Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Topeka, KS
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 9:56 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Saline, 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.
- 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
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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<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 7:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Clay | 38 min |
| Jul 15, 8:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Dickinson, Saline | 44 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.