Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Wichita, KS

May 22, 1989Sedgwick County, Sumner County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 22, 1989, 12:23 AM CDT for Sedgwick County, Sumner County, Kansas. It was in force for 67 min. 5 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
May 22, 1989, 12:23 AM CDT (05:23 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1989, 1:30 AM CDT
In force
67 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Sedgwick County, KS, Sumner 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
May 22, 12:28 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Sedgwick, KS
May 22, 12:31 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 66Sedgwick, KS
May 22, 12:46 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Sumner, KS
May 22, 12:55 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 62Sedgwick, KS
May 22, 12:58 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Sumner, 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

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 217 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 1989-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2824 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 1989-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 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
2824 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1775 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 220523
SVRICT
KSC173-191-220630-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1223 AM CDT MON MAY 22 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  130 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
          ...SOUTHERN SEDGWICK...NORTHERN SUMNER
 
AT 1220 AM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST WEST
OF VIOLA...OR ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA. MOVEMENT WAS
SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.  SOME OF THE CITIES INCLUDED ARE...
VIOLA...WELLINGTON...CLEARWATER...AND MULVANE.
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.
 
KRAUSE

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, May 21, 7:35 PM CDT, 4 hours 48 minutes before
KSZ009-009-011-012-014-017-220135-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
734 PM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONCE AGAIN DEVELOPING ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH
   CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 730 PM CDT...A SMALL AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED RATHER
QUICKLY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS 30 TO 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
WICHITA OR ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN COWLEY COUNTY. MOVEMENT IS
EXPECTED TO BE TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST.

ALTHOUGH THE STORMS WERE NOT SEVERE IN NATURE AS OF 730 PM...THEY
DID DEVELOP IN A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY
MONITOR THESE STORMS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.

AND...AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED ACROSS SOUTHWEST
KANSAS /35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DODGE CITY OR NEAR ASHLAND.
WILSON
Special weather statement, May 21, 10:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
KSZ009-009-011-012-014-017-220430-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1015 PM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING AROUND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 1010 PM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED RATHER QUICKLY
BETWEEN WICHITA AND PRATT...AND ALSO JUST SOUTHWEST OF EUREKA...OR ABOUT
55 MILES EAST OF WICHITA.

THE STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS...AND MAY HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE.  A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR MUCH
OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND A SMALL PORTION OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR
RADIO AND TELEVISION FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND STHATEMENTS.  STORMS MAY
STRENGTHEN QUICKLY...SO YOU SHOULD BE READY TO GET TO SHELTER QUICKLY.

ALSO...OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE WEST OF A LINE FROM SALINA TO
MEDICINE LODGE...OR ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA.

KRAUSE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBourbon40 min
May 21, 9:51 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningICTCowley4 hr
May 21, 10:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSedgwick55 min
May 21, 10:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman, Reno68 min
May 21, 11:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSedgwick, Sumner59 min
May 21, 11:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler68 min
May 21, 11:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey58 min
May 21, 11:42 PM CDTTornado WarningICTReno33 min
May 21, 11:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTGreenwood59 min
May 21, 11:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper61 min
May 22, 12:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley57 min
May 22, 1:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChautauqua, Elk, Greenwood63 min
May 22, 2:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMontgomery, Wilson55 min
May 22, 2:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLabette, Neosho55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

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.