Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Topeka, KS

May 18, 1987Coffey County, Lyon County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1987, 6:16 PM CDT for Coffey County, Lyon County, Kansas. It was in force for 64 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 1987, 6:16 PM CDT (23:16 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1987, 7:20 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Coffey County, KS, Lyon 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 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 77 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 12:00Z on 1987-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1107 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 12:00Z on 1987-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
1107 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-89 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
900 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
28 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 182316
TORTOP
KSC111-031-190020-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
616 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 720 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF
 
EAST CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTHERN LYON... WESTERN COFFEY
 
AT 610 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR NEAR OR JUST SOUTH OF
EMPORIA MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR.
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM IN AND
AROUND EMPORIA AND LIGHT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED AT A TRAILER COURT
WEST OF EMPORIA.
 
FIND SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.  BASEMENTS OFFER THE BEST PROTECTION.  SMALL
ROOMS NEAR THE CENTER OF HOfMES AND BUILDINGS ARE ALSO FAIRLY SAFE.
MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES OFFER NO SHELTER...SO LEAVE THEM.  EVEN A
DITCH OF LOW PLACE IS SAFER THAN A MOBILE HOME OR CAR.
 
BILLS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLyon63 min
May 18, 5:26 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPLyon44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes 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.