Alert archive / Kansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Topeka, KS

August 28, 1989Osage County, Shawnee County, Wabaunsee County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this flash flood warning at Aug 28, 1989, 2:13 AM CDT for Osage County, Shawnee County, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 1989, 2:13 AM CDT (07:13 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 1989, 7:00 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Osage County, KS, Shawnee County, KS, Wabaunsee 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 00:00Z, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 26 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 1989-08-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 958 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1989-08-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 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
958 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-125 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
840 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
257 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
12.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTOP 280716
FFWTOP
KSC111-139-177-197-281200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
213 AM CDT MON AUG 28 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
          ...LYON...OSAGE...SHAWNEE...WABAUNSEE
 
THUNDERSTORMS AT 210 AM CDT EXTEND FROM JUST WEST OF TOPEKA TO NEAR
EMPORIA. THESE STORMS ARE DROPPING HEAVY RAIN ON ALREADY RAINSOAKED
GROUND. THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH.
 
MOST FLOODING DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES... DIPS... OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Aug 27, 8:59 PM CDT, 5 hours 14 minutes before
KSZ013>016-280300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
859 PM CDT SUN AUG 27 1989

AT 845 PM CDT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG AND NORTH OF
A LINE FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF WICHITA...TO 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF EMPORIA
...TO KANSAS CITY. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 20
MILES AN HOUR.

THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 5 MILES EAST OF JUNCTION
CITY...THROUGH MANHATTAN...TO 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF MANHATTAN JUST
SOUTH OF ONAGA. OTHER INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE LAWRENCE TO
LEAVENWORTH AREA.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST KANSAS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THESE THUNDERSTORMS AND
TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

MCNULTY
Special weather statement, Aug 27, 11:29 PM CDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-280525-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
1127 PM CDT SUN AUG 27 1989

RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS PART OF CENTRAL KANSAS
SHORTLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

AT 1122 PM...RADAR SHOWED A 15 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES EAST OF SALINA TO 40 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF SALINA NEAR MOUND RIDGE.  ANOTHER 10 MILE WIDE AREA OF
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 35 MILES EAST OF SALINA NEAR CHAPMAN...TO
30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SALINA NEAR HERRINGTON.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS TO 35 MILES AN
HOUR...AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS AS THEY
MOVE NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

SULLIVAN
Special weather statement, Aug 27, 11:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before
KSZ013>016-280530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1135 PM CDT SUN AUG 27 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL KANSAS THE REST
   OF TONIGHT...

AT 1115 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE
MOVING THROUGH NORTHEAST KANSAS. THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM THE NORTHEAST
CORNER OF KANSAS ACROSS TOPEKA TO EMPORIA TO 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
EMPORIA. OTHER STORMS CONTINUED ON SOUTHWEST THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS TO THE WEST OF WICHITA.

ONE OF THE STRONGEST STORMS...PRODUCING A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR...WAS
OVER TOPEKA. AN INCH AND A HALF HAD FALLEN IN 30 MINUTES AT BILLARD
AIRPORT IN TOPEKA WITH THE HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING AT 1130 PM.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTEAST AT AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR.
HOWEVER...ALTHOUGH THESE MAY MOVE ON OUT OF NORTHEAST KANSAS...WITH
STORMS LINED UP BACK INTO NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA...MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
LIKELY THROUGH THE NIGHT.

THE HEAVY RAINS WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY CAUSE FLOODING ON SOME SMALL
STREAMS IN EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. PERSONS LIVING NEAR
SMALL STREAMS...AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD BE ALERT THE REST OF
TONIGHT FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING. PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE MANDE NOW FOR
THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING.

BILLS

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kansas, 1989Every flash flood 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.