Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Wichita, KS

July 19, 1988Butler County, Sedgwick County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 19, 1988, 11:24 AM CDT for Butler County, Sedgwick County, Kansas. It was in force for 36 min. 1 report 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
Jul 19, 1988, 11:24 AM CDT (16:24 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 1988, 12:00 PM CDT
In force
36 min
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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 19, 11:30 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Sedgwick, 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 12:00Z, 4.4 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 1988-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 874 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 1988-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 90 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
874 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
876 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 191624
TORICT
KSC015-173-191700-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1124 AM CDT TUE JUL 19 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1200 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF KANSAS
      EXTREME SOUTHWEST BUTLER...SOUTHEAST SEDGWICK

AT  1112 AM AN TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND AT
119TH SOUTH AND HYDRAULIC...OR A FEW MILES SOUTH OF HAYSVILLE.
THIS IS JUST NORTHWEST OF MULVANE.
SOME OF THE CITIES INCLUDED ARE DERBY...
ROSE HILL...AND DOUGLASS.
THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

 THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. DON/T HESITATE.
 A FEW SECONDS MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE.

 TAKE COVER AT ONCE. DON/T WAIT UNTIL THE STORM IS UPON YOU...IT
MIGHT BE TOO LATE.

KRAUSE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Jul 19, 6:19 AM CDT, 5 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
615 AM CDT TUE JUL 19 1987

   ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH
      OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN KANSAS UNTIL 7 AM CDT THIS TUESDAY
      MORNING...RENO AND HARVEY COUNTIES ARE INCLUDED...

AT 610 AM CDT...THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS IN RENO OR HARVEY
COUNTIES HOWEVER...A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS
OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF A
LINE FROM THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA NORTH OF MARYSVILLE TO JUST WEST OF
LYONS TO PRATT TO THE KANSAS-OKLAHOMA BORDER SOUTHEAST OF COLDWATER.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR AND ARE EXPECTED
TO BEGIN AFFECTING WESTERN RENO AND KINGMAN COUNTIES BY 7 AM CDT.

PEOPLE THROUGHOUT SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE
WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR VERY HEAVY RAINS...GUSTY WINDS
AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL AS THE STORMS PROGRESS THROUGH THE
AREA THIS MORNING.

SWAIN
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 6:38 AM CDT, 4 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
636 AM CDT TUE JUL 19 1987

   ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH
      OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN KANSAS UNTIL 7 AM CDT THIS TUESDAY
      MORNING...RENO AND HARVEY COUNTIES ARE INCLUDED...

AT 630 AM CDT...THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS IN RENO OR HARVEY
COUNTIES HOWEVER...A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS
OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS TO THE WEST OF A LINE FROM
20 MILES WEST OF MEDICINE LODGE TO ST JOHN TO LYONS TO SALINA TO
MARYSVILLE.  THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE STILL WELL TO THE WEST
OF MEDICINE LODGE.

A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF CONCORDIA.

PEOPLE THROUGHOUT SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE
WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR VERY HEAVY RAINS...GUSTY WINDS
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HAIL THIS MORNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 7:08 AM CDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
712 AM CDT TUE JUL 19 1987

   ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT INCLUDED MUCH OF CENTRAL
AND WESTERN KANSAS HAS EXPIRED AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED...

AT 700 AM CDT...THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE STILL WEST OF MEDICINE
LODGE... WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE STORM AREA FROM JUST WEST OF
MEDICINE LODGE TO SALINA TO NEAR MARYSVILLE IN NORTH KANSAS.

THE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERST.ORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE TO THE EAST
AT ABOUT 20 MPH...WITH SOME DECREASE IN INTENSITY.

RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 8:02 AM CDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
800 AM CDT TUE JUL 19 1987

   ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 755 AM CDT...A LINE OF INTENSE THUDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO
THE WEST PART OF HARPER AND KINGMAN COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.
THE LINE OF INTENSE STORMS EXTENDED FROM 5  MILES WEST OF PRATT...
ACROSS MEDICINE LODGE...SOUTH INTO OKLAHOMA.

THESE THUDERSTORMS COULD CAUSE STRONG GUSTY WIND...BRIEF VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND WILL PRODUCE CONSIDERABLE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THEY WERE
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 TO 25 MPH.

RYAN
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 10:55 AM CDT, 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1054 AM CDT TUE JUL 19 1987

   ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE GREATER WICHITA AREA...

AT 1050 AM CDT...A LINE OF INTENSE THUDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO
THE SOUTH PART OF SEDGWICK COUNTY...ABOUT 10 TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF
WICHITA.  THIS AREA OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
WICHITA TO 10 MILES EAST OF KINGMAN TO THE HUTCHINSON AREA.

THESE THUDERSTORMS COULD CAUSE STRONG GUSTY WIND...BRIEF VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND WILL PRODUCE CONSIDERABLE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. ALSO VERY
LOW CLOUDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ASSOCIATED
WITH A COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING THRU THE AREA.

PERSON SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR ADDITION INFORMATION.  WARNINGS
MAY BE REQUIRED.

LR

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988

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.