORNER OF MARSHALL COUNTY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS
AND WAS OF MODERATE INTENSITY.

VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER CENTRAL KANSAS OVER
DICKERSON AND MCPHERSON  COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN
MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT AROUND 20 MILES AN HOUR AND COULD
BE MOVING INTO WESTERN GEARY OR WESTERN MORRIS COUNTY AFTER 1115 PM.

WESTERN GEARY AND WESTERN MORRIS COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINS...INTENSE LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE HAIL AS
THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO THAT AREA AFTER 1115 PM.

CRANDALL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMcPherson, Saline57 min
Aug 17, 10:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson56 min
Aug 17, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBarton60 min
Aug 17, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPRussell53 min
Aug 17, 10:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMcPherson58 min
Aug 17, 10:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWashington61 min
Aug 17, 11:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBarton57 min
Aug 17, 11:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWashington57 min
Aug 18, 12:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie59 min
Aug 18, 12:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMarshall, Riley39 min
Aug 18, 12:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBarton62 min
Aug 18, 12:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPRice62 min
Aug 18, 12:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMcPherson60 min
Aug 18, 1:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLincoln, Russell60 min
Aug 18, 9:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBarton34 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1987Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.