Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 51, NWS Topeka, KS

June 18, 1990Mitchell County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 18, 1990, 6:43 PM CDT for Mitchell County, Kansas. It was in force for 32 min. 2 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
Jun 18, 1990, 6:43 PM CDT (23:43 UTC)
Expired
Jun 18, 1990, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Mitchell 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
Jun 18, 6:45 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Mitchell, KS
Jun 18, 6:55 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 56Mitchell, 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 226 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 12:00Z on 1990-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1990-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -47 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2041 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCNK 182343
TORCNK
KSC123-190015-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
643 PM CDT MON JUN 18 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF KANSAS
      MITCHELL

AT 640 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND 3 MILES SOUTH
OF CAWKER CITY MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

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.

KLEYLA

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, Jun 18, 4:36 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-172200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
436 PM CDT MON JUN 18 1990

AT 430 PM RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING LARGE HAIL 20
MILES NORTHWEST OF PHILLIPSBURG MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THIS STORM
WILL BE MOVING INTO SOUTHERN HARLAN COUNTY OF NEBRASKA BY 445 PM.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 5:31 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-182330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
527 PM CDT MON JUN 18 1990

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 462 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR THAT PART
OF KANSAS EAST OF A LINE FROM OBERLIN TO DIGHTON..NORTH OF A LINE FROM
DIGHTON TO RUSSELL TO CLAY CENTER AND WEST OF A LINE FROM CALY CENTER
TO WASHINGTON.

AT 525 PM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE WEST OF A LINE FROM HASTINGS
NEBRASKA TO 25 MILES EAST OF PHILLIPSBURG KANSAS TO 25 MILES WEST
OF RUSSELL.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
SCHNEIDER
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 6:02 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-190000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
6 PM CDT MON JUN 18 1990

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 492 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR ALL OF NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS AND PART OF CENTRAL KANSAS EAST OF A LINE FROM OBERLIN TO
DIGHTON AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM DIGHTON TO RUSSELL TO CLAY CENTER
AND WEST OF A LINE FROM CLAY CENTER TO WASHINGTON.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 FOR WESTERN SMITH
COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

AT 6PM RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 15 MILES EAST OF PHILLIPSBURG
MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THIS STORM LIKELY CONTAINS
LARGE HAIL VERY HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG WINDS.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WERE
30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG OR 15 MILES WEST OF OSBORNE AND
30 MILES NORTHWEST OF CONCORDIA NEAR BURR OAK.  THESE STORMS WERE

WERE ALSO MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 $MPH.
PETERSEN
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 6:19 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-190115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
615 PM CDT MON JUN 18 1990

THE  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN SMITH COUNTY OF NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS HAS EXPIRED AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED.

AT 615 PM CDT A 35 MILE WIDE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS WEST OF A LINE
FROM SUPERIOR NEBRASKA TO JUST WEST OF BELOIT TO RUSSELL.  THE LINE
WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.  HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS TO 50
MPH...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 492 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR ALL OF NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS AND PART OF CENTRAL KANSAS EAST OF A LINE FROM OBERLIN TO
DIGHTON AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM DIGAHTON TO RUSSELL TO CLAY CENTER
AND WEST OF A LINE FROM CLAY CENTER TO WASHINGTON.
SCHNEIDER
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 6:25 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-190010-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
622 PM CDT MON JUN 18 1990

TO ALL BROADCASTERS...NOAA WEATHER RADIO WXK-92..ELLSWORTH IS OFF THE
AIR.  A TELEPHRONE CABLE HAS BEEN CUT NEAR ELLSWORTH KANSAS.  THE PHONE
COMPANY HOPES TO HAVE WXK-92 BACK ON THE AIR BY 830 PM CDT.

SCHNEIDER
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 6:38 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-190240-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
635 PM CDT MON JUN 18 1990

AT 635 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE WEST OF A LINE FROM YORK NEBRASKA
TO CONCORDIA TO GREAT BEND.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE 40 MILES
WEST OF CONCORDIA NEAR CAWKER CITY AND 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BELOIT.
OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM MANKATO TO RUSSELL.  THE THUNDER
STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH..HAIL AND DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN
BE EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE FROM
BELLEVILLE TO JUST WEST OF CONCORDIA TO LINCOLN BY 710 PM CDT.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 492 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR ALL OF NrORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS AND PART OF CENTRAL KANSAS EAST OF A LINE FROM OBERLIN TO
DIGHTON AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM DIGHTON TO RUSSELL TO CLAY CENTER
AND WEST OF A LINE FROM CLAY CENTER TO WASHINGTON.
SCHNEIDER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 18, 5:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPSmith42 min
Jun 18, 6:42 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPRussell33 min
Jun 18, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJewell38 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.