Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Kansas City, MO

March 12, 1990Doniphan County, Kansas

NWS Kansas City, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 12, 1990, 10:18 PM CST for Doniphan County, Kansas. It was in force for 42 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 12, 1990, 10:18 PM CST (04:18 UTC)
Expired
Mar 12, 1990, 11:00 PM CST
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Kansas City, MO
Area
Whole counties

County Doniphan 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, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 1990-03-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1430 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 1990-03-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1430 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1353 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
285 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
7.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMCI 130419
SVRMCI
KSC043-130500-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MISSOURI
1018 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KANSAS CITY MISSOURI HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHEAST KANSAS
          ...DONIPHAN
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO DONIPHAN COUNTY KANSAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF 1 3/4
INCH HAIL AS IT PASSED THROUGH TOPEKA.

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, Mar 12, 8:08 PM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
MOZ008-009-013-015-KSZ016-1230300

SPECIAL WEATHER STSTEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
805 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS FORMING RADIPLY OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS...

AT 800PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS...
MAINLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM EMPORIA TO OTTAWA.  THESE STORMS HAVE
FORMED SINCE 730PM AND WILL PRODUCE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE
NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE GREATER
KANSAS CITY AREA NOW LATER THEN 9 OR 930PM.

ALONG WITH THE GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL THESE STORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE
VERY HEAVY RAIN.  REMEMBER DO NOT WALK OR DRIVE THROUGH HIGH WATER.
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 8:37 PM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
MOZ008-009-013-015-KSZ016-1230300

SPECIAL WEATHER STSTEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
835 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHWEST
MISSOURI...

AT 825 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE
SMALL HAIL WERE DEVELOPING IN A 40 MILE WIDE AREA FROM DOWNTOWN KANSAS
CITY TO NEAR WICHITA KANSAS.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TOPEKA
KANSAS TO OLATHE KANSAS.  PERSONS IN THE KANSAS CITY METRO AREA SHOULD
PREPARE FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER OVER THE NEXT 3 HOURS AND BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

AMIS
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 8:41 PM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
MOZ008-009-013-015-KSZ016-1230330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STSTEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
835 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHWEST
MISSOURI...

AT 825 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE
SMALL HAIL WERE DEVELOPING IN A 40 MILE WIDE AREA FROM DOWNTOWN KANSAS
CITY TO NEAR WICHITA KANSAS.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TOPEKA
KANSAS TO OLATHE KANSAS.  PERSONS IN THE KANSAS CITY METRO AREA SHOULD
PREPARE FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER OVER THE NEXT 3 HOURS AND BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

AMIS
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 9:39 PM CST, 39 minutes before
MOZ008-009-013-015-KSZ016-1230330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STSTEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
935 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF NORTHWEST MISSOURI
AND NORTHEAST KANSAS INCLUDING THE KANSAS CITY METRO AND ST. JOSEPH AREAS.
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR THE KANSAS CITY METRO
AREA...

AT 925 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE
HAIL WERE CONTINUING OVER EASTERN KANSAS AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI.  THE
STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 35 MILES SOUTH OF...AND FROM 15 MILES TO
20 MILES EAST OF TOPEKA KANSAS.  REPORTS OF 3/4 INCH HAIL AND HEAVY
RAIN HAVE BEEN REPO`RTED IN THE DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY AREA AND IN SOUTHERN
CLINTON COUNTY MISSOURI.

PERSONS LIVING IN EASTERN KANSAS AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI SHOULD BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING OR SEVERE WEATHER
APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 10:01 PM CST, 17 minutes before
MOZ004-001-002-003-008-009-013-015-KSZ016-1230330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
10 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 2AM FOR NORTHWEST MISSOURI AND
NORTHEAST KANSAS...

AT 10PM THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN AND AROUND THE
TOPEKA KANSAS AREA AND IN NORTHWEST MISSOURI AT PATTONSBURG OR ABOUT
50 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF ST JOSEPH.

THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PASSED THROUGH TOPEKA ABOUT 930PM PRODUCED 1 3/4
INCH HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINS.

PERSONS LIVING IN NORTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI SHOULD BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING OR SEVERE WEATHER
APPROACHES.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Kansas City, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 12, 9:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXWyandotte30 min
Mar 12, 9:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJohnson30 min
Mar 12, 10:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXLeavenworth35 min
Mar 12, 11:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXLeavenworth26 min
Mar 13, 12:01 AM CSTTornado WarningEAXLeavenworth29 min
Mar 13, 12:25 AM CSTTornado WarningEAXLeavenworth35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.