Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Topeka, KS

March 12, 1990Douglas County, Osage County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 12, 1990, 9:00 PM CST for Douglas County, Osage County, Kansas. It was in force for 30 min. 1 report 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 12, 1990, 9:00 PM CST (03:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 12, 1990, 9:30 PM CST
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Douglas County, KS, Osage 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
Mar 12, 9:21 PM CSTHail 1Osage, 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 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 28 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 KTOP 130304 COR
SVRTOP
KSC045-139-130345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING   ...CORRECTION TO EXPIRATION TIME...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
900 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
          ...DOUGLAS...OSAGE

AT 855PM 3/4 TO 1 1/4 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED AT LEBO IN EXTREME NORTHERN
COFFEY COUNTY, OR ABOUT 20 MILES EAST OF EMPORIA.

IN ADDITION...MARBLE TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED AT
OVERBROOK IN NORTHEAST OSAGE COUNTY.

THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH.

WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE TO A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

MA

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, 8:03 PM CST, 57 minutes before
KSZ013>016-130300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
804 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER PARTS OF NORTHEAST KANSAS
THIS MONDAY EVENING. AT 8PM THE STORMS WERE GENERALLY SOUTH AND EAST
OF TOPEKA FROM NEAR EMPORIA TO OTTAWA TO NEAR KANSAS CITY.

BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE
STRONGER STORMS AS THEY CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHEAST AT
30 TO 40 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL AND A HEAVY DOWNPOUR WAS REPORTED NEAR LEROY KANSAS
...ABOUT 25 MILES EAST OF EMPORIA...AT 755PM.

AKULOW
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 8:28 PM CST, 32 minutes before
KSZ013>016-130330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
828 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

AT 825PM VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...POSSIBLY WITH HAIL...GUSTY WINDS
AND VERY HEAVY RAINS...WERE CONTINUING TO INCREASE OVER NORTHEAST
AND EASTCENTRAL KANSAS. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH-
EAST OF EMPORIA, ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH OF TOPEKA NEAR POMONA LAKE AND
ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LAWRENCE.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH AND CONTINUING
TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST AND EASTCENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THESE
STORMS AND TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.

AKULOW
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 8:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-130330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
828 PM CST MON MAY 12 1990

AT 828 PM A THUNDERSTORM WAS FORMING RAPIDLY IN CENTRAL KANSAS.  IT WAS
LOCATED 35 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF GREAT BEND OR SOME 20 MILES EAST
SOUTHEAST OF RUSSELL.  MOVEMENT SHOULD BE NORTH NORTHEAST ABOUT 40 MPH.
THE THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE UP ACROSS LINCOLN COUNTY...NEAR THE CITY
OF LINCOLN BY 9 PM AND INTO THE BELOIT AREA...SOME 25 MILES WEST OF
CONCORDIA AROUND 930 PM.

HEAVY RAINS...HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS MAY OCCUR.  OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WILL
LIKELY FORM OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS THE NEXT TWO HOURS.

VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR IS SPREADING NORTH INTO CENTRAL KANSAS.

ADAMS
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 8:50 PM CST, 10 minutes before
KSZ013>016-130330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
850 PM CST MON MAR 12 1990

AT 850 PM VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HAIL...GUSTY WINDS
AND VERY HEAVY RAINS...CONTINUED ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE
FROM KANSAS CITY TO JUST SOUTH OF TOPEKA TO EMPORIA TO WICHITA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH AND CONTINUE TO
INCREASE ACROSS ALL OF NORTHEAST AND EASTCENTRAL KANSAS.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF MARBLES AND SMALL ICE CUBES WAS REPORTED AT
LYNDON IN OSAGE COUNTY ABOUT 837PM. IN ADDITION PEA SIZE HAIL FELL AT
BALDWIN CITY IN DOUGLAS COUNTY SHORTLY BEFORE 830PM.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST AND EASTCENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT
FOR RA`PIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.

 AKULOW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 12, 8:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLincoln, Mitchell62 min
Mar 12, 9:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee33 min
Mar 12, 9:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJefferson41 min
Mar 12, 9:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPAtchison48 min
Mar 12, 10:09 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee36 min
Mar 12, 10:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDouglas, Jefferson29 min
Mar 12, 10:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsage, Shawnee31 min
Mar 12, 11:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee45 min
Mar 12, 11:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJefferson59 min
Mar 12, 11:49 PM CSTTornado WarningTOPDouglas, Jefferson26 min
Mar 13, 12:02 AM CSTTornado WarningTOPJefferson28 min
Mar 13, 10:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPRice50 min
Mar 13, 4:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPSmith42 min
Mar 13, 4:41 PM CSTTornado WarningTOPRice22 min
Mar 13, 4:41 PM CSTTornado WarningTOPMcPherson49 min
Mar 13, 4:52 PM CSTTornado WarningTOPJewell, Smith38 min
Mar 13, 5:28 PM CSTTornado WarningTOPMcPherson47 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.