Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS Wichita, KS

May 20, 1990Cherokee County, Crawford County, Labette County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1990, 7:29 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Crawford County, Labette County, Kansas. It was in force for 61 min. 3 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 20, 1990, 7:29 PM CDT (00:29 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 1990, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cherokee County, KS, Crawford County, KS, Labette 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 20, 8:16 PM CDTHail 1Cherokee, KS
May 20, 8:30 PM CDTHail 0.75Labette, KS
May 20, 8:35 PM CDTHail 1.75Cherokee, 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

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 115 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1990-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2299 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1990-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 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
2299 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1348 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
196 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
7.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 210029
SVRICT
KSC099-037-021-210130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
729 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF KANSAS
      LABETTE...CRAWFORD...CHEROKEE

AT 720 PM HAIL 1 INCH IN DIAMETER WAS LOCATED 3 MILES NORTH OF
COLUMBUS KANSAS IN CHEROKEE COUNTY. RADAR ALSO INDICATES A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IN THIS LOCATION. RADAR ALSO INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 8 MILES EAST OF COFFEVILLE. THESE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

 IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM...GO TO A
REINFORCED SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...
VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND LIGHTNING.

 REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND DO OCCASIONALLY DO
PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNIiNG. BE ON THE
LOOKOUT.

ELAND

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 20, 4:29 PM CDT, 3 hours before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-191145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
428 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...TORNADO WATCH #284 FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN KANSAS IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 11 PM CDT...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS TONIGHT...

AT 425 PM CDT...ISOLATED SHOWERS CONTINUED IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

THE SHOWERS WERE IN A AREA 60 MILES WIDE AND GENERALLY WEST OF A LINE
FROM 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF HUTCHINSON TO 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PRATT.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
ROSNER
Special weather statement, May 20, 5:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-191145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
532 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...TORNADO WATCH #284 FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN KANSAS IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 11 PM CDT...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS TONIGHT...

AT 525 PM CDT...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN SOUTH
CENTRAL KANSAS...WHILE A ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED IN NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS.

THE PRECIPITATION IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS WAS IN A AREA 10 MILES WIDE AND
GENERALLY SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES EAST OF PRATT TO 30 MILES WEST
OF ARKANSAS CITY. NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORED IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.
A ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WAS 30 tMILES SOUTHWEST OF CONCORDIA.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
ROSNER
Special weather statement, May 20, 6:36 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-191145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
635 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...TORNADO WATCH #284 FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN KANSAS IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 11 PM CDT...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS TONIGHT...

AT 625 PM CDT...THE ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS HAD DISSIPATED...WHILE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS WITH A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS DEVELOPING IN SOUTHEAST
KANSAS.

A ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...STRONG GUSTY
WINDS TO 45 MILES AN HOUR AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WAS 5 MILES WEST OF
CONCORDIA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

ISOLATED SHOWERS HAD DEVELOPED IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND WERE GENERALLY
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF COFFEYVILLE TO 20 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF JOPLIN. MOVEMENT HAD NOT BEEN DETERMINED. THERE WAS
NO SEVERE WEATHER IN SOUTHERN KANSAS
ROSNER
Special weather statement, May 20, 7:19 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
KSZ017-200115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
717 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS TONIGHT...

PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BY THE CTHEROKKE COUNTY SHERIFF JUST SOUTH
OF COLUMBUS KANSAS AT 713PM. HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...STONG GUSTY
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM AS IT MOVES
SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST.

ELAND
Special weather statement, May 20, 7:22 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
KSZ017-200115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
717 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS TONIGHT...

PEA SIZE HAIL W\AS REPORTED BY THE CHEROKEE COUNTY SHERIFF JUST SOUTH
OF COLUMBUS KANSAS AT 713PM. HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...STONG GUSTY WINDS
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM AS IT MOVES
SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST.

ELAND

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCherokee, Crawford62 min
May 20, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLabette40 min
May 20, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCherokee56 min
May 20, 9:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTAllen, Bourbon32 min
May 21, 12:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCherokee62 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.