Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 25, NWS Topeka, KS

April 25, 1990Smith County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 25, 1990, 8:44 PM CDT for Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 46 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: Apr 25, 1990, 8:44 PM CDT (01:44 UTC)
Expired: Apr 25, 1990, 9:30 PM CDT
In force: 46 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Whole counties

County Smith 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
Apr 25, 9:05 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Smith, 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

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 214 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 609 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1162 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 55 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCNK 260149 COR
TORCNK
KSC183-260230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS...CORRECTION ALL OF SMITH COUNTY
844 PM CDT WED APR 25 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF KANSAS
      SMITH

AT 845 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR AND BY PUBLIC
20 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG OR ABOUT 10 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF SMITH CENTER.  THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 35 MPH AND WILL BE NEAR SMITH CENTER BY 905 PM CDT.

PEOPLE IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD FIND SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
BASEMENTS OFFER THE BEST PROTECTION.  SMALL ROOMS NEAR THE
CENTER OF HOMES AND BUILDINGS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR ARE ALSO FAIRLY
SAFE.  MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES OFFER NO SHELTER...SO LEAVE THEM.
EVEN A DITCH OR LOW PLACE IS SAFER THAN A MOBILE HOME OR CAR.

THIS TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND AND CAUSING DAMAGE.  ALL PEOPLE
NEAR THIS DANGEROUS STORM SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.  FIND
SHELTER BELOW GROUND LEVEL...IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.  GET TO AN
UNDERGROUND SHELTER IF POSSIBLE.  DON'T HESITATE...A FEW SECONDS
MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE.

PETERSEN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 25, 7:17 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Osborne	43 min
Apr 25, 8:03 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Osborne, Smith	42 min
Apr 25, 8:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osborne	17 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1990 Every tornado warning in 1990 Tornadoes 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.