Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Topeka, KS

July 15, 1988Ellsworth County, Saline County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 1988, 9:47 PM CDT for Ellsworth County, Saline County, Kansas. It was in force for 58 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 15, 1988, 9:47 PM CDT (02:47 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 1988, 10:45 PM CDT
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ellsworth County, KS, Saline 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 15, 9:56 PM CDTHail 1.75Saline, 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, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 200 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 1988-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3114 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 1988-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 107 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
3114 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1622 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
359 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.6
Supercell composite
20.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, Jul 15, 5:57 PM CDT, 3 hours 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
555 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 1988

AT 555 PM CDT A 15 MILE WIDE LINE OF STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF MARYSVILLE KANSAS TO 10 MILES
NORTH OF LINCOLN KANSAS.  THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORM IN NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS WAS 9 MILES NORTHEAST OF CLAY CENTER NEAR FACT.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN 1/8 TO 1/2 INCH
HAIL WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH SAND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY
MOVED EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

PERSONS IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE
THUNDERSTORMS AND SEEK SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.

PHILLIPS
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 6:41 PM CDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
640 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 1988

AT 640 PM STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN A 10 MILE
WIDE LINE EXTENDING FROM 20 MILES NORTH OF HIAWATHA KANSAS TO
CLAY CENTER TO 10 MILES NORTH OF LINCOLN KANSAS.  THE MOST INTENSE
THUNDERSTORM WAS 10 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF LINCOLN KANSAS NEAR
BARNARD.

ANOTHER INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS 9 MILES SOUTH OF CONCORDIA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN UP TO 1/2 INCH HAIL
GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY
MOVED EAST AT 20 MPH.

PHILLIPS
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 7:36 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
735 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 1988

AT 733 PM STRONG TO INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN A 20 MILE
WIDE AREA EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES EAST OF HIAWATHA KANSAS THROUGH
CLAY CENTER TO 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF RUSSELL.  THE MOST INTENSE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE 5 MILES WEST AND 5 MILES AND 9 MILES EAST OF
MINNEAPOLIS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WIND GUSTS TO 50
MPH SOME HAIL A+ND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVED EAST
AT 20 MPH.

PHILLIPS
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 8:03 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
800 PM CDT FRI JUL 15 1988

AT 750 PM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM NEAR ATCHISON TO
PERRY RESERVOIR TO TOPEKA AND ALMA TO SOUTHERN GEARY COUNTY AROUND 10
MILES SOUTH OF JUNCTION CITY. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
WESTERN POTTAWATOMIE AND ALL OF RILEY COUNTY EXPIRED AT 745PM AND
WILL NOT BE REISSUED.

WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GUST FRONT PRECEDING THE THUNDERSTORMS
HAVE REACHED AROUND 50 MPH AT TOPEKA. THIS WILL BE COMMON AHEAD OF THE
LINE OF STORMS AS THEY CONTINUE TO PRESS SOUTHEAST AROUND 20 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAINS AND DEADLY LIGHTNING WILL OCCUR WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS.
BY 9PM CDT GUSTY AND SHIFTING WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS DOUGLAS OSAGE AND
LYON COUNTIES. AT CURRENT RATE OF MOVEMENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL REACH A LINE FROM LAWRENCE TO BURLINGAME TO COUNCIL GROVE BETWEEN
9 AND 10 PM CDT. BOATERS ON CLINTON POMONA AND MELVERN RESERVOIR+S SHOULD
BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER AS THE STORMS APPROACH.

KAYS
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 8:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 15, 9:30 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
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      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
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        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
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        Please try again in a few minutes.
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 7:52 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPClay38 min
Jul 15, 8:16 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDickinson, Saline44 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.