Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Wichita, KS
NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Mar 13, 1990, 5:43 PM CST for Marion County, Kansas. It was in force for 62 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
- Mar 13, 1990, 5:43 PM CST (23:43 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 13, 1990, 6:45 PM CST
- In force
- 62 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wichita, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Marion 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 5:45 PM CST | Hail 4 | Marion, KS | |
| Mar 13, 5:46 PM CST | Tornado F5 | Marion, KS | |
| Mar 13, 6:15 PM CST | Tornado F2 | Marion, 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 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 145 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
- 1521 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -86 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 766 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 173 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 24 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 1.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KTOP 132345
TORICT
KSC115-140045-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
ISSUED BY TOPEKA KS
543 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN CENTRAL KANSAS
...MARION
A LARGE DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND AT 543PM CST ABOUT 10
MILES NORTH OF NEWTON KANSAS IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST MARION COUNTY. THIS
IS A KILLER TORNADO. PEOPLE IN MARION COUNTY SHOULD HEAD FOR COVER
IMMEDIATELY!!!!
GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE. IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR
APARTMENT... SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST PORTION OF THE
BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY
FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 13, 2:42 PM CST, 3 hours 1 minute before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-132045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 241 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 400 PM... AT 225 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD REDEVELOPED IN AN AREA OF INSTABILITY IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. AT THIS TIME THE AREA HAD NOT BEEN PRODUCING MORE THAN A FEW AREAS OF PRECIPITATION...ONE IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA AND ANOTHER OVER NORTHWEST KANSAS. THEY WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. OTHERWISE...AN AREA OF SCATTERED PRECIPITATION CONTINUED OVER PARTS OF NORTHEAST KANSAS AS REMNANTS OF THIS MORNING'S SYSTEM. THAT BAND WAS ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 3:43 PM CST, 2 hours before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-132245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 345 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990 ...THE TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL KANSAS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 10 PM TONIGHT... AT 330 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED IN WEST CENTRAL KINGMAN COUNTY. THE CELL WAS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 45 MPH AND IS EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH EASTERN RENO COUNTY BY 445 PM. OTHERWISE...A LINE OF SCATTERED PRECIPITATION 30 MILES WIDE COVERED LARGE PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL KANSAS ALONG A LINE CENTERED FROM THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA BORDER NORTH OF TOPEKA TO 20 MILES EAST OF EMPORIA TO THE KANSAS-OKLAHOMA BORDER 25 MILES EAST OF ARKANSAS CITY KANSAS. THIS LINE WAS ALSO MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 40 MPH. LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 4:09 PM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-132300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 409 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990 ...THE TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL KANSAS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 10 PM TONIGHT... AT 355 PM THE KINGMAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT REPORTED VERY HEAVY RAINS AND PEA SIZE HAIL...ALONG WITH 40 MPH WINDS...IN CENTRAL KINGMAN COUNTY NEAR US HWY 54 WEST OF KINGMAN. THIS REPORT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A LARGE CELL THAT INCLUDES IMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. THIS SYSTEM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 40 MPH AND IS EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH CENTRAL RENO COUNTY BY 500 PM. OTHERWISE...A BAND OF SCATTERED PRECIPITATION CONTINUED IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS FROM NORTH OF TOPEKA TO 15 MILES EAST OF EMPORIA TO THE KANSAS-OKLAHOMA BORDER 25 MILES EAST OF ARKANSAS CITY KANSAS. THIS LINE WAS ALSO MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 40 MPH. LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 4:41 PM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-140100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 440 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990 ...THE TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL KANSAS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 10 PM TONIGHT... AT 440 PM REPORTS OF GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL ASSOCIATED WITH A CELL CONTAINING EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WAS OCCURRING IN NORTH CENTRAL KINGMAN COUNTY WEST OF PRETTY PRAIRIE AND WAS MOVING NORTH INTO RENO COUNTY. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD PASS THROUGH RENO COUNTY BY 530 PM. OTHERWISE...A BAND OF WIDELY SCATTERED PRECIPITATION WAS CONTINUING IN CENTRAL KANSAS ALONG A LINE FROM 25 MILES EAST OF EMPORIA TO 15 MILES 10 MILES WEST OF BARTLESVILLE OKLAHOMA. IT WAS MOVING TO PTHE NORTH AT 40 MPH. LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 5:09 PM CST, 34 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-140100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 508 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990 ...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN RENO COUNTY...HARVEY COUNTY WARNED... ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT... RENO COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORTED A LARGE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT 434 PM NEAR HAVEN KANSAS. IT WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND THE ASSOCIATED SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH HARVEY COUNTY BY 600 PM. TORNADO WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR HARVEY COUNTY UNTIL 530 PM. OTHERWISE...OTHER CELLS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE WEATHER WERE IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND ARE MOVING INTO THE SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS REGION AT 40 MPH. LIGHT PRECIPITATION WAS ALSO OCCURRING IN EXTREME NORTHEAST KANSAS. LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 5:39 PM CST, 4 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-140130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 540 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990 ...TORNADO IN HARVEY COUNTY... ...A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT... A LARGE TORNADO THAT TOUCHED DOWN AT 430 PM WAS STILL ON THE GROUND AT 530 PM IN HARVEY COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS LOCATED ONE MILE SOUTH AND TWO MILES WEST OF HESSTON AND MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. SEVERE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN BURTON AND HESSTON. HARVEY COUNTY HARVEY COUNTY REMAINS UNDER WARNING UNTIL 545 PM. OTHERWISE...OTHER CELLS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE WEATHER WERE IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND ARE MOVING INTO THE SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS REGION AT 40 MPH. LEIVERS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Wichita, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 7:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Cowley | 32 min |
| Mar 12, 8:19 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Greenwood | 26 min |
| Mar 12, 9:12 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Greenwood | 48 min |
| Mar 13, 10:17 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Kingman, Reno | 58 min |
| Mar 13, 11:13 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Harvey | 62 min |
| Mar 13, 4:20 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Reno | 55 min |
| Mar 13, 4:37 PM CST | Tornado Warning | ICT | Reno | 38 min |
| Mar 13, 4:52 PM CST | Tornado Warning | ICT | Harvey | 38 min |
| Mar 13, 5:27 PM CST | Tornado Warning | ICT | Harvey | 18 min |
| Mar 13, 5:44 PM CST | Tornado Warning | ICT | Sumner | 46 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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.